I meet people every day who want to make a difference in the world. They go out and study intercultural communications, environmental justice, and peace making. But what comes next? How do you pay for college loans by talking about peace? How do you feed a family volunteering in Southeast Asia? How do you tell a story from a hut in the mountains? So many of my friends are intelligent, passionate people that want to make a difference, but in order to do that it seems that our only option is to vanquish ourselves to a life of poverty. Is there another way? What should we change in order to pursue a better world, or even a better community, or neighborhood, or family, or life and not be a beggar. I am looking for a middle way, as the Buddha would put it, a path between the extremes of commercial excess and abject poverty, a middle way that offers us peace of mind, good health, and a fulfilled existence. Maybe this is idle talk of a dreamer, but I have been pondering this for months and will continue to do so for some time. Maybe I will discuss this topic more in the future. Peace Love and Ramen
Mike
4 comments:
What is in your heart, Mike. Do you fly in your dreams?
Okay, perhaps a middle ground would be something similar to what your parents and I have chosen...education. So many boys don't have a man in their lives AT ALL...not a dad, not a preacher, not a youth minister...and the only men with whom they interact are their coaches/male teachers.
Just think about it. Any public service (police, fire, dogcatcher, teacher, you name it) will provide plenty of opportunities to serve others without making a ton of dough.
Another middle path at which I think you'd excel is in refugee assistance. After watching the documentary _The Lost Boys of Sudan_ today, it dawned on me that we all ought to be helping the refugees here in Abilene brought here by the IRC.
P.S. I made your mom's gazpacho recipe the other day...YUM!
You may have to copy and paste this URL in bits, but it's worth the trip and relevant to your question...
http://pastorkes.blogspot.com/2009/07/chase-what-matters.html
OMG...you're gonna think I'm nuts responding THREE times to one post, but you have definitely hit a nerve with this one.
One more reason you should follow your dad's lead and change the lives of children:
From Mark 9:
Who Is the Greatest?
35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
Anything you do for a child...you do for GOD himself. If this is not enough of a reason to be an advocate for children in ANY profession you choose...social worker, attorney, educator, etc., well, then I frankly don't know what is!
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