A simple way to create change in the world

[Tybee]

Big Thomas Merton fan here. He wrote that he did not become a Quaker because it was down to two religions to convert to, Quaker or Roman Catholic, and he went to a Quaker meeting and a woman brought a slide show of pictures from her vacation and he thought it was dumb and boring. So he became a Catholic, but later, said maybe he should have become a Quaker.

[catherine]

Big Thomas Merton fan here. He wrote that he did not become a Quaker because it was down to two religions to convert to, Quaker or Roman Catholic, and he went to a Quaker meeting and a woman brought a slide show of pictures from her vacation and he thought it was dumb and boring. So he became a Catholic, but later, said maybe he should have become a Quaker.

And later still, he was deeply drawn to the Eastern religions...and as you probably know, he died accidentally in Bangkok (so they say). The fact that all religions say the same thing once you rise above the dogma is why I no longer have an urge to sign up for any one religion. If I did it would be Catholic, because that is my heritage. But I have too many issues with the patriarchy and the institution.

[catherine]

My favorite hymn, and I have it written into my funeral wishes, is "Morning Has Broken." Many people may think Cat Stevens wrote it, but it was a Christian hymn written in 1931 by Eleanor Farjeon.

[nswef]

I remember Eleanor Farjenon as a children's poet. I'll have to look her up now! And I love Let there be peace on earth...

[Tybee]

I have two favorites that come to mind:
I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light - Bing video
and
the wonderful Calvin Hampton's There's a Wideness in God's Mercy:
Hymn: There's a Wideness in God's Mercy (Calvin Hampton) - Bing video

We played that one at our wedding and at my mom's deathbed on the cellphone. So I guess it's on for my funeral, too.

[iris lilies]

Do we have to seek to create change in the world? Who is issuing that imperative?

[catherine]

Do we have to seek to create change in the world? Who is issuing that imperative?

I don't think creating change is like "creating a dent in the universe" as Steve Jobs said it.. Like Tybee said, I think if people see an ill or a need somewhere, there's an impulse to want to better it, or fill the need. You see an ugly lot in an urban setting and you see fields of irises. You see French bulldogs that need homes, and you see a need to foster or adopt them. That's how you have created change.

As I get older, my view on this has shifted. I used to feel like I was not making a difference--I was not pursuing "right livelihood" because I'm a glorified drug dealer in my profession. Now that I have grandchildren, I reflect on how meaningful my aunts and mother were in my life, and I simply want to be part of my grandson's lives and hopefully be as great a loving support for them as my elders were for me. I can live my values and maybe they will learn something positive that they will use in their futures. That's how maybe I can change the world. I no longer wish I had been a doctor or a teacher or social worker or environmental activist.

Basically, from a spiritual perspective, and the reason that Ram Dass quote resonates with me, I just want to work on seeing God in all things, which will be change enough for me.

[Tybee]

I think we all create change in the world, just by being. Like It's a Wonderful Life, George does not realize how many lives he has impacted.

[happystuff]

I think we all create change in the world, just by being. Like It's a Wonderful Life, George does not realize how many lives he has impacted.

Agree. Change happens all the time whether we are aware of it or not. I don't mind effort on my part to try to make my impacts positive rather than negative.

[Teacher Terry]

Whenever I help a person or animal I feel that I made a difference for them. It won’t change the world at large but it changes their individual world. I love some of the songs some of you mentioned.