Courtesy Opens All Doors

There is no investment you'll ever make
that will pay you so well as the effort to
scatter sunshine and good cheer wherever you are.
The deepest principle in human nature is
the craving to be appreciated.

If you treat an individual as if they were
what they ought to be and could be, they
will become what they ought to be and could be.
Everyone thrives on being appreciated,
loved and needed.

There is no stimulus like that which comes
from the consciousness of knowing that
others believe in you.
Applaud others when they run.
Console them when they fail.
And cheer them when they recover.

As water is to a flower,
So is praise to the heart of another.

Copied from Biophile Issue 11

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." Dalai Lama

Anything you can do, I still do better...

We have all met them before... the people who find fault in whatever you do to make the earth a better place because they do more.

So you've decided to go vegetarian 3 days of the week, instead complimenting you on your efforts all you get is a 'that doesn't help much'. You're buying eco friendly products but they are buying local eco friendly products - you are still not good enough. You're giving money to a charity but they are giving more or you haven't picked the 'correct' charity, this list can continue for quite some time. This makes each of us sigh silently and sometimes tantrum not so silently.

Don't get me wrong, I commend all those more successful than me on the path, I just think if we can get more people to do something (no matter how small) it is better than getting a handful of perfectly dedicated people.
I've been vegetarian myself for about 10 years now. I think it is part of natural vegetarian evolution to start considering veganism somewhere along the way. The thing is that you look at the vegan websites and you are actually offended by some of them. Instead of making you feel like it will be a pleasant experience they just insult you for not being vegan already, saying that your efforts thus far doesn't help one bit. I'm not planning to let this stand in my way to turning to whatever I'm meant to become but if I'm sure many people just quit on the idea immediately due to this attitude. I feel very strongly on not eating animal flesh but I usually only give my opinion on it when being questioned about it.

Although it is a core believe to me that animals should not be murdered for us to consume their flesh, I still appreciate whatever effort is being done by other people whether it is eating less meat or going pescatarian (quitting meat but still eating fish).

Another change I've made in my life recently is changing over to biodegradable products and cutting out products that were tested on animals - this is tougher than one would imagine.

I believe if each of us does what is in our range and means to do to make the earth a happier place, whether it is going cutting out on some animal products, using biodegradable products or even walking places instead of driving there, we are contributing to making the earth and ourselves healthier.

We want to save the earth, not our egos. With that in mind I suggest you look at your life and see if it is possible for you to make any changes and once you have done so tell other what you are doing but try not to judge them for not being as good, as committed or as pure as you and your quest.

Respecting yourself and what you put in your body will ultimately lead to respecting the earth and the beings sharing it with us.

Lastly, I will probably write something somewhere down the line that might seem to contradict this post but this is the way I feel today :)

We reach a stage in life where we start questioning what we do and the motivations behind it. Sometimes we ignore the impulse of dissecting our actions but I've decided to examine it some more. So this is simply my view on everyday things and issues I think require further investigation as well as life, love and whatever else crosses my mind at the time however strange it might be. Lots have changed in my world lately and I'm seeing things differently to the way I did before. I've had lots of interesting discussions about how I come to some of my conclusions and I hope what I write here will shed a bit of light on the subject.

We are all free to have our own opinions which means people often disagree on how things should be. I've found that certain issues can be debated neutrally and others turn into fierce arguments. If you read my future posts and you would like to give your insights on the subject please do but I won't always reply. Main reason for this being that some of the things I'll write about has been over debated and quite frankly I find such discussions boring.

With that the first post is completed, let's see how this goes.