Helping to improve the world for all people everywhere.

My thoughts are grouped in my mind into two groups: trying to learn to be a safe, easy, fun and helpful person to talk to for all kinds of people in all kinds of circumstances; and trying to help with the growth and spread of a healthier, happier and more loving community life at the level of neighborhoods and villages all around the world.
 
One way I’ve thought of for learning to be a good person to talk to for each person is, for each person, to be learning on my own about something that they’re interested in, and talk with them about what I’m learning. It could be their profession, a hobby, something that they’re learning about or learning to do, anything in their life that they might like talking about. If I’m learning more about it on my own, that makes it more interesting, fun and helpful for them to talk about it with me.
 
wil said:
Sharing knowledge, communicating you care, assisting someone in need, valuable stuff
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wil, thanks. That’s the kind of post that I was hoping to see.

One of my ideas for people working together to help make the community life in a neighborhood healthier, happier, and more loving for every person, is studying and practicing together to improve their qualities and capacities for community service.

For learning to be a. better person to talk to, one idea is to continually learn more about resources and services for people facing various challenges, for example like prejudices and discrimination against them, or domestic violence.

Another idea is to spend time with people from a wide range of cultures, immersed in their culture, side by side with them in some kind of community service.
 
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Little things ...

We have 'bail hostels' at the top of our road.

A UK thing, bail hostels house individuals released on bail. The hostels help individuals reintegrate into the community. They have their ups and downs.

Yesterday my partner and IO walked by, and a woman was leaning out of the window watering an array of flowers in pots. "Nice flowers," my partner called. The woman looked, took a beat, then smiled. I did wonder whether that beat was a defensive reflex, checking to see if we were somehow being sarcastic ... then she realised we weren't...
 
Vasu Devan said:
Crisis hotlines are too risky for me.
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It can be risky, but it can be very rewarding. I did it for a few years but got totally burnt out. The organisation I was with were very good. They knew the risks, so we were only allowed to do one shift every two weeks, but if you get some really bad calls it can just get into your head.

However, if you think you might like to try, it is incredibly useful and often a real lifesaver. Many of the volunteers are wonderful people to know too.
 
rocala said:
It can be risky, but it can be very rewarding. I did it for a few years but got totally burnt out. The organisation I was with were very good. They knew the risks, so we were only allowed to do one shift every two weeks, but if you get some really bad calls it can just get into your head.

However, if you think you might like to try, it is incredibly useful and often a real lifesaver. Many of the volunteers are wonderful people to know too.
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Thanks @rocala . Yeah, those sites are rewarding but it hits you hard when you cant help someone leave happy. I talked on a suicide chatline once but stopped the first time I failed. Even sites like 7cups can bring you down when you fail to help someone. They're the opposite end of Librivox. Really rewarding when you succeed and really miserable when you fail. There's prolly some rule of balance in that. And some of the women I've talked with on 7cups say there are guys using it to take advantage of depressed, vulnerable women. The mind of Man can corrupt anything 😢
 
Nothing supports health and longlife more then to live the holy life, observing the Uposatha of the Noble One's. Virtue, harmlessness, restrain, modersty in regard of sensuality.

One who has grow health by good means is able to lead others to health, wealth and liberation, as all theses is a matter of virtue.

So to say in short: it's nonsens to go for fitness, treatments, by do not uproot the cause of missery. Such just increases bad by the double. Not uprooting reason, and further causing pain for oneself and others by going after a way around.

Not-harming, goodwill, is the reason for health, here and after. Not taking life, the reason for long life.

And the good of going after the Brahmacariya, even if not able to help others by means, one gives a present and best possible to all others, be giving freedom from fear, oppression. No gift is higher then that of restrain and virtue, of giving freedom. That's why it's benefit is immeasurable for oneself and effects all others around right after having taken on resolve to it: right resolve.
 
Dhammañāṇa Bhikkhu said:
No gift is higher then that of restrain and virtue, of giving freedom. That's why it's benefit is immeasurable for oneself and effects all others around right after having taken on resolve to it: right resolve.
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Yes, I think that continually trying to improve our own character and conduct is a good way to help make the world better for people in our lives and all around us, and maybe can have good ripple effects all around the world.
 
Longfellow said:
Yes, I think that continually trying to improve our own character and conduct is a good way to help make the world better for people in our lives and all around us, and maybe can have good ripple effects all around the world.
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Noble way is for sure, for oneself and others.

Else is just either burden oneself, or burden others, or both.

Maybe good to get the Noble conduct known, open to adopt by everyone, young our old, regardless of status and means:

Uposatha (purification)
 
TheLightWithin said:
It must have been upsetting.
However it sounds like you are very hard on yourself.
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Who knows? Going thru a midlife stage where I am unsure if there is no point then does that also mean pointlessness is imaginary? And a bunch of other stuff. Anybody here a follower of Disciples of Christ Church? Got interested in them recently. They seem lax enough to accept nondual thinking while also actually speaking out against ills on the poor.
 
Vasu Devan said:
Anybody here a follower of Disciples of Christ Church? Got interested in them recently. They seem lax enough to accept nondual thinking while also actually speaking out against ills on the poor.
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I used to search for a DoC church in my area. I think there used to be one in a neighboring town. I think however that churches like the UCC might be fairly close in philosophy and approach, from what I have read and heard.
 
TheLightWithin said:
I used to search for a DoC church in my area. I think there used to be one in a neighboring town. I think however that churches like the UCC might be fairly close in philosophy and approach, from what I have read and heard.
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It's just that DoC seems to be the ones actively protesting against spread of Christian Nationalism in USA right now. Their pretending love of Jesus while turning against the poor and padding pockets of the rich. That might delve into the political sector so let's not go there for now.
 
Vasu Devan said:
It's just that DoC seems to be the ones actively protesting against spread of Christian Nationalism in USA right now. Their pretending love of Jesus while turning against the poor and padding pockets of the rich. That might delve into the political sector so let's not go there for now.
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The progressive wing of almost all major Protestant denominations have similar theological, social, and even political sensibilities.
For example the ELCA branch of the Lutheran church. Or United Methodists (which have become less united due to controversy within over social and political matters) True, we do not discuss political/social issues on the forum at this time, however, you can look up Progressive Christianity or specific denominations by name, to learn more.
 
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