The last ten years have been a real revelation for me. I can barely find the words to describe all that I now see and feel since my life changed forever. Funny what being stripped down and turned upside down will do. Adversity is a powerful teacher.

I know many people who have faced near death experiences or tragedy and come away thinking that they need to spend the rest of their lives doing all they can for themselves but I disagree. I think this thinking is misleading and can be harmful in many ways.

Here is why.

I see people in completely different ways now and I can’t help but see the world in different ways too.

I am more aware of the suffering, the ignorance and the attitudes that dominate the social landscapes.

I have to admit that I don’t share a particularly high opinion of where the world is heading.., perhaps I am alone in this? I don’t think I am.

I have watched our political leaders and their social policies. I see the impacts we have made and the devastation we have wreaked on the earth. I see the everyday person becoming colder, more indifferent and self absorbed. It truly saddens me.

There is nothing like the eyes of the ill, hurt and disabled, we see what many cannot, but it comes at such a high price!

The social networks and familial bonds that we were told about and raised into are far more tenuous then we were led to believe, and the world as we know it is far more fragile and broken than we were ever shown or taught.

When we start looking with our own eyes and heart, and not through social media, tabloids and politics, we can easily see the world more clearly; if we dare.

It’s not a pretty sight.

I see people judging, competing, degrading, hurting and abandoning each other. I see a world changing rapidly and the part that humans play in its demise.

It’s hard to look at. It’s hard to watch. It’s hard to acknowledge… and it’s much harder to fix.

But I also believe that is our sole purpose as human beings in as much as we are the caretakers of the planet and each other… And we are failing miserably. All of us.

We have devised a million ways to assuage our feelings and to deny our responsibilities. We have constructed social personas and self absorbed goals to make it easier for us to look away. We hope we can find validation and credibility in being richer, thinner, stronger, faster, prettier, more popular, smarter, more famous and amassing things. But I believe all these things simply distract us from our true purpose in life. Caretaker for the world and each other.

If we haven’t tried to do something to leave this world a better place than when we entered it than what has been the point of our existence?

We all share this duty. It cannot be delegated. It can not be avoided. And it should be an honor.

As well as what we have done for our own advancement we should be asking ourselves what have I done done for this world and my fellow human beings.

History has a way of forgetting even the greatest rulers and even the most popular and wealthiest of our times, but the earth never forgets the effects of our actions and the impacts we leave. That is where our true signature lies.

We are all caretakers for this planet and each other and we can make a small difference every day … most importantly though we should make this our daily goal.

Gentle hugs,

Trish.