http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/vegetarianism/ALL///
There has been alot of terrible, heartbreaking news this week...........
What is happeing in Syria and in particular the city of Homs; the sad news of the death of PC Rathband and the awful news of the death of 15 yr old Magalie Bamu at the hands of the his sister and her boyfriend.
Just tragic and incomprehendable.
Add that to all the other awful atrocities that happen daily all over our globe, and it can be hard to find something to smile about especially if we are going through our own personal darkness.
I know that if I didn't have my family to depend on I may well sink into a well of hopelessness and misery with the knowledge that there is so much pain and desturction in this world. I have done exactly this many times throughout my life but Rob keeps me balanced and he listens to my rantings and pain, he lets me cry and then he reasons with me and shows me the way forward.
Up until Joyfest last Summer, I religiously bought the Saturday Guardian and Independent on Sunday. This was the way I kept in touch with what was going on in the world. However, I often would find myself feeling distressed and disturbed by the tragic events that seem to happen daily and I found that this affected me profuoundly to such an extent that I would not be able to forget what I had read or seen. Not only that, but I often found little time to read the papers at the weekend, so they would pile up which ended up only causing more stress because I determined to read them, having bought them and feeling the need to inform myself of world events. I would end up reading a paper 2 or more weeks after I had bought it and the cycle just continued!
Rob would ask why I caused myself the distress of reading news that upset me so much, and added pressure upon myself to read them even if it was a month or 2 later!
I always told him that I needed to keep myself informed because it is important that we all keep ourselves informed about the tragedy that besets so many so that we don't forget and we can make the little changes in our lives that could cause those ripples that may effect a brighter future for all our fellow relations.
I still absolutely and firmly believe this to be true. But I am no longer forcing myself to buy the paper in order to keep myself informed. I have decided to read books which is something I have never had the time to do (because any reading time was reading out of date newsprint!) and to read what interests me. And because what interests me is keeping myself informed of national and international issues that do not affect me directly, safe as I am in my own little corner of the globe, they affect me indirectly and by reading books on subjects such as Animal Welfare, Rainforest Destruction, Ethical Consumerism, Africa among others, I can both release the pressure that comes from piles of newspapers and give my full attention to 1 subject at a time.
I believe we need to watch footage and read eye witness articles to force into action even if it is painfully heartbreaking and causes us to feel hatred and anger amidst the pure incomprehension of how we exist on the same planet as this destruction by humans.
I struggle to watch the Videos by the Animal Aid, SPEAK, Uncaged, PETA among many others. But when I feel strong enough, that is what I do.
Rob wishes I wouldn't because it causes me terrible, indescribable distress, but it is by forcing myself to watch, that I am now making the ripples that I am. They are small ripples I know, but I hope they will build into bigger ripples within my immediate community which will support the workof Animal Aid and all the other charities fighting for change, compassion and a cruelty free world.
So.......with the newsevents this week, yes it could be hard to raise a smile this weekend and very easy to wallow in the awfulness of the world. ..............
However, where there is evil, there is far more good. Where there are negatives, there are far more positives.
Look for the positives in your life.
Live each day as if it were your last.
Enjoy every moment because in any given moment, that's all you have.
Embrace those little things that cause you to be grateful, there are so many.
Remember that for every mean and ignorant individual, there are far more of us that are good and striving for change.
Find your solace in all of the above
Last night, we had a knock at our door. It was the lovely local lollipop lady. She had bought a pile of dolphin momentos for Bleu. She knew that Bleu loves dolphins and when her daughter was throwing out a load of dolphin pictures and posters, she immediately thought of Bleu.
This lady is one of those people who you want to be around all the time. She is selfless and dedicates alot of her time to making the local school children feel special and valued.
Last night was just 1 of many acts of kindness that she plays out every day.
This is the true human nature. The atrocities that we hear about and that so many of our fellows have to bear witness to are committed by the minority.
Human nature is by default, kind, generous, compassionate, good, caring and respectful. That is really who we are and it is important not to loose sight of that.
So, all we can do is use our positive qualities to the advangage of our local communities and wider circles, and in that way, we can all contribute to a better world and find some solace.
Read my next post for some ideas on how to make yourself and others feel better!
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