“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”—Mahatma Gandhi
In this month’s issue of Natural Awakenings Long Island, we focus on change-makers. We share stories
of people just like you and me that are living examples of “being the change.” In our green living section, discover how “ecopreneurs” went from seeing a need that would serve mankind and mother earth to creating and marketing a product to meet that need (biodegradable dog poop bags anyone?). In our feature article you will learn about folks like Komal Ahmad, whose single act of kindness in simply offering to share her lunch with a homeless man when she was a college student back in 2011 sparked in her the desire to feed more people. She is now founder of Copia, an app that matches nonprofits serving people in need with companies that have leftover gourmet food.
Perhaps my favorite “change-maker” featured in this issue is Dr. John Sarno, a luminary in his field. In 1991, he discovered a mind-body pain connection and created a way to treat various pain syndromes. Sarno’s findings were met with such backlash from the Western medical community that they are only now finally beginning to gain both popularity and acceptance.
Reading through the array of articles in this month’s issue, I can’t help but feel inspired and ask myself, “What have you done to be a change-maker, Kelly?” It’s a daunting question, and for those that live with any form of self-doubt (or even “good-guy syndrome,” as coined by Sarno) you may start an internal dialogue that ends with the answer to that question sounding something like this: “Nothing … I suck!”… LOL! Not true! You don’t suck! (I don’t either.) Jungian psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., who is also in our feature article, further appeases my fear of “sucking” by reassuring me that any small calm thing that one soul does to help another soul can have an immense effect not only on those souls but also the universe in general.
So, what is your plan? How will you be a change-maker? What small calm thing will you do for another person? Will you take the leap and pursue a product or idea whose launch could save a life or contribute to helping our environment, or will you act locally by joining a surfrider cleanup crew or donating food to your local food pantry? If it seems like there isn’t enough time, I then ask, will you simply smile at the person you see on the train or the grocery store that looks like perhaps they could use one? While we can’t do it all, I believe we must do all we can.
Let’s go forward this fall and “be the change.”
Malama Pono!
Kelly Martinsen, Publisher
