Living your life while others are suffering...

[Andrew Brunelle]

Benjamin Franklin was amazing. A wonderful man. What we need to do is empower these empoverished people, show them there can be a way out of this mess they're in, allow them to see abundance. Just remember how that could be you. You could have been born in India or China, washing your clothes in a river with 750,000 other people simultaneously. You could have no food to eat, no water to drink, so what we need to do is give these people hope, allow them to see there is a better way and a way out of this mess. It might not happen in their lifetimes, as it is a gradual process, but getting out of a poverty hole or a suffering hole is an immense challenge, but achieveable. I'm putting out an intention for the poor and sick people of the world move towards abundance. Please join me in this intention.

[Liara Covert]

I like Andrew's comment. Depending on your belief system, you may have actually been a person in an impoverished environment in a past life, or this may be part of your destiny in the future. Hard to say. Every event can't be predicted. Creating value for others and sharing compassion is only human. Its also in your interest precisely because in the future, you may have good reason to be grateful for the abundance and generosity shared by others.

I think of the 2004 film "The Day After Tomorrow." I would highly recommend this film if you haven't yet seen it. The Ice Age-like disaster that suddenly freezes over a huge area of the United States forces many Americans to become refugees in Mexico. This reminds us of the possibility of how one's way of life could change overnight as result of environmental circumstances outside of our control. So, treat your neighbours and especially the less fortunate well. You just never know when you may end up on their doorstep seeking their help in the future...

[ethereal]

resolve to raise your level of consciousness, and you'll gain the wisdom, compassion, and vision to see where the real problems are and how to help them. the more pain you are feeling, the more you should devote your energies towards this goal as the most important, as steve pavlina has talked about in his articles.

as einstein said, problems at one level must be solved at a higher level (of consciousness). trying to save the world in our current paradigm without seeing the whole picture is like trying to bail out water in a sinking ship with a pail.

however, it is possible to raise your level of consciousness by doing selfless service like Theresa and Gandhi (look into Karma Yoga). It may be a more suitable path for you, it seems like, as long as we keep in mind the overarching context of consciousness and devotion to Divinity and compassion for others' suffering, instead of a personal "I" doing good works that our egos should feel good about.

reading spiritual texts and raising your consciousness level will not only allow you clearer vision, but will impact the rest of the world through unseen energies and God's love/light emanating through you, uplifting universal karma. solve the problem at the spiritual roots rather than cutting away at the physical leaves.

mahatma gandhi, an enlightened sage like mother theresa, said "be the change you wish to see in the world." this isn't just metaphorically, this is taken literally as well. as you change, your consciousness will affect everybody for the better. read david hawkin's works (namely power vs. force), in it he talks about how positive beings of higher consciousness counterbalance large amounts of negativity in the world. i've included a table from the book for reference:

- one individual at level 700 (enlightened / Self realized) counterbalances the negativity of 70 million individuals below level 200 (below the level of Courage/Integrity)
- 600 (enlightenment) counterbalances 10 million
- 500 (love) counterbalances 750,000
- 400 (reason) counterbalances 400,000
- 300 (willingness) counterbalances 90,000

now we see why Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Gandhi, Theresa, etc. had such effect on the world. sometimes it may not seem like much in the physical realm (although it is already a lot!), but rest assured that much has been done in the spiritual realm, where it really matters and continues to affect us.

[CasBit]

It is the nature of the human condition that in a population of 6 billion, many millions will live lives of desperate poverty. While the numbers are increasing due to population growth, the percentage is decreasing due to globalization and the trickle down effect of the economic growth in places like China and India.

Each time you buy clothes or almost anything from a department store, you are putting a penny in the hands of the poor. You can also contribute a small amount of money each month to a charity you trust and know that some child somewhere is getting a bowl or rice he might not have had.

Tom