Summary: I was ocean kayaking this past weekend on one of those memorable days with still water, sunshine, and towering distant mountains. It was one of those magnificent days where I felt deeply connected to nature, to myself, to my partner – to life.<br> The bald eagles, blue herons, jellyfish, starfish, and assorted other sea creatures made my heart sing with joy. In many ways it’s a paradise on earth, but humanities detrimental impact on nature has a way of taking the wind out of my sails.<br> I live from a higher level of awareness that allows me to see the world from many angles – bad, good, ugly, beautiful, violent, peaceful, fearful, loving – and everything in between. I see it all. I feel it all. I often notice what others don’t. This is what motivates me to action.<br> I see “stuff” – everywhere. Stuff on the side of the road. Stuff in the forests. Stuff floating in the water. Stuff where stuff should never be found. Stuff that doesn’t look right when viewed from a distance. Stuff that compels me to paddle over and do something about it. A hunk of styrofoam, fishing line, beer bottles, plastic water bottles, packaging, beer cans. The list is endless. Bits of carelessly discarded human garbage interspersed among the sea creatures that call this ocean home. My awareness broadens to the stark reality that what I see is only a minute fraction of the bigger problem hidden from eyesight – well below the surface.<br> Hidden from eyesight but not from consciousness.<br> As I remove the various bits of garbage, a familiar medley of emotions rises into consciousness. A mix of outrage at the planetary disrespect that motivates this selfish behaviour, sadness for all beings affected by this selfish behaviour, fleeting feelings of hopelessness, and overwhelming feeling of violation. It’s a toxic recipe for unhappiness. Unhappiness that there are so many members of my own species infected with the widespread mental illness known as indifference.<br> I spiral further into the darkness wondering how we can be so biologically similar yet so vastly different in how we perceive the world. I wonder how I can care so passionately while so many others sleepwalk through life. I’m baffled. I’m heartbroken. I’m angry.<br> And then I remember. I’m paddling in a natural paradise. Ocean, blue sky, mountains, eagles, starfish, and my wonderful partner. I’m alive. I’m awake. And I care. I’m passionate in my caring and awake in my passion. I allow the truth of my experience to wash through me so that I can return to the moment. Alive, awake, and in love with this beautiful planet we call home. The return to present moment reality revives the changemaker within and I remember who I am at my core. Love. The energetic stamp that drives me to live more, give more, do more, be more, and do more.<br> And I remember you. And yes I’m talking to you reading this post right now. Because you too are a changemaker. You wouldn’t be reading this post if you didn’t care. It may be true that selfish outweighs selfless, but we must remember the wise words of Margaret Mead:<br> “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”.<br> We are creating the tipping point, the 100th monkey phenomenon – the butterfly effect. Whatever you choose to call it, we are the rapidly growing minority of changemakers who are designing a new paradigm. We are the creators who are rising above the crumbling ruins of a paradigm gone wrong and are courageously altering the course for a new way of being. We are the trailblazers for a new reality based on simplicity, love, community, and interconnection, or as Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh calls it – interbeing. We are the changemakers who embrace our essential nature, live with a deep sense of purpose, express ourselves authentically and lead the sleepwalkers into...
