Our world is filled with tales of destruction and we are riding on their tails, hanging on for dear life.  Natural resources are being torn down in the name of progress.  Entire species are being decimated as their habitats are being destroyed.  We mess with nature by our use of pesticides that kill many beneficial, healthy organisms as well as the pests in order to be able to sell more produce that may be genetically modified.

There are those who deny the existence of climate change in spite of the extensive evidence that exists.  Scientists have been trying to educate the world about this path of destruction with that very evidence and it has fallen on many a deaf ear.  Why?  Methinks it has to do with greed in some form.  What kind of a world will our children inherit as a result of this irresponsible behavior?

Fracking and the building of pipelines to extract oil, all the while disregarding the damage it will do to our environment and the people who live there, is unconscionable.  Raping of the sacred grounds of Native Americans is deplorable!  When will enough harm be done to make a change in the course of these actions?  Is there no end to the wretched atrocities that people will perform to create more decadent wealth at the expense of future generations?

I sincerely desire that change will happen in the hearts of those few who consider monetary gain more important than the welfare of the many who suffer as a result of their actions.  Let us hope and pray that there will be a massive shift in the existing paradigm that will level the playing field by giving voice to the concerns of all people.  If we continue on this path, all of us will suffer the fate that has been created.  For none of us is exempt from the result of our collective actions.

Everyone who lives will experience grief in their life.  How often this happens, depends largely on the loving relationships one has and one’s longevity.  These two factors determine how many times a person will endure these heavyhearted occurrences in our lives.

It is Valentine’s Day as I am writing this.  It is my son’s birthday and it has been nineteen years since he died in a car accident.  He would have been forty years old today, had he lived.  And, even though there will always be  a yearning for him, because he is no longer here physically, he is still a part of my life.  I grieved him thoroughly, by throwing myself into it and embracing it, because grief is something one must go through, not get over.

Going through grief is something one must learn to do.  To survive well means pouring oneself fully into the grief, in order to come out on the other side of it. Then, one’s feelings can grow into acceptance and hope.  By going through this healing catharsis, remembrance can become sweet and comforting, even joyful at times.

Good memories are treasures after the worst of our grief is over.  They no longer make us feel  depressed, but instead, we can be happy for the fact that they happened.

One thing is certain.  If one lives a long life, it is important to know how to survive many losses.  One will have outlived many friends and family members. Life will be different, but it need not be unhappy.  We can continue to learn and grow, even become a mentor to younger people.  Being useful to others is rewarding for the giver and the receiver.

Maturity and wisdom are the gifts of the elders in our society.  If we learn to survive well and give of ourselves as we grow old, we will have lived a wonderful life.  And then we will also be grieved as we will have made a difference.

In today’s society, people seem to be moving toward communication that does not require being in close proximity to one another.  While Skype, facetime and Facebook messaging are ways of seeing one another while talking, the old-fashioned ways of “hanging out” with a friend or sitting-across-from-each-other talking while having a meal, now have the addition of a phone attached to each person involved.  Therefore, closeness in conversation is greatly affected by that added inanimate appendage, because it can cause unnecessary interruptions.

If meaningful relationships are valued, then there have to be limits on our phone usage when we are together with our family and friends.  There is a critical component that is missing when one does not have free hands.  Even small things, like gestures, are thwarted. The the ability to touch a hand, or reach out to console, is not likely to happen if one’s phone is being watched.  And more vital things, especially eye contact, are greatly diminished, making intimacy difficult at best.

It is worrisome when one sees the younger generation so consumed by their technology,  especially when the use of it is at the expense of real relationships.  Worse yet, is the fact that adults, who know better and have had these one-on-one experiences, have fallen into the trappings of this technology as well.

Communication is a gift.  The ability of human beings to talk, have eye-contact and touch uses three of our five senses.  The addition of having a meal together brings the other two, taste and smell, into the mix.  The more we interact in this way, the stronger our relationships become.  Phone and text conversations cannot begin to compete with the deep satisfaction of face-to-face interaction.

Some things in life are far more significant than others. The ability to communicate well is one of them.  It is important to the quality of one’s life to be connected to our fellow human beings.  Without that human connection, we may as well be living alone, for indeed we are.

Sometimes, I see the behavior of people around me, and I think, “Why is there so much disrespect in our culture?”  I see it in adults.  I see it in young people.  I even see it in children.  When did it become acceptable to behave in this manner?

Language is one of the most obvious examples of disrespect.  The amount of profanity that reaches my ears is deeply disconcerting.  And the tenor of such language seems to become more degrading all the time.

Gestures are strong indicators of people’s attitudes.  Disrespect runs rampant in gestures.  Body language, attitude, facial expression and behavior are some of the ways we measure these levels of disrespect.

I see another reason for lack of respect, that is perhaps the most important one of all.  Self-esteem, good and bad, are powerful measurements of respect that can be felt or given.  It is hard to respect someone else, if you do not feel that way about yourself.

Just as we can compile various ways of describing disrespect, we must outline what respect means.  Respect is shown in many different ways. When we act with reverence, with courtesy, mutuality and reciprocity, we are showing respect.  It is very much like the golden rule.  “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”  It really is as simple as that.

The only thing that I can think of, that can change disrespect into respect, is to nurture empathy in ourselves and then begin to teach it by example. If you have empathy, pour it out into the space around you.  Develop a habit of doing this.  In time, it can become second nature.  Smile inside, whether you mean it or not. Some studies have shown that it changes YOU, just by acting that way.  And real change comes from the inside out.

That’s my new plan.  I will smile inside, whenever I see disrespect.  I will imagine loving the person that is showing disrespect.  I will think, “This person is probably having a bad day.”  And they probably are.  If I make a mistake by forgetting myself and acting differently, I will start over again. I think that this will be good for me, either way.  And the world needs as much positive energy as it can get.  Each one of us does.

Just imagine, for a moment, what a perfect life would be like?  What would hold the most importance to you?  Would it be love?  Would it be respect?  Would it be your profession? Would it be a thing?  Would it be money?

Now, imagine what the worst life would look like?  Would it be having something bad or lacking something good?  How do we measure the important aspects of our lives?  What do we need?  What do we want?  How can we make any of these things happen?

Before we can create the world we want to live in, we must first of all, imagine it in our minds.  Imagine life in every scenario.  Imagination is the origin of creation. Our thoughts create ideas to form pictures in our minds.  We need thought and imagination to create everything, good and bad, in this world.

My point is that imagination is critical to the creation of our world.  It starts with each one of us.  Collectively, all people contribute to the critical mass that decides the state of this place we all live in today.  Therefore, it is a combination of all the intentions that we have imagined.

It is necessary to think of these things with deep consideration of our future generations, if we are to continue living together in this world.  So many things need to be constantly imagined and reimagined.  Not everything can be counted on to go the way we would like it to go.  Often, there are unintended consequences.  That is why we must imagine with our integrity intact, through the filter of our hearts.

These are just my thoughts, my ramblings and my dreams.  They are food for thought, perhaps just an appetizer.  But, if you are willing to indulge me, let me know what YOU think.  I will look forward to the conversation.