Hearts & Minds - Information for ChangeSM

Hearts & Minds Blog
Personal thoughts on how to change the world

Included below:

  • Latest addition: The Idealism of Youth vs. the Cold Realities of Growing Up
  • Coming attractions: The Frustrations of Getting People to See the Obvious (At Least It Seems Obvious to Me :)

Previous: The Greatest Challenge the Human Race has Ever Faced - and Your Important Part in This  |  All blog entries

Coming Attractions: Tuesday, March 6, 2007

The Frustrations of Getting People to See the Obvious (At Least It Seems Obvious to Me :)

We have the resources to end global hunger and poverty. No one has to give up anything of real value.

Everyone will gain from a more just, peaceful and sustainable world. We're only asking people to match the previous success of the Marshall Plan.

Yet only a minority of people quickly embrace this idea. Why? What are we going to do about it?

Top of Page

Latest additions: Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The Idealism of Youth vs. the Cold Realities of Growing Up

Growing up in the 60s and 70s, I remember how much I cared about the way the world was going. I was really angry with the shortsighted selfishness and conformity of those in power.

I wanted to change the whole world. So did many other young people I knew...

Now many of them have corporate jobs. They're living large, driving huge, gas guzzling SUVs and living in resource wasting, cookie-cutter, supersized McMansions, built where woods or farmland used to be.

What went wrong?
If our middle-aged selves could meet our idealistic, younger versions, what would we have in common? Would my idealistic younger self be proud or ashamed of what I've become? Could my older self just dismiss my younger self as hopelessly naive and impractical. How many, more recent insights would my younger self be open to?

Good questions. The answers could be even better...

The role of human instincts
Our instinctual craving for wealth, power and status make it hard to resist the living large lifestyle. It's also much easier to focus on ourselves, our own family and local community.

It takes a stretch of imagination to relate to seemingly abstract, global issues. This despite the fact that everyone knows from schoolbook history - and after 9/11 from the rise in terrorism - what happens half a world away can come around to bite us.

The "good" instincts
We also share the human instinct for altruism, however buried it might be at times. We have a strong sense of fairness. Most often this shows as outrage when we think others treat us unfairly. But we can never fully ignore unfairness to others. Deep down it nags us.

And it's just not fair that 4 percent of the world's population - the USA - consumes more than 25 percent of its resources, while 1.2 billion people live in extreme poverty. Especially when there's plenty we can do about, using low-cost programs that already help hundreds of millions of people lift themselves from poverty.

Here's a good way to put your best instincts to work: Join us today!

You Can Help End Global Hunger and Poverty

More ways you can Help Yourself and Help Others
 

Previous blog: The Greatest Challenge the Human Race has Ever Faced - and Your Important Part in This  |  All blog entries

Comments and Questions: greatchange@gmail.com
 

Free Newsletter  |  Blog
Global Survival  |  End Poverty CampaignSM

Top of Page  |  Home Page  |  Site Guide
Contact  |  Join/Donate

Copyrights: Website © 1997 - 2007 by Hearts and Minds Network, Inc. This Blog © 2006 by Bill Blackman, photos 2006 by Microsoft. http://www.heartsandminds.org/blog/blog29.htm - blog started September 28, 2006, this entry online February 27, 2007, latest changes March 6, 2007

 

Helpful Info
Inspiration

Help Yourself

Help Others

Site Guide

Hearts & Minds
Home

About

Contact

Donate/Join

Volunteer from Anywhere

Copyrights, Reprints & Important Notes