ENLIGHTENMENT IN THE MOST UNLIKELY PLACES!

I'm sitting in Starbucks; sipping on a Caramel Macchiato. I just noticed a quote on my cup. It's The Way I See It #178- "The measure of genuine civilization, it has been said is the quality of life for a nation's poorest and least privileged people. By that measure, we are barbarians. Our current level of inequality cannot be justified or sustained"- Robert W. Chesney.

I grew up and now live in a country where 99% of the income is held by 1% of the people and 99% of the people hold 1% of the income... take a moment... absorb it... YES!
In the past few weeks I've had a blast. I'm on vacation, my only worries have been accumulating things that I already have in excess. Do I feel guilty? NO...
I think our biggest problem as a privileged society is that we worry more about what we are doing instead of concerning ourselves with what we are NOT doing.
I will not apologize for my Jimmy Choos or my LV bag. Lord knows I worked hard for them. I like nice things, always have, always will work hard to maintain a certain level of comfort.
I will not feel bad about craving a new iPOD or upgrading my car. I recognize that me buying my car won't stop the women and children of war torn Sudan and Liberia from starving.

WHAT I WILL DO is make an effort to contribute not only financially but giving myself to a worthy cause.
I WILL recognize that I cannot be THE solution but a part of it. I cannot single-handedly change the injustices of the world but I can shed light on them and be a part of righting many wrongs.

I have a life list. I've only ever shared it with one friend. It's full of things that I want to do but mostly associated with status and prestige. I have no short term goals to improve the life of someone else who needs alot more than I do.
As Ramadan is about to begin, it's a time for sober reflection and a season where giving is celebrated and emphasized. Fasting in any religion really is about sacrificing your wants and needs in return for a chance to grow closer to who you perceive your higher being to be...in my case the only one I know to be in charge- The Notorious G.O.D. :-)

I recognize that there is a God who said He prefers good deeds to be modest and continuous, than grand and infrequent and in that spirit, I have made this priority on my list. I will give, I will give myself, my time, everything that I am allowed to give to improve the life of someone who hasn't had it as good as I have even though there's no earthly reason why I got chosen over them.

I will NOT stop drinking my $4 cups of coffee because I don't care what anybody says; it does taste different from Folgers or Nescafe. Besides were it not for that $4 coffee I would not have had what Miss Oprah calls an AHA moment! :-)