Spiritual Activism and Global Cooperation

Inspirational Articles

By Kathy Ryndak and Gord Riddell

Global Village

If we could shrink the world's population into a village of 100 people this is how it would look like:

There would be 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 from the Western Hemisphere (North & South) and 8 Africans
70 would be non-white, 30 white
70 would be non-Christian, 30 Christian
50% of the entire world's wealth would be in the hands of only 6 people. All 6 would be citizens of the U.S.
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
80 would live in substandard housing

Only 1 would have a college education

Source: "Healing the Soul of America" - Marianne Williamson

Two Worlds (from Benjamin Crme "The Great Approach")

The G8 nations and a few more, usurp and waste of the world's food and 83% of all other resources, so that the developing world has to make do with the rest. They have more than 2/3 of the world's population but have to make do with of the world's food and 17% of other resources. As a result they die in millions.

1/5 of the world's population lives in official poverty. That means they live on less than $1 a day.

Humanity is divided into 2 groups: those who compete and those who cooperate. Those who compete are winning at the moment. They have built market forces based on unfair competition. This comes out of the U.S., the richest, most powerful nation in the world so it is fine for Americans. Whoever is the biggest and strongest is going to come off the best. But can you imagine Zaire, Uganda or Tanzania advocating a market-forces economy?

Spiritual Activism & Non-violence Quotes

Martin Luther King
We have in our hearts a power more powerful than bullets.

Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls and well as a quantitative change in our lives.

Everybody can be great.because anybody can be of service. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.

M.K. Gandhi
Soul force is more powerful than brute force.

Non-violence should mean a complete freedom from ill will, anger and hate and an overflowing love for all. The non-violence I teach is active nonviolence of the strongest. But the weakest can partake in it without becoming weaker.

Non-violence is based on the assumption that human nature unfailingly responds to the advances of love.

We must be the change we want to see in the world.

If I could awaken the women of Asia, I could free India in a day.

Dalai Lama
We should remove the concept of "foreign policy" from our minds and think of all nations as our "domestic partners."

If we want to save the world we must have a plan but no plan will work unless we meditate.

Marianne Williamson
A new, spiritually based social activism is beginning to assert itself. It stems not from hating what is wrong and trying to fight it, but from loving what could be and making the commitment to bring it forth. A nonviolent political dynamic is once again emerging and it is a beacon of light at the dawn of the 21st Century. It's goal, as in the words of Martin Luther King Jr. is "the establishment of the beloved community."

Plato said "to philosophize and concern oneself with politics is one and the same thing. We expand our political activism to include spiritual growth work, in order that we might ourselves become facilitators of change. And we expand our perception of spiritual practice to include activism, that we might most profoundly extend our compassion into the world.

Change does not happen from the top down, but from the bottom up.

Other Quotes

Non-violence is not inaction.it is hard work.it is the patience to win. - Cesar Chavez

When someone stands us to nonviolence a force for change is released. Every action for peace requires someone to exhibit the courage to challenge violence and inspire love. - Thich Nhat Hanh

Each of us can work to change a small portion of events and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. - Robert Kennedy.

Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders. - Diane Nash

The government of the people, for the people, by the people shall not perish from the earth. - Abraham Lincoln

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only one thing that ever has. - Mead