> Global Needs > Helping Change the World

Helping Change the World

Helping to make a positive difference in the world during your lifetime is liberating. We are here for a short time and can take action now to ensure that the world will be a decent place for our grandchildren and future generations to live in.

It is our responsibility to be stewards for the future.

There is an Indian saying to this effect:

Unfortunately, modern Westernized society does not reinforce this type of forward thinking.

Think of how different our world would be if the inventors of Atomic energy, the gun, or the automobile had considered this!

Despite our great accomplishments in science and technology, the status quo is not sustainable:

• more people were killed in warfare in the last century than in all centuries before
• more than one-half of us lives on less than 2 dollars a day
•  the gap between those who 'have' and 'have not' is growing wider every day - a breeding ground for violence and terrorism.

The good news is that there are many organizations and individuals working right now both here at home and overseas to help change this.

There are aid agencies with projects all over the world right now helping local people dig wells, build latrines, and learn how to grow their own food.

There are also other organizations who are trying to bring peace to warring nations by starting peace talks or providing peacebuilding activities.

However, we don’t have to move overseas to start to make a difference in changing the world – there are lots of things that you can do today to make a difference:

• Join letter writing campaigns
• Organize and circulate your own petitions
• Organize a Peace Circle
• Give money to support organizations who work on issues that are important to you
• Volunteer with organizations you support
• Send your old stuff to the Gifts In-Kind Organization so that they can give it to people who need it
• Help build a “culture of peace”
• Choose to use Nonviolence
• Don’t buy violent toys
• Buy fair-trade products
• Buy bulk food with less packaging
• Re-use plastic bags
• Barter for some things that you need
• Car pool and/or use public transit more often
• Eat less meat
• Use non-toxic cleaners
• Use energy efficient appliances
• Use more alternative energy
• Organize a clean-up or greening program for your neighborhood

Click here for a short description about the nature of power.