Showing posts with label Selfishness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Selfishness. Show all posts

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Preserving our Home

Preserving our planet starts with small steps. Everyday. From each of us.
Photo by NASA on Unsplash

A few decades ago, deforestation became a serious problem in our planet.

Today, our environmental conscience has improved and it's common to see that in many places, people  create formulas for reforestation.

Thailand found a peculiar way to recover deforested areas. The Asian country innovated, using military planes to bomb its forests with reforestation bombs. The planes carried seeds from local trees, along with a mixture of clay, earth and compost, which facilitates their germination. These seeds are fully prepared to become giant trees.

The project, started in 2016, is expected to span five years, according to the Thai government. The author of the idea was the Japanese Masanubo Fukuoka whose the technique was perfected, allowing the country to return to nature what was taken from it.

With this method, it is estimated that almost one million trees could be planted daily.

A plan that sows hope for a despoiled planet, a land exhausted by excessive exploitation by its most illustrious inhabitant, man. The same man who now realizes that if he does not care for mother Earth, soon he will no longer have a home, a shelter, a world to live.

Preserving the Environment

For some of us, it may all seem like utopia. The Earth is not heading for any ecological disaster think those who live in places where water, light, food are abundant.

However, every day, the storms that plague certain communities, the climate that seems to have gone mad tell us that it is now up to us to, urgently fix the problems we created as fast as possible.

The alerts are being given, on a constant basis by Mother Earth. Intense cold in places never before invaded by such low temperatures, excessive heat in other locations.

Preserving and safeguarding the environment is fundamental to maintaining the health of the planet, ensuring our own survival. Every effort to protect natural resources, the soil, the water, the air must be considered.

Doing our part

It is time to understand that each of us should look to be content with the necessary. Without wanting too much, without usurping, without forcing, without attacking Earth.

To live we need air, water and generous food. Let us not allow our greed to pollute the atmosphere, destroy the forests and despoil the land.

Our part can be done, wherever we are. After all, who can't plant a tree or help protect existing ones? Who could not reduce food waste, recycle, participate in conscious disposal and collaborate with garbage collection helping to avoid the critical problem of garbage waste we are already in?

Final Thoughts

Any act that harms nature is the result of excessive selfishness and ambition.

Each of us can start now with simple actions to collaborate. Avoid wasting water, wasting food, wasting electricity, reducing extreme consumerism, recycling more and educating our children with concrete examples to do the same.

Think about it!

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on October 19, 2019.

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Sunday, May 9, 2021

Purity

Purity is not an untangible virtue as most think, but something that can be achieved with effort, patience and dedication. Would you like to learn how?
Photo by Johnny McClung on Unsplash

Purity is a virtue that is very difficult to understand.

According to the dictionary, pure is that which is clean, untouched, without spots or blemishes. In that sense, purity would be the state of someone who has never been touched by evil, in any of its forms.

Purity would have to be preserved from the beginning, as any stain would imply its loss.

In human terms, everyone would be born pure and remain so until they commit the first fault. In such a sense, the state of purity would be forever lost and beyond the reach of the vast majority of men.

However, Jesus affirmed the bliss of the pure in heart.

It is not possible that the happiness of the blessed is restricted to a tiny minority, for Christ also said that none of his sheep would be lost. Thus, the meaning of the word purity cannot be restricted to the condition of someone who has never been touched by evil.

Perfect Purity

Purity is not something you are born with or something that can be lost at the slightest slip. It is a state of consciousness to be built over time.

Being pure is not being ignorant of the reality of life, but opting for the good, for the beautiful, for the just.

On the flip side, an impure person only sees evil everywhere. They are those who judge and are always willing show levity on each action. Being harsh censors, they often expect a purity that they do no have and violently criticize those who make efforts to achieve it.

The pure person identifies the evil where it really exists. They perceive and regret dishonesty, selfishness, perversion and cruelty.

Final Thoughts

Purity is something that can be achieved.

Struggling to overcome our own difficulties is hard but worthwhile. What we need is to stop wasting time criticizing the conducts of others and focusing on our own bad habits to overcome them patiently.

Mary Magdalene is an opportune example of purity achieved. Despite the great mistakes of his past, after meeting Jesus she began to cultivate purity in her life. Her story is an eloquent symbol of the victory of reason and will over passion and vices.

Becoming pure is possible and it only depends on our own efforts.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on January 10, 2018.

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Sunday, February 7, 2021

Spontaneous Good

Good examples inspire others and make a big difference for all of us
Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

It is common today to hear about indifference, selfishness, greed and misery.

