A Conscious Contribution
There are four ways we contribute in the world: our attention, our time, our energy, and our money.
Most of us are unaware of what we are contributing to. We might work at a job to pay the bills without questioning what our time and energy is supporting. We might purchase items from organizations without asking ourselves what our money contributes to.
The other day I was on the phone with someone who was complaining about Amazon: how large they have become, how wealthy the founder is, and how their employees are not treated well. She was very upset about it. I asked her, “Do you buy products from Amazon?” “Yes,” she replied.
When I pointed out that her money was contributing to the low pay and undervaluing of essential workers in our country, she instantly became defensive. She justified her actions stating, “It is convenient. I save money. They deliver to your door.”
When we fail to look closely at our actions from a larger perspective, one that considers the whole, we create a separation within ourselves and with others that has the potential to be harmful. It is easy to see the wrongdoing of others without observing our contribution to the same. If we are not aware of the incongruence between what we believe in and value, and how we act, we create within us a divide. This is the same destructive divide that is evident in our culture today.
If we focus only on our individual needs: what we are getting, how we will benefit, what is easiest for us, without considering the well-being of others, we create energetic disharmony not only within ourselves, but in the world.
As individuals, our choices matter. Our actions are powerful. If collectively, we stopped contributing to organizations that do not value the health, well-being and quality of life of their employees, they would cease to exist. If we started considering how our everyday actions affect the individuals around us, as well as nature, the world would change.
How can we become more conscious of our contribution in the world? Begin by asking yourself these questions: What do you value? What do you support? Are your words in alignment with your actions?
Where we place our attention, what we think about, the words we speak, the choices we make, and our everyday movement in the world, is our contribution.
Start being who you believe you are, or desire to be.
Photograph by Annie Spratt
