We Are The Ancestors

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better.  It’s not.”  Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

I heard this Dr. Seuss quote recently and it has continued to stay in my mind.  It has many different dimensions.  There are many ways to “care.”

I recently saw a YouTube  talk by Lama Surya Das.  You can check out his web page here.  In that talk he said:  “We are the ancestors of the generations to come.”  A common theme with the Dr. Seuss quote.

How do we each care?  We can become social activists.  We might be loving parents to our children so they can more easily realize their full potential in our human community.  Perhaps we strive to be a kind and loving person – shining our light brightly.  Maybe we learn and teach in an effort to help others see themselves clearly – to wake up.

Quotes like these bring climate change to mind.  Some of us may work to raise awareness around this issue.  Others may feel called to develop new, earth honoring technologies or to promote the ones that already exist.

Maybe we begin thinking about our global community, not just our backyard.  We might decide to do something to alleviate the suffering of people in less fortunate circumstances around the world.

I’m sure you can think of lots of other ways to care “a whole awful lot.”

I believe sometimes we feel overwhelmed when we read quotes like these, even if, in our hearts, we feel moved to do something.  My point here is all our efforts no matter their form make a difference.  Simply genuinely smiling and being kind to the people you meet every day has the potential to change the world.  We are each far more powerful than we realize.

“We are the ancestors of the generations to come.”  What will our legacy be?

Namaste.