What Is Your Ideal World?
23/12/20 22:01 Filed in: Ideal world | Zoo Design theory
By Gail Lash, PhD
“…if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationship – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together and work together in the same world, at peace.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt
My dog lifts her front paws onto my leg, staring at me with big brown eyes as I stuff forkfuls of cooked veggies into my mouth. Our other two dogs lounge in cuddle beds, patiently eyeing her progress. All three know what their “ideal world” looks like: spontaneous special treats from their human caregivers. If only human desires were so simple. An ideal world for a dog is a bit different than an ideal world for a human. Or is it?
Even though identifying characteristics of an “ideal world” is complex, let us investigate a few foundational, universal parameters. Future blogs can explore more divergence. For now, let’s examine initial key requirements.
Think about creating the perfect dinner party. Something that all your friends, and even strangers walking by, would love to experience. What would you include? Is it on the beach under moonlight, with torches and twinkle lights, rumba music for dancing, with palm-frons decorating tables of delicious global cuisines? Or a cozy, crackling fireplace, warm cider and meads, spruce shoots to delight the nose and spicy dishes to delight the pallet at your oak table set for ten?
Whatever your vision, there are common threads that weave through these two dinner parties, and any ideal world. Qualities or Virtues like: beauty, kindness, respect, dignity. Cleanliness, happiness, thoughtfulness, compassion. Service, creativity, flexibility, diversity. Cooperation, unity, justice, moderation.
Every ideal world begins with universal virtues being brought into play. All relationships – between wild or domestic animals, ecosystems, and human societies – rely on cohesive, peaceful agreements that bring harmony to the whole. Respect in the human world is akin to respect in the animal world. There is an innate “goodness” of supporting qualities and actions that make the Earth run smoothly and “right”. As example, Buddhism teaches how to follow the Noble Eightfold Path, creating right reality. Which of these virtues would you choose to include in your ideal world?
Think about your zoo or aquarium and its inhabitants, or your company and its employees, or your family and its members. Human and animal wellness begins with emotional energies being in harmony. Pharrell Williams got it right when he wrote the song, “Happy”(1). Happiness does wonders for our physical bodies: strengthens immune system, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, releases less cortisol, decreases inflammation, and improves sleep (2). These healthy emotions created from virtues or qualities of right reality are heart-based feelings, win-win agreements, the balance of all. This is the universal path. When we act, think and speak in virtuous ways, we become the architect of a new landscape, that perfect dinner party.
I experienced an example of this new landscape at a conference on Sustainable Development a couple of years ago. One organization decided to decorate the conference room of their 2-day workshop with live plants, twinkle lights, café-style tables, uplifting quotes, and light music in-between sessions. Virtues were normalized by speakers and participants. Calm beauty oozed from these doors.
I remember watching other conference attendees stroll by the open room door, stopping to stare, leaning in to see more. Some walked into the room, touching the plants, asking, “What session is this? What are you talking about here?”
An ideal world is one that is magnetic. You become the beauty of the creation. These virtues, coming from each of our heart-spaces (the perfect dinner party) will be so magnetic that the hate will stop, the wars will stop, this world of duality will dissolve. You are we and we are you – there is no separation.
Like me sharing a few veggies with my dogs! Like new inventions that protect the Earth, clean up pollution, use free energy, honor diversity of peoples, accept all life as sacred.
What would your ideal world, in right-relationship, look like, feel like, sound like, smell like, be like?
Act today to create that vision into reality.
References:
1. Pharrell Williams song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
2. Benefits of happiness: https://www.thedailymeal.com/healthy-eating/20-incredible-ways-happiness-affects-your-body-slideshow
Think about creating the perfect dinner party. Something that all your friends, and even strangers walking by, would love to experience. What would you include? Is it on the beach under moonlight, with torches and twinkle lights, rumba music for dancing, with palm-frons decorating tables of delicious global cuisines? Or a cozy, crackling fireplace, warm cider and meads, spruce shoots to delight the nose and spicy dishes to delight the pallet at your oak table set for ten?
Whatever your vision, there are common threads that weave through these two dinner parties, and any ideal world. Qualities or Virtues like: beauty, kindness, respect, dignity. Cleanliness, happiness, thoughtfulness, compassion. Service, creativity, flexibility, diversity. Cooperation, unity, justice, moderation.
Every ideal world begins with universal virtues being brought into play. All relationships – between wild or domestic animals, ecosystems, and human societies – rely on cohesive, peaceful agreements that bring harmony to the whole. Respect in the human world is akin to respect in the animal world. There is an innate “goodness” of supporting qualities and actions that make the Earth run smoothly and “right”. As example, Buddhism teaches how to follow the Noble Eightfold Path, creating right reality. Which of these virtues would you choose to include in your ideal world?
Think about your zoo or aquarium and its inhabitants, or your company and its employees, or your family and its members. Human and animal wellness begins with emotional energies being in harmony. Pharrell Williams got it right when he wrote the song, “Happy”(1). Happiness does wonders for our physical bodies: strengthens immune system, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, releases less cortisol, decreases inflammation, and improves sleep (2). These healthy emotions created from virtues or qualities of right reality are heart-based feelings, win-win agreements, the balance of all. This is the universal path. When we act, think and speak in virtuous ways, we become the architect of a new landscape, that perfect dinner party.
I experienced an example of this new landscape at a conference on Sustainable Development a couple of years ago. One organization decided to decorate the conference room of their 2-day workshop with live plants, twinkle lights, café-style tables, uplifting quotes, and light music in-between sessions. Virtues were normalized by speakers and participants. Calm beauty oozed from these doors.
I remember watching other conference attendees stroll by the open room door, stopping to stare, leaning in to see more. Some walked into the room, touching the plants, asking, “What session is this? What are you talking about here?”
An ideal world is one that is magnetic. You become the beauty of the creation. These virtues, coming from each of our heart-spaces (the perfect dinner party) will be so magnetic that the hate will stop, the wars will stop, this world of duality will dissolve. You are we and we are you – there is no separation.
Like me sharing a few veggies with my dogs! Like new inventions that protect the Earth, clean up pollution, use free energy, honor diversity of peoples, accept all life as sacred.
What would your ideal world, in right-relationship, look like, feel like, sound like, smell like, be like?
Act today to create that vision into reality.
References:
1. Pharrell Williams song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
2. Benefits of happiness: https://www.thedailymeal.com/healthy-eating/20-incredible-ways-happiness-affects-your-body-slideshow