National Day Of Appreciation For The Human Spirit
Copyright © 2004-2005 Geela
Quote of the month: “When you celebrate the human spirit, you
heal and enrich your own spirit.” – Geela
The other day I purchased a reference book that lists hundreds of
calendar of events and special dates such as holidays. To my
surprise, I discovered that while there was a special day for
practically everything under the sun, there was nothing about
celebrating the human spirit, which is supposed to be so central
to our existence. I wondered if that was due to a narrow focus
on one sliver of our lives and therefore the inability to see the
big picture of life itself, or was it symptomatic of something
much deeper. For some people, it’s too overwhelming to think
beyond the “one day at a time” mentality - which reminds me of a
bumper sticker I once saw which read: “Did you know that one
nuclear bomb could ruin your whole day?”
In a time where chaos is the order of the day and insanity is the
rule rather than the exception, designating a special National
Day of Appreciation For The Human Spirit can actually be highly
beneficial and a welcome relief for everyone, and not so much out
of a sense of sentimentality, but rather out of necessity. It’s
a fact that a free and thriving society is dependent on co-
existence, cooperation, acceptance of differences and a solid
spiritual foundation. Therefore, promoting positive concepts
such as social awareness, a culture of peace and harmony,
honoring of all living things, integrity and a wholesome values
system, should not be viewed as a luxury but rather as a
necessity.
In a fast-paced society that’s driven by a mentality of “more is
better,” extreme stress and lack of fulfillment are inevitable.
It’s the effect caused by the pursuit of materialism, which is
the by-product of the American Dream, which is perpetuated by the
media and business advertisers that try to convince us that we
must have a certain life style in order to be happy and
fulfilled. In the process of pursuing more stuff, we knowingly,
or unknowingly, lose that part of our being that is able to
experience real joy and fulfillment. Sure, we have more “toys,”
but they only produce artificial joy. We’ve all heard the
expression “you can’t take it with you,” so what good does it
do when there is less and less free time to do what’s really
important in life, like connecting with family and friends and
making a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Sooner or
later it becomes evident that no amount of money or trophies can
fill the void created by a malnourished spirit.
The real danger becomes even more obvious when extreme (and
continual) stress collides with a lack of a solid spiritual
foundation. We then experience a sense of loss in practically
every facet of our lives; from loss of clarity and productivity
to a lack of security and direction. But most importantly, we
experience diminished joy of life, sense of fulfillment and
family harmony.
There is another good reason for creating a National Day of
Appreciation For The Human Spirit. It would help us gain
perspective and reflect on what’s really important in life and on
our true identity, which is beyond all artificial boundaries such
as religion, race and color. These things function as divisive,
rather then uniting forces that ultimately lead to hostility and
wars both on the individual and global scale. Instead, on such a
day the focus would become to celebrate the human spirit, and
excellence in its truest form which is characterized by kindness,
acceptance of differences (by recognizing that peace is not so
much unity in similarity but rather unity in diversity), and the
honoring of all living things.
On that particular day, everyone’s focus would be on
accomplishing the most outstanding humanitarian work that could
contribute to a positive future for all. Efforts of people with
high vision and courage, who can offer innovative solutions to
the growing problems of our society, would be supported by
influential people and the media, who would be providing them
with the proper platform to share their ideas in order to
accelerate the process by which change can be affected. For one
day even the media would exhibit altruistic actions by doing
what’s best for the community and ignore their ratings, with TV
shows and programming that celebrate human excellence while
promoting positive concepts that contribute to a positive future.
The result would be to restore balance, a sense of well-being, a
sense of community and a real sense of security. Now that’s real
“fair and balanced news.”
Imagine coming together just for one day to recognize and
celebrate both the human spirit and human excellence, with a
sense of genuine acceptance for our differences. Suddenly we
would discover and appreciate the simple pleasures of life, such
as making new friendships. But the benefits wouldn’t end there
since it’s a fact that true prosperity (from health to wealth) is
a by-product of living in harmony with universal laws. Perhaps
then we could also see less senseless violence in our schools and
on our streets. Perhaps then our kids would once again gain a
sense of direction and hope in an increasingly violent and the
competitive world. Perhaps then we’d see leaders in government
and business who exhibit the power of love (rather than the love
of power), doing what’s in the best interest of the community
rather then what’s politically correct.
Celebrating a National Day of Appreciation For The Human Spirit
would also help restore balance in our hectic lives by
simplifying things and reexamining our obsession with “more is
better.” It would also inspire us to reconnect with our
spiritual roots and nurture our malnourished spirits by
recognizing that as spiritual beings experiencing the human
experience (and not the other way around), we can’t really
experience a life of meaning with purpose and real joy and
fulfillment without the element of giving (making a meaningful
difference in people’s lives). Perhaps having such a day would
stimulate a shift in the American culture from “He with the most
toys lives” to “He with the most joy lives” making it possible
for everyone to achieve the American Dream, in its truest form,
which is based on perspiration, innovation, risk and reward -
where the focus would be on a wholesome values system, strong
work ethic, integrity and community.
However, for a goal to be achieved it has to be tangible and real
enough, otherwise it functions like a picture on the wall (it’s
nice but not attainable). Car dealers, for instance, encourage
potential customers to take a test drive for that very reason,
because it works. Likewise, for positive concepts to stimulate
transformation, it must first feel “real” and be experienced at
least on some level, particularly for many who have never
experienced those concepts and falsely believe that they are
unattainable. That’s why celebrating a National Day of
Appreciation For Human Spirit can provide a golden opportunity
for the mind to be stretched to a new dimension, and as such the
mind can never go back to its original state.
But why wait for some artificial date to motivate you to do the
right thing anyway? As long as you let your conscious guide you,
you know you can never go wrong. So go ahead and be the change
you wish to see in the world today and, who knows, perhaps
through inner change we can finally experience an outer change
as well. Now that’s good news for the heart too.
Copyright © 2004-2005, Geela
Geela is an award winning singer/songwriter/composer, columnist,
and author of the best-selling book “THE AMERICAN DREAM,” her
true- life story of how she came to America as a young immigrant
with nothing and overcame incredible obstacles to achieve
mega-success. She founded ONE SPIRIT, ONE WORLD to help children
and promote a culture of peace and harmony. Get a free sample of
her music and her book at http://www.Geela.com
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