I am writing to you on behalf of all the children in the world.
I guess that having my own kids has made me more sensitive to the plight of all the millions of children in this world with less than us; all the millions of children who will live out this day with no food, no shelter, no love. And I cannot help but feel responsible for them all. Each day, as I strive to be a better mother – to be more present, more patient, and to provide for my childrens emotional and physical needs – I trust that my children will grow up to be independent, caring, sensitive and responsible adults. And yet I can't help wondering what the point would be if the world that they grew up in were inhabited by adults, the majority of whom had grown up without these gifts.
What kind of people do children grow up into who spend their childhoods without even the basic necessities for survival? Who grow up loveless and alone? Who grow up believing that the world is a harsh and unfriendly place where one must fight to survive? Do I really want my children growing up in a world where 50% or more of their peers have grown up fighting for basic human rights?
We wonder why we live on a planet where there is so much crime, murder, rape, abuse, pollution and cruelty to animals. But look at how we treat our children. Yes, OUR children. They are all our children, as they are the ones who are shaping our future, and we are, therefore, ALL responsible for the kind of people they grow into. Are we, as a society, as a race, raising loving, responsible, caring individuals, or are we raising tomorrow's criminals?
There is a wonderful organisation here in South Africa called the Starfish Foundation. Their story goes something like this:
A girl is walking along the beach at sunrise. The tide is going out, leaving hundreds of starfish stranded on the beach. As she walks, the girl is picking them up, one by one, and tossing them back into the sea. A man stops her to ask what she is doing.
"The tide is going out", answers the girl, "and the sun is coming up. These starfish will die in the heat of the day, so I am throwing them back into the sea."
The mans looks puzzled and says: "But there are hundreds of them, stretching for miles up the beach – how can you possibly make a difference?"
The girl picks up a starfish and throws it into the ocean and says: "It made a difference to that one."
We can all make a difference, and the change starts with you. If every one of us committed to sharing some of the abundance of love, money, time or possessions that we have been blessed with, this world would immediately begin to improve – for you, for your children and for the future of this planet.
If you feel that you don't have enough to share, just look around. Count your blessings – and then share them. Make a commitment to a better world, to a better future for all of our children, and make it today.
Share this. Let us start a revolution of loving action.
I guess that having my own kids has made me more sensitive to the plight of all the millions of children in this world with less than us; all the millions of children who will live out this day with no food, no shelter, no love. And I cannot help but feel responsible for them all. Each day, as I strive to be a better mother – to be more present, more patient, and to provide for my childrens emotional and physical needs – I trust that my children will grow up to be independent, caring, sensitive and responsible adults. And yet I can't help wondering what the point would be if the world that they grew up in were inhabited by adults, the majority of whom had grown up without these gifts.
What kind of people do children grow up into who spend their childhoods without even the basic necessities for survival? Who grow up loveless and alone? Who grow up believing that the world is a harsh and unfriendly place where one must fight to survive? Do I really want my children growing up in a world where 50% or more of their peers have grown up fighting for basic human rights?
We wonder why we live on a planet where there is so much crime, murder, rape, abuse, pollution and cruelty to animals. But look at how we treat our children. Yes, OUR children. They are all our children, as they are the ones who are shaping our future, and we are, therefore, ALL responsible for the kind of people they grow into. Are we, as a society, as a race, raising loving, responsible, caring individuals, or are we raising tomorrow's criminals?
There is a wonderful organisation here in South Africa called the Starfish Foundation. Their story goes something like this:
A girl is walking along the beach at sunrise. The tide is going out, leaving hundreds of starfish stranded on the beach. As she walks, the girl is picking them up, one by one, and tossing them back into the sea. A man stops her to ask what she is doing.
"The tide is going out", answers the girl, "and the sun is coming up. These starfish will die in the heat of the day, so I am throwing them back into the sea."
The mans looks puzzled and says: "But there are hundreds of them, stretching for miles up the beach – how can you possibly make a difference?"
The girl picks up a starfish and throws it into the ocean and says: "It made a difference to that one."
We can all make a difference, and the change starts with you. If every one of us committed to sharing some of the abundance of love, money, time or possessions that we have been blessed with, this world would immediately begin to improve – for you, for your children and for the future of this planet.
If you feel that you don't have enough to share, just look around. Count your blessings – and then share them. Make a commitment to a better world, to a better future for all of our children, and make it today.
Share this. Let us start a revolution of loving action.