I have an ant problem in my place. Well, not so much a problem, more like a fully fledged, army-style invasion of the little creatures.
Usually I can live in harmony with them, but in all honesty, my Buddhist aspirations are challenged when there are so many of them as its rather easy to kill them with a mere swipe of the cloth on the bench. I don’t mean to…I just want to clean the kitchen bench and it’s so hard to avoid them.
It’s not often that I repost things from YouTube on the site, but this one caught my attention. Of all things – it’s an ad to get more people to wear their seatbelt. Not the most exciting topics I realise, nor the most uplifting. I haven’t watched a lot of television this past year, given I don’t have one, so forgive me if the Australian state governments have changed their strategy for raising awareness about road safety. But last I was aware, seatbelt ads in this country would have involved a lot of dramatic footage, death, carnage, fake blood and distressing wailing. Seriously, I often wondered how they could be allowed to put such graphic ads on when kids could still be watching.
Then enter the ad below, from Sussex Safer Roads in England. This epitomises what I believe all campaigns should be – a positive call to what they want, rather than focusing on what they don’t want to happen. Think about it – how many times do you see governments and non-profit organisations putting energy into advertisements and campaigns that focus more on what they don’t want, rather than what they do wish for the future?
Can you feel the difference in these opposing statements?
- Don’t tolerate domestic violence/ Expect respect (this one is a local Byron Shire campaign in the positive – I love it!)
Or in the case of this advert: Avoid death/ Embrace Life
I believe that one day the understanding of the power of our focused minds in influencing physical reality will be as widely accepted as the fact that the world is round. Just have a read of “The Brain that Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge M.D. as evidence that science is now proving the profound power of our minds in a widely accepted manner.
So if we have the ability to help influence our world to change for better or for worse, wouldn’t it be wiser of us to start focusing our energies into what we DO want? Some will argue that ‘stop logging’ is still focusing on what we do want (i.e. logging to stop so our forests are preserved). But our focus in that simple statement is more aligned with logging, than anything else. And that is the subtle act of us shifting our focus. We need to shift to the end result of what we want. It may not seem like much, but I believe the more we do this shift in focus, the sooner will start to see the changes in the world we’ve been wanting.
Something strange is happening to me. It first started when I heard someone refer to themselves as a “recovering perfectionist”. Wow, I thought. I’d love to be able to say that about myself one day. Then the other week, when someone was going to stay at my house for a weekend getaway while I was taking off, I didn’t vacuum before their arrival. Then last Friday, I didn’t clean the kitchen before a new friend arrived to my house. Now I find myself going to bed without having done the dishes, with crumbs left on the bench. It will stay like this until I wake up in the morning. Seriously, it’s all getting a little crazy if you ask me. But it’s making me wonder…perhaps I am recovering!?!
“The world would be a better place if more people just randomly broke out in song and dance” ~ Jeffre Arguello
Seems a whole lot of people are doing a whole lot of dancing around the planet. Despite our supposed economic meltdown, and risk of catching foreign viruses in a sneeze, it looks to me that we are able to smile and laugh and dance no matter whats going on in the world!
From the Sound of Music bursting out in a Belgium station, to Londoners having a boogie at Liverpool tube station, spontaneous bouts of choreographed cheer is spreading. I don’t care whether these have been done as publicity stunts or to further commercial interests, what matters is the affect these breaks in routine are having on those who happen to be in the area when they occur and on all of us who watch through the magic of YouTube. The simple truth is, we can’t help but smile and feel uplifted when we see so many of us having a great time. And isn’t that what we need more of nowadays? To be shocked out of unconsciousness living and reminded of the fun we can have on earth.
Don’t think this is anything new either. Surprising people in public places with random activities is something that Flashmob have been doing for years. One of my favourite Flashmob acts hands down is the Food Court Musical – I love the look of absolute disbelief on the faces of the people who were in that Los Angeles food court that day.
To help continue the epidemic of laughter and happiness through dance, I’d like to share the song of the moment in my life that has me putting on my dancing shoes. Triple J, my beloved favourite radio station, has been featuring the new album, Manners by US-based band, Passion Pit. Their song, Little Secrets, makes me want to jump up and wave my hands in the air and do a little jig of joy. So ignore the fact the video below doesn’t have any animation, turn the volume up on your computer, get off out of your chair and shake those hips of yours. Trust me, you’ll feel better for it
