Being

I sat through a lecture by James Orbinski, the other night with Larry Shuttleworth and Alex Carson. He spoke about the issue of global health and equity as a principle, which is an imperfect project. Even though the lecture itself was excellently presented and pleasant to listen to, he made a lot of remarks that stood out to me.

At one point he asked “Why are humans crossing these boundaries?” He was speaking about the carelessness we show towards the value of another human beings. Why is it that things like Genocide, or even violence in general, take place? Why are thousands of people killed everyday in this world? Why are we not giving to the ones who are in need? The fact is, and unfortunately always will be, that a LOT of people go to bed hungry every night, a LOT of people suffer from illnesses and a LOT of people live in horrible conditions. We either accept it , or we try and change it.

He also mentioned, “You can’t change the world…but you can participate.” It is so true….we can’t just set out thinking we are going to change the world, because that is just going to leave us disappointed when things don’t go as planned. This does NOT mean that you cannot be a part of a change. I think it is important for all of us to realize, that once an action has been started…thats one step closer and better than what it was before. So keep going…. keep doing what you’re doing…you’ve taken off.

If you see something that is against the natural beauty of being a human being….help change it. And I am talking about things like disrespect, hate, violence, fraud, injustice, and even depression. All these things to me, are against the BEAUTY of being a human being.

It is true beauty when people take their own time to GIVE. It is true beauty when you see someone smiling for no reason. It is also true beauty when someone puts a stop to something unpleasant. All these things remind me of how beautiful people are.

Being considerate should be a practice. We should wake up each day and practice the act of being considerate to others. Just think about that one for a while. When is the last time you put yourself in someone else’s shoes …. while being angry or frustrated? It is easier to do it when you’re pleasant and happy, but being compassionate during emotional stricken situations becomes a task.

Don’t let the small worries of your life reflect on the message you want to give to the world.

“Life is lived foreword and understood in retrospect.” Ever thought of your past and all the hardships you had to face at some point? Now you understand what it did to you, why it happened, and what you learned from it.

And look at you now 🙂

-Mansi Parasher