Wednesday 28 November 2007

‘Tis [always] the season…

Reading the world’s newspapers on any given day is enough to make us throw up our hands and say, “There’s nothing I can do. What can one person do?” I know you say this lovely readers because several of you have expressed that hopelessness on this site. I have an answer for you she said smiling. This is my pet project discovered some ten years ago – Project Heifer International. It is an organization that practices that old tale about teaching a hungry man to fish rather than giving him bread for the day.

Heifer International is a worldwide organization that has had an enormous positive influence on the planet toward ending world hunger. Look around you, how obscene is it that in the world of 2007 there is a problem of world hunger? It is absurd and we need all to feel a bit ashamed. This organization works on a marvelous principle of spread the wealth, or what they call pass on the gift. You give a rabbit, a goat, or a cow to a family. When that animal produces (the organization makes sure it has a little romantic friend nearby) offspring, the family is obligated to give one of the animals away. Now think about that, how that can spread through a village. Go to the site and read. They tell their own tale much better than I can.

For years it has been my own routine to “sacrifice a goat” whenever something good happens. True the phrase has shocked more than a few people in the more urbane parts of the world… What I mean is that whenever the Universe gives me a gift, I go to the Heifer International website and buy a goat for a family. It is only $120/58 pounds for one goat, and amazingly the price hasn’t changed over the past ten years. There are more expensive animals and less expensive. It is the price of a day at the salon, or a new shirt, or a pair of gloves – and how many of those do we need? For that small price you get to feel smug, joyful, and generous. It DOES work to change the world. There is an old Korean proverb: To build a mountain, you start with a grain of sand.

I believe that every time we commit a good act it affects the Universe, just as every time we commit a bad act it affects the Universe. Now do the math, if we have more good acts….

Think it over and then go sacrifice a goat eh?

Ciao.

21 comments:

MomOf4 said...

What a wonderful idea! I am heading over there now to check it out!

Brillig said...

What a very VERY cool idea!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Sounds an excellent scheme.

Annie said...

Great Minds Lady M! I have recently posted on these very same lines - and although the manner of giving for me is slightly different, the principle is the same. I do love the goat idea.

fake consultant said...

i was just thinking about this group today, and you are so exactly on point to offer this reminder at this time.

i wonder if anyone has thought to try the same kind of thing with wells?

Whispering Walls said...

Bravo Lady M!

James Higham said...

Better still is to sacrifice a Red Heifer at the temple mound.

Ellee Seymour said...

Our future food security is going to be a huge issue. I hope you are feeling better now Lady M.

darth sardonic said...

damn you are just too cool. i am gonna keep this in mind.

lady macleod said...

momof3

Huzzah!

thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

brillig

Thank you, and YES it is!

thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

welshcakes limoncello

indeed!

thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

annie

Great minds indeed. Just think of all the positive flows we have put out into the Universe. Well done.

thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

fake consultant

It is a great organization isn't it? The well idea is good, I wonder if someone has done that...?

thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

ww

(curtsy) Thank you.

and thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

m'lord

That works too!

thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

ellee

It is indeed, and the sooner we begin to address it, the better.

I am much improved thank you.

and thank you for coming by.

lady macleod said...

darth

oooouh! I LOVE being cool!

thank you for coming by.

jmb said...

This is a great initiative Lady Mac and worthy of support. Thanks for telling us about it.

lady macleod said...

jmb

yeahsureyoubetcha'

thank you for coming by.

Sparx said...

I bought my mother a goat for Christmas once - and some chickens I think. She was most happy about it - such a great thing.

I also believe that every thing we do resonates beyond our immediate circle and one smile can send other smiles rippling across the city like a pleasant shock-wave.