One of Club Physical’s members, Alice, this week commented that “All members are on a journey”.
Her meaning is that each one of us is experiencing highs and lows, challenges and celebrations, life and death. And the problems you might face may feel so very big at-the-moment.
Yet in the BIG picture of things, they could be interpreted as microscopic!
In 1990 astronaut Carl Sagan shared an insight to the world. Voyager One had been launched by NASA and as the craft exited the solar system, Carl had the cameras look back at the earth. What he saw inspired a book. “I saw that the entire earth was just a tiny speck in the vastness of space – in fact, just a ‘pale blue dot’” he said. “I realized the fragility and unity of our planet, and of our pressing need to cherish and protect this ‘tiny mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam’”.
By emphasizing our insignificance in the cosmic scale, Sagan also highlighted the immense significance of our fostering peace, kindness and care for our only home. His insight serves as a powerful call to action, urging humanity to overcome divisions and to work collectively for a sustainable future.
While you sit and imagine the view of the entire world becoming a ‘tiny speck’, now think how BIG you and your problem would look. There are 8.17 billion others in the world. There are currently SEVENTY WARS, and ongoing armed conflict.
The top three most common problems that people have in this world TODAY are:
- Climate change – extreme weather events directly impacting one’s health and livelihood
- Poverty – exasperated by inflation, high interest and lack of jobs
- Mental health – particularly since the Covid lockdowns
Incidentally, Local environmentalist Daniel, told his audience at the Club Physical sponsored WAKE-UP, COMMUNICATE Toastmasters (who meet fortnightly in Te Atatu) that “more than half of household rubbish is food waste”. The amount of food waste globally each year could feed ALL the people experiencing hunger! The challenge though, is storage and logistics, in getting it to them.
King Solomon who was born 970 BCE (almost 1,000 years before Jesus) reasoned that “Your life is like a gust of wind”. He emphasized the ‘fleeting and insubstantial nature of life’.
Once again, compare the current challenges you have. Do they still seem so BIG? Life is so precious. Life is so short. Is there a bigger impact we can make? What will be our legacy?
This week’s newsletter can be found here
