The Little Things

Most mornings Anjali wakes up happy, even laughing.

If I tuck her knees up against my belly, and gently bounce her as we talk, she lights up and giggles away. It's a wonderful way to start the day, and always fills me with joy.

It has been amazing to watch her develop and grow. Having now passed the four months mark, Anjali is taking an increasing interest in the world around her, grasping and mouthing her clothing and toys.

Isn't it funny how the little things in life, often free, are the things that make us the happiest?

Despite all the flashing lights, bells and whistles that scream for our attention (and purchase), the relationships that mean the most to us seem to be what we truly treasure, when we're not taking them for granted.

My wife, Malkanthi, seems to have a very natural grasp on this simple truth, that most others, including (especially) myself, seem to so often miss. I think I'm slowly learning in this regard, and know I have much to learn still.

I guess 'the little things' are really big things!

Moments with those we love, and those who love us: they shape us, define us, locate us, and inspire us to grow and develop ouselves.

I often see, in the interactions of Anjali and Malkanthi, two people who are entirely present to each other. It is both beautiful and inspiring.

In many regards, the present... now... this very moment is all we really have. I am more and more convinced we should do all we can to make to most of it.

Confessions

I do not eat meat, but I wear leather shoes. I am concerned about the environment, but I don’t always recycle. Sometimes I spend too long in the shower, and we’re in the middle of a drought.

I have learnt to live with these (and many other) inconsistencies in my life.

This does not mean I am satisfied with these inconsistencies, or that I think they can be excused. It just means that I am realistic about where I currently am and where I want to be in the future.

It saddens me when I hear people who have resigned from trying to live a more ethical life. Some feel that if they try and then fall short of ethical purity they are somehow fraudulent or hypocritical.

Let’s embrace our inconsistencies. Rejoice in our humanness. Accept who we are and where we are, in the knowledge that we can improve how we live.

If you would like to commit to improving in just one area of your life, let me know, and I too will commit to something, and we can hold each other accountable.

Lao Tzu once said, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ Let me challenge you to commence, or encourage you in continuing on a journey towards a more ethical lifestyle.

Whispers of Warning

Our future will be determined by our present actions, and our actions are presently questionable, at best.

Aspiring to an ethical lifestyle can seem overwhelming and often eludes us when we try. There are times when we've made changes that have really cost us something, only to hear later that it is in fact worse to have made such a change.

So we become disenchanted; content to just plod along with the flock, with very little thought or effort to ascertain exactly where our flock is headed.

A growing scientific consensus seems to indicate that we're poised to wander straight off a cliff, but what do they know, really?

The pull of consumerism is strong and the fog of distraction and misinformation is thick. Disenchantment is replaced by disinterest - its too hard to know what's really going on. And so we continue to just plod on.

Anyway, an entire flock will not just wander off a cliff, for those at the front will see it coming.

Who's up the front there anyway?
What... Did someone say Scientists!?!