However, if there are those who only think of themselves ignoring the well-being of others, more and more there are movements of solidarity happening around us.

It was a spontaneous initiative that saved the lives of nine people on a beach in Florida.

Roberta was in the company of her mother, husband, children and nephews. After diving in the sea, she was surprised to find her family members very far from the shore. The children cried and everyone shouted that they were being pulled away by the current.

Desperate, thinking of saving them, she entered the water again. A bather noticed and soon realized that people were drowning. Immediately, she picked up a bodyboard she found on the sand and swam towards the family. Meanwhile, her husband also entered the water, with some people, starting to form a human current.

And, while Jessica was rowing, the chain increased, with eighty people joining hands, reaching a distance of one hundred meters.

Thanks to this, it was possible to save all the family members, bringing them to the sand one by one.

Roberta later commented that she did not even remember being rescued. She just remembered waking up on the beach after passing out. Her mother had to be resuscitated and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Deeply grateful, she said she owed her and the lives of her family members to this great bond of solidarity that was formed when she discovered people in danger.

Good Examples

The spontaneity of this example is noteworthy. It shows us that there's always support for good, everywhere. It also shows us how open we are ready to help others when they need.

And this example teaches us another important lesson - good examples that inspire others make a big difference.

Difference between poverty and hunger. Difference between misery and acceptance. Difference between ignorance and instruction.

Final Thoughts

In essence, this story teaches us that it doesn't matter who we are, what country we come from or what language we speak. We are a single family living in the same world and our good actions not only benefit others but ourselves too.

Think about it.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on August 22, 2017.

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Sunday, January 24, 2021

Courage

The moment we live is of great challenges. Do we have courage to bear all the challenges we face? 

Photo by Oliver Cole on Unsplash

The moment we now live on Earth is of great challenges, requiring a lot of courage, to behave according to the Divine Laws.

Courage to maintain honesty when almost everything around us conspires against the right attitudes.

Courage not to strike back at the blows of insanity, maintaining understanding and praying the blessings of heaven for your unbalanced brother.

Courage not to deviate from humility and integrity when, with power in our hands, we do not allow pride and selfishness to take over.

Courage to cultivate moderation and patience when we realize that the difficulties are getting worse.

Courage to maintain patience, even if your heart is beaten by the onslaught of cruel feelings that reach us.

Courage to preserve in serenity when the storms of discord and disagreements roar, threatening to bring us down.

Moral Courage

When we carry the Gospel of Jesus in our hearts, we know that it is not by running away from obstacles that we overcome them, but by facing them with calm, serenity and confidence. We understand that the first virtue of those who trust God is moral courage.

Courage that is necessary to achieve self-discipline to remain in balance in the face of attacks of less noble feelings and attitudes.

Courage that helps bearing difficulties with serenity, making the necessary efforts to overcome them.

Courage to persevere in the face of difficulties, without allowing ourselves to give up.

Our journey, in this life, reserves us many paths to travel, but the peace and happiness that we long for, will only be built with inner courage. And it is this courage that will determine when and how we will achieve our inner improvement, which will be reflected in our individual fulfillment.

The greater the achievement, the calmer our attitudes will be, helping us continue our personal journey.

Final Thoughts

Faced with the most embarrassing situations of his material life, Jesus endured all the injuries, all the humiliations that were inflicted on him, maintaining the purity of the high ideal for which he endeavored to the extreme sacrifice.

Let us have the courage to act like Him, maintaining serenity and moving on.

Let us have compassion of those who have lost their faith and stumbled upon violence.

Let us look at those who despaired and were lost in the revolt.

Let us keep in mind that true courage arises from resilience and calm in times of challenge, suffering and imbalance.

Let us protect ourselves in good. When we are about to utter any thoughtless phrase or take the least action against others, let us pray and be silent because heaven hears us. God will always sustain us in our good efforts.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on April 07, 2018.

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Sunday, November 29, 2020

Divine Poem

All that surrounds us is Divine poetry. Including ourselves.
Photo by Sergey Shmidt on Unsplash

Our Father, who is in heaven, on earth, in fire, in water and in the air. Our Father, who is in the flowers, in the song of the birds, in the beating heart. Who is in compassion, in charity, in patience and in the gesture of forgiveness.

Our Father, who is in me, who is in the one I love, in the one who hurts me, in the one who seeks the truth. Our Father, who is in the one who walks with me and in the one who has already left, leaving my soul wounded by longing.

