Each generation faces its unique challenges and we certainly have our hands full with so many pressing issues.
What is going on around us also raises questions about what kind of world our children and future generations will inherit.
Given the magnitude of issues, where do we even begin?
How are we to respond when we are flooded by a barrage of unsettling information be it about the economy, the environment, or other current events.
It is easy to become overwhelmed and give in to the fight, flight, or freeze response. It’s easy to get angry and frustrated and maybe even throw up our hands in despair.
But when we are in such a state, we lose our power to act with clarity. And we also risk losing our humanity.
As a behavioral scientist and public health professional, I invite you to consider love as an answer to our current problems.
I don’t mean this in some Pollyanna kind of way. I am talking about love as an essential nutrient for our psyches. It is something we all need across our lifespans.
We can think of love as focused compassionate action - intended to reduce suffering and to promote wellbeing - of ourselves and of others.
Love can take many forms - between family members, between friends and even among members of a community or a nation or the entire planet.
It’s wonderful that humans have embarked on a journey to explore outer space.
But we need to equally embark on a journey to discover the fullest potential of the human heart.
And this is a journey not just for a few astronauts but it is a journey each of us can make - individually and collectively.
In the coming days, I will be sharing with you the Declaration of Universal Love. This document is the cornerstone of the World Love Forum and offers a shared structure and framework from which we can work individually and collectively, to build the world we want - for ourselves, our families, our communities and the world.
By the way, if you think I'm talking about saving the world, I'm not.
I'm talking about tending the garden. We enjoy the fruits of the efforts of those who have come before us. And one day, we too will be among our ancestors, and our descendants will benefit from the fruits of our labors.
I look forward to working with you to realize hope, and to build a strong future for our children, grandchildren, and others to follow.
Thank you!
Love it. This part: “tending the garden…” I love nature and I think She is always talking about love. It is so abundant and wonderful. This is such an importante theme for humanity. Big hug 💜