This was a very good article for me to read right now. I was just talking to one of my best friends on the phone about art, and politics, and "whats wrong with our country". Why are we incapable of coming together, even within our own political parties? He proposes that it is because of the age of smartphones, the internet, and social media. I said that we need to work to bridge the gap between ourselves and those who are "other"; to recognize that we are all humans.
This article was both saddening and inspiring. It draws attention to the dire place we are in now, but also leaves me feeling a little hopeful. Yoga teaches that we should live fully present in each moment and respond to it alone, not obsessing over the past or the future. Every moment is an opportunity for change, to make a different choice. I truly hope that in the case of our planet we are not too late and beyond recovery (in terms of climate change etc.) and we can choose in this moment to begin to treat it better.
I love the idea of the Thanksgiving Address. Bringing our attention to the natural world, we quickly realize how vast and amazing it is, we are dwarfed by its immensity and majesty, we are forced to realize that there is something out there bigger than ourselves. This is one of the reasons why it is such and important and powerful thing to do. Today we are more connected than ever, but we drift farther in understanding. The earth is the one thing we all share. Maybe if we could learn to treat the earth better we could then learn to treat each other better.
Expressing gratitude is also an extremely beneficial practice. We are made aware of everything we have as opposed to everything we don't. We become more content in our life. I saw Richard Dawkings speak last week and being a scientist, particularly in the study of biology and evolution, and also being an atheist, he tries to see the evolutionary advantage to every human function. Someone asked what the meaning of life was and he responded that the brain is a "purpose generating organ". For whatever reason, it helps us to feel that we have a purpose, so our brain generates that purpose, many purposes, big and small, throughout our life time. I think he would be able to see and agree that there is an evolutionary advantage to gratitude. When we express gratitude it helps us psychologically, which helps us overall - so why shouldn't we all do it more often?!
Also, here's a quick article I found: https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#7049381f183c
This article was both saddening and inspiring. It draws attention to the dire place we are in now, but also leaves me feeling a little hopeful. Yoga teaches that we should live fully present in each moment and respond to it alone, not obsessing over the past or the future. Every moment is an opportunity for change, to make a different choice. I truly hope that in the case of our planet we are not too late and beyond recovery (in terms of climate change etc.) and we can choose in this moment to begin to treat it better.
I love the idea of the Thanksgiving Address. Bringing our attention to the natural world, we quickly realize how vast and amazing it is, we are dwarfed by its immensity and majesty, we are forced to realize that there is something out there bigger than ourselves. This is one of the reasons why it is such and important and powerful thing to do. Today we are more connected than ever, but we drift farther in understanding. The earth is the one thing we all share. Maybe if we could learn to treat the earth better we could then learn to treat each other better.
Expressing gratitude is also an extremely beneficial practice. We are made aware of everything we have as opposed to everything we don't. We become more content in our life. I saw Richard Dawkings speak last week and being a scientist, particularly in the study of biology and evolution, and also being an atheist, he tries to see the evolutionary advantage to every human function. Someone asked what the meaning of life was and he responded that the brain is a "purpose generating organ". For whatever reason, it helps us to feel that we have a purpose, so our brain generates that purpose, many purposes, big and small, throughout our life time. I think he would be able to see and agree that there is an evolutionary advantage to gratitude. When we express gratitude it helps us psychologically, which helps us overall - so why shouldn't we all do it more often?!
Also, here's a quick article I found: https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#7049381f183c
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