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“When
all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when
all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then
will you discover you cannot eat money.”1
I had a conversation with a close friend of
mine named Sandra*. She said that for the first time in a long time, she
genuinely felt content and at peace. I asked her to tell me about her journey
to inner peace, and what she shared brought to mind the image below:
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| Image 2 |
In her late 20s, Sandra was fortunate to
acquire a great job that guaranteed a very comfortable life for her. In
addition, she married and had children and lived what many would consider the
perfect life. After a while, she became discontent because she always wanted
more, yet it was still never enough. There was always a better car, a
higher-paying job, more fashionable clothing, the latest technology, better and
more expensive schools for her children, and so on. Her life’s purpose focused
on maintaining an image and keeping up with everyone else.
Soon enough, her career was no longer
exciting, and her friendships turned into draining interactions that often
lacked substance and value. No amount of retail therapy could fill the gaping
hole she felt inside her. She became completely consumed by her unhappiness. She
did not discuss her feelings with others because she knew she would be judged
and called ungracious and ungrateful. How could she possibly complain about
being unhappy when her life was so much better than many others? As expected,
Sandra’s health started to suffer. She lacked the desire to exercise or engage
in fun activities and battled insomnia for months.
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| Image 3 |
Sandra had one group of friends who were
like her – driven by money, amassing material wealth, and maintaining a certain
image. She noticed that when she interacted with them, she came away from those
interactions feeling bad about herself. She and her friends were not oblivious
to suffering in the world. They often donated money to charity, but their
reasons for doing so were not completely genuine, particularly for those who
gave more just to upstage each other. They became comfortable with saying they
had done their part and given good money, but not once did they volunteer their
time to engage in hands-on volunteer work.
The more Sandra became discontent, the more
she sought out her different group of friends whose lives revolved around
humanitarian work, social justice, and positive change. When she interacted
with these friends, she came away from those conversations feeling energized,
encouraged, and curious, with a need to do something more with her life. This
group of friends had a passion and purpose for living that was not driven by
material wealth, but by an insatiable need to commit all their time and talents
to finding solutions to the world’s most pressing needs. In the past, she found
it difficult to hang out with this group of friends on a regular basis because,
while she admired them, their stories depressed her.
Sandra’s friends shared their experience
with visiting, living, and/or working in parts of the world where human
suffering was at its worst. Others had spent their entire careers engaged in civil,
animal, and environmental rights/protection.
She finally figured out what was making her
so sad and discontent. She realized that she had been quite selfish with her
wealth, time, and talents. More importantly, she realized that she was not
living her life’s purpose. She had access to resources that could improve countless
people’s lives. She had the knowledge and the skill-set to contribute to
finding solutions to the world’s most crucial issues, but she had spent her
life “being shallow”.
She decided to do more and quickly became
overwhelmed. Like many others, every time she accessed social media or the
news, all she saw were countless stories about poverty, war, greed, violence,
disease, and corruption. She had no idea where to start or where she’d be of
most use.
Sandra’s journey begun with her figuring
out what she cared the most about. Was it Animal Rights? Civil Rights? Social
Justice? Women and Gender Rights? Healthcare Reform? Human Rights?
Environmental Rights? Children’s Rights? She had a variety of causes to learn
about and become involved in and started speaking to those who were already
engaged in these causes. Once she identified what she most cared about, her
next steps were to plan how she could help. She started by donating funds to
organizations whose work she supported. Next, she started volunteering with
local organizations whose mission and vision aligned with her interests, and
eventually, she transitioned to work for an organization whose mission, vision,
and work she fully supported.
Today, Sandra is in the process of starting
her own Nonprofit that focuses on the areas she sees the most need in.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with
being wealthy and building upon your wealth. Many people work very hard to get
to where they are, so it’s only natural to enjoy the fruits of their labor as
they see fit.
However, the quote below by
Meagher has an important message—many people are materially wealthy but deeply
unhappy because their money can’t buy them inner peace, true love, happiness,
or real friends.
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| Image 4 |
How
can you help on World Humanitarian Day (WHD)?
1)
We do not have to wait until August
19 to find ways to help others. This is something we should strive to do every
day, given all the pain and suffering in the world. World issues can be resolved
through resources and making a conscious decision to put others before
ourselves.
2)
We should not help others just
because it makes us feel better. We should help others because it improves the quality of their
lives2 and will often times encourage them to help others the
same way.
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| Image 5 |
The 2016 theme for WHD is “One Humanity”.
According to the UN, WHD will “highlight how the world came
together in Istanbul for the World Humanitarian Summit earlier this year, and made
commitments to support people affected by crisis and ensure that aid workers
can safely and more effectively deliver to those in need.”3 More
information may be found via this link4 on events that will be held
around the world to honor this day, as well as information on what you can do
to help.
Volunteering has many benefits,5
not just for those you help but for you as well. Aside from talking to
your loved ones and friends, visit sites such as Volunteer Match to locate
organizations in your city that you can volunteer with on a regular basis.
There is always something for everyone, whether it’s feeding the homeless,
animal shelters, visiting the sick and shut-in, and building communities, etc.
Finally, remember that WHD is a great day
to (i) plan an event of your own to help those in need; (ii) encourage others
to become more involved in making the world a better place; and (iii) honor
those who risk their lives every day in humanitarian service.
*Not her real name.
References
1. Native American
Quotes and Thoughts. N.d. Retrieved August 8, 2016: http://www.stevenredhead.com/Native/quotes.html
2. Segal, J. and Robinson, L. (2016). Volunteering and its Surprising
Benefits. How Volunteering Makes us Healthier and Happier. Retrieved August 5,
2016: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/work-career/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm
3. UN World
Humanitarian Day 19 August. (2016). 2016 Theme: One Humanity. Retrieved August 10, 2016: http://www.un.org/en/events/humanitarianday/
4. UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. World Humanitarian Day 2016.
Retrieved August 9, 2016: http://www.unocha.org/whd2016
5. World
Humanitarian Day Do Something Good. (2016). Feel Good About Helping Others. Helping Patients and Prevent Medical Negligence & Neglect. Retrieved August 5, 2016: http://www.whd-iwashere.org/
Images
1.
Affairs Blog. (2015). UN Observance:
World Humanitarian Day, 19 August 2015. Retrieved
August 5, 2016: https://globalroundtableissues.wordpress.com/2015/08/21/un-observance-world-humanitarian-day-19-august-2015/
2.
Onesizzle Sad Comics. (n.d.). Be Grateful for What You Have. Retrieved
August 5, 2016: https://onsizzle.com/i/look-at-that-new-car-i-wish-i-had-a-568799
3. Manson, M. (2013). Stop Trying to Be Happy. Retrieved August 5,
2016: https://markmanson.net/stop-trying-to-be-happy
4. Quote Addicts. (n.d.). Retrieved August 5, 2016:
5. Vandervelden, D. (2014). Retrieved August 5, 2016: http://blog.greatmate.com/why-should-we-help-others/
