“What would you change in order to make the world a better place?”
This blog question has been bothering me. When I originally answered it in class, I was afraid that my answer was too simple— too general. But after longer consideration, I’ve decided that general and simple is exactly the kind of change our society needs to make.
What:
More than anything, individuals in our society need to begin making a conscious effort to practice patience and kindness.
Why:
It is no longer surprising when fellow humans do not say hello to each other while passing on the sidewalk. People are no longer expected to share. And cellphones, computers,and tablets have become the new definition for “socializing.” Less and less humans are making an effort to directly interact with one another. Have we completely forgotten how nice it is to be complimented by a stranger? Have we decided to ignore the happiness that jumps into an otherwise miserable day, when we are able to laugh with a neighbor or find similarities with a person so unfamiliar? And why, oh why, have we stopped making time for nature and peaceful thinking?
***A lack in human interaction, leads to a lack in the acceptance of differences among individuals. We must find ways to understand ourselves. Once we can see the millions of qualities that make us who we are, we will then be able to see the qualities of others, and the beauty within those qualities—no matter how vastly they differ from our own.***
How:
Originally, I had the idea of requiring stress courses for individuals (starting at the age of 15). I soon realized that those stress courses wouldn’t be enough to take care of the issues. So, in addition to stress management courses, I have come up with a different system. Each and every day of the week, there will be a mandatory break. This break will require all working adults to stop what they are doing for two hours. Students will be taken out of school, and will not return to class until the two hours is up. This midday break will be from 12:00pm-2:00pm. It will be referred to as “120 Minutes of Me.”
During the first hour of the break, people are required to be outside. No matter what type of weather, everyone must dress appropriately and find a way to enjoy the nature around them. No matter a person’s age, they are allowed to play, exercise, meditate, contemplate, or simply be in nature.
****The knowledge that nature offers to humans is insurmountable. The knowledge that humans are willing to accept from nature is unreasonably low. If people were to spend one hour every day surrounded by the very essence of life, we would become a society that is more aware of that life’s fragility.****
During the second hour of break, individuals are required to create happiness. The only two rules: the second hour must be spent alone; doing something that makes you happy by yourself AND no technology is permitted.
There is not enough emphasis put on the importance of discovering our own happiness. It’s so easy to get lost in a life that depends on other people’s actions to make us smile or laugh. If more people were to practice self-created happiness, than our society would be more likely/willing to contribute to the happiness of others.
When more individuals are content with his/herself, our society will become a more patient and kind entity.
ooh, I like this. One hour of interaction, one hour of solitude. Some people are more comfortable with others than with themselves, and others are happiest on their own. But this helps everyone get out of their comfort zone a bit while also emphasizing happiness and sanity.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading a few blog post, this one is one of my favorites. I love the idea of spending time outside and spending time alone without technology. Today people are so busy rushing from place to place that they forget to “stop and smell the roses.” There is so much beauty that can be found in nature if people took their eyes off of their phones and looked around. Also, when people are so wrapped up in technology they forget to take time to focus on themselves. Personally, I would benefit from an hour set aside every day to focus on myself and do something that I love, like painting or singing.
ReplyDeleteI really like that this is a generalized idea because I think a lot of our specific problems as a society come from a lack of self-awareness, impatience, and misunderstanding. I like that you've included spending time with nature in your 120 minutes. When we think of problems in our society, many of us just think of the person-to-person issues rather than the actual environment we live in. Requiring people to spend time in nature would help create more empathy with the Earth. Like you said, nature can really expand your mind so I think being a part of the simplicity of the natural environment will also help create empathy among all living things.
ReplyDeleteSimple and general often leads to major change if perpetuated by a vast quantity of people and if the changes are actually taken to heart. I completely agree that in order for us to treat each other better, we have to treat ourselves with the utmost care and make it a point to understand what makes us unique. I really enjoy the uniqueness of this “120 minutes for me” as I have heard of similar things occurring in other developed countries and think it a wonderful idea. I wonder how much people would want to resist giving up their technology for that period of time as the world we live in is so driven by remaining connected to technology as often as possible. I would hope that the breaks would be seen as a 2 hour personal retreat.
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