For our lifestyles

I am not yet really sure what I am doing with this blog because I do not exactly know how it can help. At the moment, the @billionsstrong twitter account is following and re-tweeting others whose concerns are environment, spirituality, assisting people and other species in suffering. They are also being picked up by The Billions Strong Edition online paper (a paper.li site).

What more I have to contribute at this moment is difficult to say.

But my Central Message here is this: it matters less what we do externally if what happens to us internally does not support it. It needs to be natural for us to do the right thing (whatever that may be) and then it will be easy. We need to keep in mind the state of the world, so I don't say "You must do this" but rather "Just remember". If we remember that there is war, famine, disease, environmental degradation, then at least we won't oppose positive moves to an improved future and we can all do our little bits to make that cumulative difference.

Just remember:
people are suffering for our lifestyles;
animals and plants are going extinct for our lifestyles;
the Earth is being devoured for our lifestyles;
WE are suffering for our lifestyles.

WE because our lifestyles are detrimental to our inner well-being. They keep us from being true and finding ourselves and each other through overwork, even overplay; because our lifestyles are ones of excess.

But STOP and listen to the wind, watch the trees, the rain, the sun and sky, breathe deeply and touch the world slowly, and we will become aware of ourselves and our world again.

And without this start, we will find it almost impossible, I believe, to move forwards.

The aim here

I should point out that, in this blog, I am not trying to convert anyone to an ideology. Quite the opposite, since I believe that ideologies are ultimately limiting. Rather, I am trying to put into mind the notion that the nonsense going on in the world doesn't have to happen.
Nonsense? Like hunger and suffering, environmental degradation, indeed ideologies themselves. Fundamentalism, religious and atheist/scientistic, materialist, political - any trying to make others believe as oneself does. It does not involve changing your fundamental beliefs, just taking out the you must be like me component. Our beliefs are largely hand-me-downs and little else, so why expect others to accept yours. (Though they can change and evolve, yes.)
My point is that by working together we can do little and accomplish a lot. But I'm not even trying to force that point of view, I just want us all to hold that thought in mind. Eventually, my feeling is, that thought will develop in our minds something that can allow positive change. We create the ideal conditions in ourselves so that change for the better can naturally manifest from within.

Starting Post

I have started this blog because lately I can't help thinking that if we all, the human race, worked together, then we could accomplish amazing things.
If we were united in the pursuit of a better world then that world would have no option but to exist. A united people could solve virtually all the problems that we currently have. So much talent and ability and learning exists on this wonderful Earth that if it was applied we could create peace, prosperity, beauty and happiness. I do not mean that nothing would ever go wrong again, of course, but it would be much less than is currently the case.
One of the key obstacles here is that most of us do not realise just what we can do. It would, I believe, take only a very little from each of us, far less than we are capable of, to make our heaven on earth.
I am hoping that there will be readers who can contribute their thoughts and ideas. We are Billions Strong and if we put our minds to it, nothing can stop us.
Environmental degradation, human suffering, poverty, all life out of balance can be turned around so that future generations will need a dictionary to find the meaning of these archaic and obsolete words.
I shall be writing on this and posting articles that can bring us together.
I am no way naive enough to believe that everyone on Earth would agree to this - there are those with a vested interest in division; and those whose minds are so caught up in beliefs that run counter to this, fundamentalists (religious or otherwise). I rather hope and believe, however, that the majority of people do not fall into these categories and that, given the chance and reason to hope, would consider better options for our planet and ourselves.
So I am writing and hoping that people will contribute to the conversation with their own thoughts, feelings, insights and suggestions.