Sometimes it takes the joy of a small child for something so simple to remind us of what’s important in life.  To stop and smell the roses seems to be a thing of the past as the world absorbs us with its loud & messy substance.  Bells ring all around, can you hear them?  Yet no one even knows for sure for whom the bells actually toll anymore.  Today’s world is full of magnificent things that were thought out, invented, and created by wonderfully talented human beings; but how humanity manages to mess everything up is the question of choice in my mind nowadays.

Needs have changed and, therefore, priorities have changed, which only means that people have, by default, also changed.  I won’t repeat the well-known phrase ‘back in my day…’ – I refuse to sound like that!  I will, however, acknowledge the truth behind it.  Back in the day (on everyone’s timeline), yes, things were different; but that doesn’t mean that today is bad.  Kids today are way smarter than before, humans today are way more evolved than before.  And yet, the battle between good and evil remains exactly the same as it was a thousand years ago…the only difference is that we share it instantly globally on social media nowadays.

Nature, nonetheless, has a wonderful way of reminding us of what’s truly important.  Birth requires nothing but mother and child.  Growth requires little more than food & nurture.  Death requires absolutely nothing but our fragile body.  And in between, what makes us different from everything else in nature is that magical essence of our own humanity: LOVE.  Survival, happiness, productivity…everything is fuelled by love.  A breath of magic gave us the ability to choose love above all other things.  It shouldn’t be so hard, right?  Before hurting, choose to love.  Before judging, choose to love.  Before anything else, choose to love.  Easier said than done.

Back to basics: God is love, Buddha is love, Allah is love…Coatlicue, Krishna, Athena, Odin, Durga, Vishnu, Ganesha…all are deities representing a supreme being that teaches each and every mortal of this world to love.  Isn’t it an interesting thing, how we all seem to have found our very own connection to this unique thing we all feel?  Sadly, we seem to have disconnected ourselves from our very own humanity.  We are no longer in sync with nature, which is God’s single & most magnificent way of showing us and teaching us all about love.  Interests and communities have evolved with time, leaving behind the essential & primitive aspects of ourselves, which allowed us to appreciate the very elements of nature that God wanted us to enjoy: ‘I can hunt, I can run, I can breathe, I can live’.  It’s all been forgotten – or at least put on a backdrop – in a world where it’s more important to say ‘I can drive, I can read, I can lead, I can win, I can own”.

Communities thrived because of the differences among us.  Each person is special in their very own way and therefore is created by our supreme being for a particular purpose in this world.  Today, we are mostly motivated to aim for the best, to be the best, and to fight hard for it.  Doesn’t anyone wonder where that’s leading us?  People kill for positions of power, cheat to feel important, and lie to appear happy.  Who knew the quest for happiness would be part of a new era crisis?  Truth is, there are way too many distractions all around us to allow us to come one-to-one with nature, which is key to feeling at peace with one’s self.  People pay for wellness centers, spa treatments, or remote getaways – it’s become a thing of luxury!  The outdoors now requires all sorts of gear.  Have you ever been to a outdoor-equipment store?!  I wouldn’t be surprised to find happiness on sale in a collapsable silicone portable edition!

Keep it simple, people.  Look at the sky, close your eyes, feel the grass, and breathe.  But most importantly, hug someone.  Humans need humans, and a hug is actually scientifically proven to work wonders on the human soul.  Let’s nurture each other’s mind & spirit…we are, after all, in this together!