Only the Good Friday, March 26, 2010

Can you name the artist of this original work of art?


I posted a YouTube of sorts today. It isn't from YouTube, it was from another site, and it's a slide show. Some beautiful pictures of sunsets, sun rises, clouds and other natural scenes with wording on each photograph. I originally received this from a friend. This particular friend happens to be a very spiritual person. She doesn't send too much in the way of "pass this on", so, I took a long serious look at it. It came to me as a Powerpoint Presentation.

It has an interesting premise. It gives the viewer an example of the population of the earth as the number 100, then puts into perspective how many people are what nationality and race as well as religion. It also breaks down how many are illiterate or sick and how many actually have a computer. All the data based from sources that gather such information. A few frames into it and it puts forth an idea that if we looked at the world this way instead of the way most of the white population of the USA think about the world, we'd realize WE are the ones in the minority, and not only that, WE here in America are definitely a blessed people.

The Grandkids and I had a discussion riding to school the other day about what a blessing is. I tried my hardest to break it down without going into the whole God thing, at least not from a religious standpoint. I wish I had this slide show. It would have made my presentation and explanation a lot easier.

Anyway, the "Good" is that we have it "Good" compared to most of the population on planet earth. Even those that have it bad have it "Good". I mean, and I've said this before, we flush our toilets with potable water. The people on welfare using food stamps can shop in the same store as someone who doesn't need to pinch pennies and check prices. It makes me realize that even though I didn't choose what country I would be born in and what color my skin would be, that I could possibly be blessed to have such bounty, and I'm in the middle class, not the upper class.

But as I think about all of this, and I am heavily into thought and emotion over this, I feel the greater "Good" is that I realize it. I realize how fortunate I am when I think of the people in Haiti, the peaceful people amongst the Palestinians, those who are persecuted in Darfur and other outposts of the world where they do not share in the land of plenty.

While traveling yesterday, I listened to public radio. The program was about a couple from England who disregarded the whole trash rubbish recycling and pollution problems of the world for years, and then morphed into these people that would accept the challenge unto themselves to use only one trash can, or dust bin as they called it, for all the trash they generated in the course of a full year. They succeeded and are spreading the word about using plastic as packaging and the trash it creates. That program had me thinking too. We have so much, even the poorest unwrap things and generate trash here in America.

I don't know. The "Good" is that I realize I can go farther when it comes to my own back yard, and I can take the next step in realizing the whole world isn't American. Lastly, before I let this go and let you see the slide show, I have been reading a few books lately and going here and there on the blogs. For some reason, it has been called to my attention that many people from other countries view the Americans as obese, or at least fat, generally. As I struggle with diabetes control, I am reading other peoples opinions about times they have traveled to our shores and their observation is that overall, most Americans are victims of gluttony. I am, and I admit it. And I am ashamde that I don't see the harm it can do , no, has done, to me

I got a lot of "Good" things to think about, and more "Good" things that I need to be doing for myself, my health and the Sacred Mother Earth. One person doing one thing one day is how any change gets started. Changes in how we treat ourselves, how we treat our land, and how we treat each other. I learned awareness of that, and that is "Good" for a Friday.

Only the Good Friday is a creation of Shelly of the This Electic Life blog. She makes a "good" point. She says, "The point of this little exercise is simply to look at the world in a different way. When we look for the good, we will see it." Check out her blog and find the link with the simple guidelines for Only The Good Friday.

Here's the slide show. Just click on each picture to move it to the next frame.

GLOBAL VILLAGE 12

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Peace to all