Hallowed be Your name for all that is beautiful, good, just and graceful, for all the harmony of Creation. Be sanctified for my life, for so many opportunities, for what I am, have and feel and for leading me to perfection.

Thy kingdom of peace and justice, faith and charity, light and love, come to us. Kingdom that I am called upon to build through meekness of spirit, a reflection of inner greatness.

Thy will be done, even though my pleas cherish more my pride than my real needs.

Although I only hear silence as answer to my prayers, I do feel You say: son, wait, the eternity is all yours.

Give me our daily bread today so I can share it with my brother. The material comfort I now have are of no use if I do not remember those who live in distress.

Bread of the body, bread of the soul, bread that is life, truth and light. Bread that brings breath and joy, the Gospel of Jesus.

Forgive my offenses, my mistakes, my faults. Forgive when my heart becomes cold, when I allow evil to manifest itself in the form of aggression.

May I listen more than speak. May I seek to welcome others instead of judging them. May I sow peace instead of cultivating violence. May I be able to thank more than ask.

Forgive me, just as I forgive those who offend me, even when my heart is hurt by the bitterness and discomfort of ingratitude of others.

May I, Lord of Life, remember that no pain is eternal and that the only way to sublimity is the humble road of reconciliation.

Do not let me fall into the temptations of errors, addictions and selfishness, which make me a slave to my malevolence. Rather, may Your light be on me, illuminating me, so that I can find you within my soul, as part of my essence.

And deliver me from all evil, from all violence, from all misfortune, from all illness. Deliver me from all pain, all hurt and disappointment.

But still, when such difficulties are necessary, may I have the strength and courage to say: Thank you, Father, for one more lesson!

Final Thoughts

All that surrounds us is Divine poetry. There is a trait of God in every being. Let us seek Him in the blossoming of flowers, in the flow of waters, in the song of the wind, in the twinkling of the stars.

But above all, let us search for Him within us. We just need to close our eyes and feel Him giving rhyme to the verses of our lives.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on May 06, 2017.

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Monday, October 12, 2020

The poetry of life

Is your heart in life and love or in beauty, money and profit?
Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash

A poet acquired a piece of land in the middle of the mountains. A place to dream, write and inebriate the soul.

He didn't intend to touch anything. God, after all, had made everything so beautiful already. The stream of crystalline water descending from the top of the mountain forming waterfalls and icy backwaters. Ferns, aprons, profuse princess earrings. Green fields, embroidered with tiny flowers. And huge trees where all kinds of flowers grew.

A piece of heaven full of beauty and life.

But in this beautiful place, there was a bad hill. So bad that not even the grass would grow.

The poet looked at that land, apparently useless, and decided to give nature a helping hand.

He thought he could plant pine trees. A forest full of pine trees, with its crowning crowns, arms raised to the sky, as if asking for blessings.

He asked the local people but no one approved the idea. Pine trees, they said, would take a long time to grow. Why even bother planting them? As the poet was not so young, he was told that he would certainly not even see the grown pines.

Furthermore, you cannot cut trees here, they said. It is protected by law and cutting trees is a crime. So why plant pine trees if they cannot be cut? After all, only cut are they worth money as can they be sold.

The poet was advised to plant eucalyptus instead. They grow up fast, and make a profit on the third year.

The poet returned to his home thinking that he and his neighbors were from different worlds.

He was a being from the forest, unhurried, like the seeds placed in the soil. He wanted to see, small and enjoy the colorful and fragrant spectacle of the lush forest.

His neighbors though, only thought of quick profit, money in the bank. They only had commerce and business in mind. That's why they thought that planting an eucalyptus, a tree that can be cut in three years was much more important than a pine tree that cannot be cut in even fifty years!

And the poet reflected that men who only think about profit, lost the meaning and beauty of life.

He remembered those who look at a huge redwood forest and find that property inhabited only by trees is a terrible waste. In their concept, it would be much better to burn the entire forest and transform it into a luxurious condominium.

After thoughtful consideration the poet decided to plant pine trees. Whether he gets to see them grown up or not, it doesn't matter. It is important that he sowed hope and life that will be able to rejoice other eyes and hearts in the future.

Conclusion

Jesus taught us that wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Is your heart in life, beauty or profit?

Do you want a land full of wonders where our children can live, be enchanted and breathe fresh air or you are simply looking for a place to enjoy everything possible, as quickly as you can?

It only depends on you to decide whether to plant pine trees or eucalyptus in the land of your heart. 

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on April 24, 2017. 

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