Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Die for Dyeing

Fashion real costs discussed in this TedX talk.

One thread at a time: Louise Visser and Alice Jones at TEDxNoosa

When what "we" in the so called "1st world countries" accept, enable, promote for a lifestyle that is pushed by consumerism and the financialization of everything; life itself is in trouble. A need to grow, extort , exploit everything and everybody is not a good way to make friends. No wonder we are so unhappy, unhealthy and anxious.

The USA is proving grounds for dis-ease in systems based on archaiac visions of who and what we as human beings are and why we are here.
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 Maturing as a species means removing our blinders, to stop justifying our actions and getting to "super real" with transparency, respect, responsibility and realization of how all of life interrelates, is connected and health requires diversity, creativity and curiosity. This is good stuff once the hurdle is jumped.

This is how we can reconcile and heal. We have what it takes.

 When we look to the whole as one, it is easy to see the how there is no "over there," no "other"

Helping each other realize the possible is up to each of us.

Thank you

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

That Sweet AHA


  

Those Toxic Venders

Photo taken at a Northgate professional building where my Dad's eye doctor has an office.  I have put sticky note haz mat posts before but this time i noticed that right across the hall was the Washington Poison Control. 

I rang the bell and the gatekeeper handed me the stickers. I brought up the irony of the GMOs -the corn, soy suspicious wheat, the corn syrups and beet sugars, the snack laden American "diet" of faux food stuffs. She nodded but acted strange, did she have a no comment..or gag order in place?
 SAD!! 

Anyway when i went to put one a sticker on the machine she asked me not to. It seems they got in "trouble" from the building owner when some kids put them on the machines. Coca Cola was next to the "snacks" you know a bag of chips, a candy bar and a drink, call it a meal.

I told her i would remove the sticker after taking the photo, but she said they were too hard to remove. She looked at me, gave me a final, "please don't." and then scurried away behind a closed door.  Wow!

All i can say is:
"Bravo you smart active kids!, you are awake, you get it!! or at least some of you do, and that makes my heart soar.

My dad held up the sticker  and i took the picture. I guess i need to go back to the HAZ_MAT sticky notes as the real "non-profits" are too mired in the system, too narrowly focused to be all that  effective.

Find Your Moment of Obligation
--by Lara Galinsky, syndicated from blogs.hbr.org, Jul 23, 2013
 
People who successfully tackle big social, environmental, and economic problems are driven by what I call a moment of obligation — a specific time in their life when they felt compelled to act. These moments become their North Star; they keep them going in a positive direction when everything seems dark. The obligation is not only to the world but also to themselves.
Activists or social entrepreneurs aren't the only ones who are moved this way. We all have experiences that deeply inform who we are and what we are supposed to do. But only if we allow them to….

We've all been deeply moved by problems in the world. We see that something isn't right, that a community deserves better, or a social injustice needs to be corrected. It could be that something terrible — or even something wonderful — happens to us or someone we know. Perhaps we witness an injustice. Perhaps we simply read an article about one, but something about it moves us as powerfully as if we were the one who wrote it.

Unfortunately, many of us are not prepared to recognize these moments for what they are. As a result, we let them pass by. We chalk them up to emotional experiences or brief blips of inspiration and move on with our daily routine. And we lose out on creating meaningful careers and lives.
Here are a few tips for recognizing your own moments of obligation.

They're strong. You can recognize the moment by the intense feelings it invokes. The moment itself doesn't necessarily need to be dramatic, but what it brings up in you is.

They keep showing up. Sometimes, the experiences will reoccur. You'll notice an issue again and again. Patterns will emerge and you will see that, for whatever reason, you are drawn to delve deeper into this particular issue.

They're personal. The moments are very often personally meaningful. They are connected to your own experiences, or the experiences of people you care most about, the way in which Socheata's moment of obligation was.

They take hold. Finally, they just won't let you go. They scream for your attention, creeping into your mind when you are minding your own business — sitting on the couch, watching TV, or trying to get a good night's sleep.
Everyone is moved this way from time to time, but what sets those who help solve the world's biggest problems apart is the decision to turn that feeling into action. They say, "Someone has to take responsibility for this problem. And that someone is me."

For the full story just click or paste

http://www.dailygood.org/story/488/find-your-moment-of-obligation-lara-galinsky/