OCTOBER - Envisioning & Faith

                                                    Illustration by Miki Howenstein


…….. A primary ingredient towards building a better future is faith (and hope), strengthened with a sincere belief that such a future is possible. Such hope can be nurtured by moving towards a higher version of yourself by doing good works and being open to life in all its forms. Faith is cultivated through a consistent effort to move towards others striving to do the same, while being constantly on guard against ideas, people, and actions which destroy your faith. With faith firmly inculcated into your being, you become different and see others differently, for you are then securely grounded in a world of hope.
​…. You dare yourself to develop new paradigms and envision a sustainable future. You come to see the cynics’ arguments for what they are—empty. For example, skeptics often use fear as a way of halting progressive ideas, like the idea that moving towards an environmentally harmonious lifestyle means depriving ourselves of the good things in life. But such arguments no longer bear any weight for you, for you clearly see that moving in that direction is far more spiritually and deeply fulfilling, while you also build on life’s most precious gifts—light-heartedness, a sense of enchantment, security and freedom from fear (exactly those treasures which our current unsustainable lifestyles are stealing away from us). Envisioning a future that restores these gifts is the first step towards bringing them into reality.(From page 312 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)
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Author’s Comment: “You’re too small to make a difference!” “If we adapt a ‘Green Deal’ our lives will be impoverished.” “The radical Left (or the radical Right) will take over if we don’t aggressively fight them.” These kinds of messages abound in the media. And they’ve generally been proven wrong For example, look at Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa - one person surely made a difference. Agroforestry benefits both nature and humanity. When we create a just society, few people move to the extremes (either left or right). It is up to us, and that’s where you are important too. Form your vision and move to live it out. You can be one piece in the puzzle to create a better world.