Ten minutes past Earth Day and the crescent of the new moon is long gone. Its crisp cold and the sky holds promises of meteor showers left over from last night. Today we launched our first ever fundraising campaign, with a goal of 1000 people giving 10 dollars. We launched by connecting earth day and happiness.
We used a logical pathway, quoting the prime minister of Bhutan, and identifying what is wrong with our current system, and drawing out how the happiness initiative can help us toward a better system. Here is the quote from Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley:
“The time has come for global action to build a new world economic system that is no longer based on the illusion that limitless growth is possible on our precious and finite planet or that endless material gain promotes well-being. Instead, it will be a system that promotes harmony and respect for nature and for each other; that respects our ancient wisdom traditions and protects our most vulnerable people as our own family, and that gives us time to live and enjoy our lives and to appreciate rather than destroy our world. It will be an economic system, in short, that is fully sustainable and that is rooted in true, abiding well-being and happiness."
This is all well and good, and quite true. And equally true is something really essential: if all of us humans on this planet were whole and healthy in our hearts and heads, if compassion filled our hearts, we would never harm our planet, or each other. I think this is the real link between happiness and earth day. It’s actually really simple.
The sun is shining hot and heavy on this planet half way across the globe. Here the streetlights do not let the night forget day. I prepare for sleep, and dreams of a healthy planet and loving and compassionate times.
Posted by Laura Musikanski, ED of HI
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