Community, Community Building, Community Development, Consumerism, Empowerement

Petitions and Boycotts: Why I Am Boycotting Nestlé Products

The transformation of the world from its current state to a place where every individual can participate actively in their personal material and spiritual development as well as contribute to the progress of humankind as a whole is going to need the upending of a lot of things—and I mean, a lot.  This means that… Read More Petitions and Boycotts: Why I Am Boycotting Nestlé Products

Community, Community Building, Community Development

What Vanuatu Structure I Wish My Neighborhood Would Build

I have been thinking a lot about the design of a neighborhood and how it could be adapted to better serve both the material and spiritual needs of its inhabitants. Now don’t get me wrong, I have no background in urban planning, urban design, or anything remotely close to the necessary fields to actually create… Read More What Vanuatu Structure I Wish My Neighborhood Would Build

Community, Community Building, Community Development

You Get A Cause, You Get A Cause, Everyone Gets A Cause!

It feels like, even more so than nine years ago, when I wrote about the difficulties in choosing a cause to support, that there are so many causes, organizations, groups, charities, etc. to support that one might find themselves wondering, Why even bother? Of course, I don’t ascribe to that line of thinking at all—there… Read More You Get A Cause, You Get A Cause, Everyone Gets A Cause!

Community, Community Building, Community Development

Epiphanies and Realisations: Most People Are Kind, and Most People Want to Change Things

Trying to contribute to the betterment of the world starts with bettering ourselves, our families, and our communities.  It’s empowering to work on oneself and to see the changes in one’s personality; I regularly hit up my old journals and am amazed by how ridiculous I sound to myself a mere year later! For those… Read More Epiphanies and Realisations: Most People Are Kind, and Most People Want to Change Things

Community, Community Building, Community Development, Consultation

The Implications of Diversity: We Can All Be Right

This is a very sensitive topic to discuss, and, while I have made every effort to translate into words as “mild as milk” my ideas, I apologize in advance if something I wrote ends up hurting someone. As a religious person, I find myself constantly under attack—the same attack that religion is accused of putting… Read More The Implications of Diversity: We Can All Be Right

Community, Community Building, Community Development

Two Special Freebies For A Special Year: Celebrations and Community-Building { INCLUDES FREE PRINTABLES }

This year (2017) is a special year for Bahá’ís like myself.  Come November, we are going to be celebrating the bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet-Founder of our religion.  I have been thinking a lot about what it means, to celebrate birthdays in general, but also—and especially—to celebrate the birthday of someone I… Read More Two Special Freebies For A Special Year: Celebrations and Community-Building { INCLUDES FREE PRINTABLES }

Community, Community Building, Community Development

The Limitations of Shocking People Out of Apathy In The Hopes Of Building A Better World

One of the greatest obstacles to building a vibrant, healthy global community–i.e. a better world–is the apathy of so many of its members, a large proportion of which go about life within a limited bubble: they go to work, go home, do their shopping, go on vacation, and ignore the negative things happening in the… Read More The Limitations of Shocking People Out of Apathy In The Hopes Of Building A Better World

Community, Community Building, Community Development, Personal Development

Fulfilling Our Individual Responsibility Towards Global Economic Life

There is an exciting discourse gaining increasing momentum online: how to use what the world has to give us—food, clothes, stuff—to live a better life, rather than living life to collect increasing amounts of food, clothes, and stuff.  There is the minimalist movement, the sharing economy, the buy local movement, and, of course, efforts to… Read More Fulfilling Our Individual Responsibility Towards Global Economic Life

Community, Community Building, Community Development

Who Cares About What They Wear: Choosing Who To Vote For

A lot of important elections have been happening around the world lately, and, as many prepare to vote, it has come to my attention that we spend way too much time looking into things that do not matter at the expense of looking carefully into what does matter. For example, I was reading about the… Read More Who Cares About What They Wear: Choosing Who To Vote For

Community, Community Building, Community Development

Guest Post: Life Lessons From An Ant Infestation, by The Ten Thousand Hour Mama

This is a shortened version of Catherine’s post. To read the full article, or to have access to a large number of great posts, visit her insightful, hilarious, and just plain wonderful blog, The Ten Thousand Hour Mama. It’s probably a bad sign when a household ant infestation feels like a metaphor for your life.… Read More Guest Post: Life Lessons From An Ant Infestation, by The Ten Thousand Hour Mama