So which one of these previous quotes is the most important for us, as a society, to hear? Such a tough decision...but after reading through them a few times, I think it may be this one:
HH the Dalai Lama:
Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us.
It starts with me. Communities reflect each individual within them. The integrity and character of those within communities are the threads and fabric of the community quilt, and every color shows.
If each person in a community asks, "What can so and so do for me?" not much will be accomplished, and the community wouldn't have a whole lot of purpose or meaning. Instead, if individuals were to ask, "What can I do for so and so?" verbs happen. "What can I do?" If no one were to ask this, think of what the world would be like. If Mother Theresa had not taken up the responsibility to minister to the sick and poor in Calcutta, India, who would have? And what would that community have been like without her? She didn't dedicate her life to such a cause because she felt capable and comfortable, but because she knew that the responsibility to those weary people lay with her.
Many times, we talk about how our government, our school, or our family should change this or that. During one of those situations, did we ever think of what we might be able to do to mend the issue? In so many situations, we can begin with ourselves as we seek to solve problems. Communities would not be what we want them to be without our willingness to make them better; in order to improve our communities, we must begin with bettering ourselves. "It (the responsibility) lies with each of us individually."
If each person in a community asks, "What can so and so do for me?" not much will be accomplished, and the community wouldn't have a whole lot of purpose or meaning. Instead, if individuals were to ask, "What can I do for so and so?" verbs happen. "What can I do?" If no one were to ask this, think of what the world would be like. If Mother Theresa had not taken up the responsibility to minister to the sick and poor in Calcutta, India, who would have? And what would that community have been like without her? She didn't dedicate her life to such a cause because she felt capable and comfortable, but because she knew that the responsibility to those weary people lay with her.
Many times, we talk about how our government, our school, or our family should change this or that. During one of those situations, did we ever think of what we might be able to do to mend the issue? In so many situations, we can begin with ourselves as we seek to solve problems. Communities would not be what we want them to be without our willingness to make them better; in order to improve our communities, we must begin with bettering ourselves. "It (the responsibility) lies with each of us individually."
1 comment:
You are a wise woman, Angie.
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