How we can avoid world disasters.

How we can avoid  world disasters

This world of ours was never in such turmoil. Every time we switch on the radio we hear of more depressing happenings around the globe. No sooner than one calamity is reported and talked about than another quickly follows on its heels. We seem to be reeling from one distressing incident to another in quick succession. Regularly there are natural disasters such as storms, earthquakes, floods and landslides, tornadoes, tsunamis, bushfires, contractable diseases, volcanic eruptions and more. Allied to all of these there are man-made catastrophes such as uprisings, feuds and wars which lead to a lot of human misery including displacement and famine.

When commenting on the causes of so much misery and unhappiness in our world today we must not forget another significant source, degeneration. This has always bedevilled civilised society and it is more relevant now than ever before. Particularly in the more developed nations degeneration is like a bush fire that is out of control. It has brought down great civilisations and empires in the past and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future. Degeneration is often seen in the guise of poverty, crime, alcoholism, political corruptness, low moral standards, sexual perversion etc. Honesty, decency and a willingness to help the less fortunate are all in danger of becoming almost obsolete.

The ironic thing is that this planet of ours could and should be the Garden of Eden as described in the Book of Genesis. There is no reason why we should not live in harmony and peace with each other. This earth of ours is a fruitful, abundant and beautiful place and there is more than enough to go around if methods for resource distribution were to change. Unfortunately this is not the case and a small proportion of people possess far more than they will ever need and so resources continue to be unevenly distributed.

Down through the centuries different types of government have been tried and tested across the globe. Capitalism, socialism, communism are common forms. For all that, mankind has continued to be visited upon by strife, famine and disasters. Nothing has changed. It is easy to become defeatist and say there is no point in trying to change things, nothing will work.      However I passionately believe that things can change and must if this planet is not to self-destruct. We can make this world an infinitely better place to live in if we only change our attitude to life and to each other.

Take the example of an individual person. If that person has a negative and defeatist attitude to life in general, they will bring nothing but woe and misery into their existence. On the flip side of the coin, if this person embraces life and exudes optimism, then life will be a joy and an exciting adventure.  This is not wishful thinking, it is a fact proven over and over again. Each of us as individuals has a choice. We can attract positive things and make our daily life a happy experience for ourselves and the people we are associated with.  Conversely we can live with fear and strife constantly uppermost in our minds. Wittingly or unwittingly people make that choice daily and have to live with the consequences.

If this scenario works for individuals, and it does, why can it not work collectively for groups of people or nations or even for society in general? The simple and emphatic answer to that is, yes it can work. Where are the examples of this? I will give one or two to highlight the point. Devotees of organised religions aspire to  living in a selfless manner, striving to make this life a fulfilling experience for themselves and their fellow members.

Christian religions, such as Roman Catholics, Protestants, Puritans, Quakers, etc and non Christian religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism etc have a belief in God and make this the focal point in their lives. Studies have invariably shown that people with a strong religious belief lead a more contented life. They also have higher levels of “life satisfaction”. The findings also suggest that religion could offer a buffer which protects from life’s disappointments. The happiest people I have ever met were monks who lived frugal and simple lives and did not even have a coffin when they died.

Charitable organisations around the world help the most vulnerable and needy, especially in times of disaster and major conflict. The staff of these organisations invariably work long and arduous hours, especially when faced with great human misery and suffering. Yet they are happy to do this and obviously derive a great deal of satisfaction and fulfilment from their work. They are generally happy people with a positive philosophical outlook in life.

Christian religions and charitable organisations are just two examples I use to illustrate that a positivite and a selfless attitude to life will lead to a real sense of self-fulfilment. Not only that but the people involved are happy to create a better world for themselves and others who follow them. In short, they are transforming the world, even if only in a tiny way.

People who are not involved in big organisations also have a vital role to play in making the world a better place to live in. If each citizen of each country were to take responsibility to act and think in a positive and constructive manner then there would be an immediate transformation in society. This begs the question, how can this come about because too often the philosophy is to crave recognition, fame and money. This greed and selfishness is everywhere to be seen.  Generations of people are growing with the belief that they have to come first at everything or that they must get whatever they want, even if it is at the expense of others. There is no such thing as good losers, just losers. What has happened to the philosophy that President John F. Kennedy was referring to in 1960 when he said “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask rather what you can do for your country”.

There has to be a major shift back to this kind of aspiration. Personally I believe that the change has to start in the classroom. If children are taught from a young age the importance and value of seeking to help others and contributing to society, then the foundation will be laid for a better tomorrow. Then we will begin to attract positivity and optimism. If this happens I am utterly convinced that we can once again walk in the Garden of Eden and natural disasters and war will be a thing of the past. It will be a long and tortuous road but the prize at the end is priceless. Who will be brave enough to set the ball rolling and start a wave of decency and caring?

 A Better Tomorrow by Thomas Finn  on  http://www.amazon.com/ISBN-13978-1-58982-614-4ISBN-101-58982-614-0http://www.thomasfinnsbook.com/ Easy to read and understand, Thomas Finn's "A Better Tomorrow" can help you fine tune your approach to the life of your dreams.”---Dreama Denver