I saw a Steemit Challenge this week posted by @positivity of which was "Do something charitable and write a post about it."
I immediately thought, "Wow! This challenge was made for me!
In truth it has been harder to make the time to write about it than to do it!
I founded The Garden of Eden almost a decade ago of which now operates at the lowest carbon footprint of any organization I am aware of and achieved feeding 40,000 free meals last year and hopefully more this year!
Feeding, housing, clothing and educating people at no charge is a part of every day life for me. I have made a few posts about some of the big "Feed The Need" events I have done where we feed hundreds of meals to homeless people.
Today I wanted to highlight a story from yesterday where I took a home cooked meal, sustainably prepared in our outdoor kitchen and brought it to the fire department to show support for our community and do something for people that would really appreciate it. The meal even included flowers and a card! I didn't do this to enter the challenge I did this because I am dedicated to living the way I feel is honorable and beneficial to life as a whole.
I try and bring something to them once a week even if its just a loaf of bread. But yesterday we prepared a nice fall dish of warm pumpkin and bean stew with spicy bratwurst, a loaf of bread, flowers and a card!
We got it to them right before their dinner time so all they had to do was dish it up and enjoy! They didn't have to cook, or spend money, and they got a healthier and more delicious meal than usual!
Sometimes I just drop stuff of and go because I have a lot to do or they are occupied, but yesterday I stayed for about an hour talking to them about life. They were so grateful for the love and really enjoyed the delicious home cooked meal! Yet maybe even more important was the conversation we had. We talked about everything from how broken are the education system, health care industry and political system, and how we need way more sustainable operations and community honesty/responsibility.
It's especially interesting because most fireman would say that generally fireman are "para military types" of which usually means pretty conservative perspectives. Yet me and my community have developed a really mutually beneficial relationship with them despite the contrast of our relatively very "free spirit mindset".
One of the most important parts of life to me is education. Knowledge is power and perspective dictates life. So new information is key to any kind of individual/cultural change or revolution. I feel that most people are good at heart, but are living lives dictated by the indoctrination of their childhoods, which in this country is predominately statist/christian/American pride, especially so in jobs like law enforcement or fireman. This makes it hard to be aware of or even open to much of what I have to say, as it is either unheard of or even contrary to what they have been told by various institutions. Yet If there is ever to be real change people have to have exposure to new ways of life.
I have been on the cutting edge of activism and New Paradigm Lifestyle for 15 years and The Garden of Eden has been a powerful even if controversial example for alternative lifestyle for quite a few years now.
To focus on what is wrong with the world and people or what is different is to guarantee conflict, and thus brings little benefit in social exchange. Yet to focus on human potential and what we do have in common establishes a bridge where information and new perspectives, even if controversial, can be exchanged.
This instance was a prime example of that. I was able to share critical information about how improved life can be with lifestyle choices of say homeschooling vs public schooling, community living vs suburban living and natural health prevention/remedy vs western medicine pharmaceutical/surgery emergency relief.
I was even able to talk to them about the advantages of cryptocurrency or gold in comparison to a fiat currency such as the USD.
By the end they were not only thankful for the delicious food which nourished their bodies but the information and true companionship which nourished their minds and souls. They thanked me many times for the visit and how much they appreciated the generosity and genuine support for their well being.
So yes, I fed a nice meal at no charge. But more importantly I built relationships and the potential for life changes which could improve not only their lives as individuals, but life on Earth as a whole.
No matter how many projects I have going, I try and make space for conversations like this when the opportunity arises. Sometimes major life changes start with simple and basic offers such as a hearty meal!
I hope this inspires you to not only BE the change you wish to see but also to have compassion for where others are and find a way even if small to let go of differences and focus on what progress can be made!
If you found this post valuable please UPvote and share and if you would like to see more posts like this consider following me! I love this community and am grateful to be able to share with such a motivated group of beings to participate in a new world!
