The other day i heard a story of a women going to club and wanting to buy a bottle of champagne in St. Tropez, this bottle of Champagne costed over 5000 Euro’s in a shop, but in this club it was selling for 100,000 Euro’s. One night, one bottle of Champagne, why not? Supposedly St. Tropez has much of the glitz billionaires are looking for and they regularly visit its shores, it’s where the billionaire’s can be found! Yet after hearing this story and then reading today in the BBC that there is beginning a famine upon us in the horn of Africa it begs one to wonder… What is going on?
Millions of people in the Horn of Africa are facing severe shortages of food as the worst drought in the region for six decades withers crops and kills livestock, as the BBC’s world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge reports.
“I had a herd of 200 cows. I took them to Ethiopia when the drought started. All the cows I had taken there died and I came back without a single cow.”- Rest of story found here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14023160 July 5th, 2011
It makes one wonder about the paradox’s that are so vast. It is easier to be busy and stay braced against the facts that are facing any of us who are brave enough to read the news. Environmentally, socially, politically, economically its a tough situation all around when given the facts. The outlook, the changes that are too come are daunting. Yet if one is aware of and can come to terms with the heart wrenching reality of the situation, things can be done.
Some things that can bring peace of mind to yourself:
Share: Share your smile, share your sandwich, share your environment, share your life, share your time, share your belief’s, share some laughter, share some skills, share you.
Stay educated: Its easy for all of us to put our head in the sand, like the wise ostrich, but one day your going to need some oxygen and the sky and air will be there when you come up for it… hopefully. We are all suffering in one way or another, even the billionaire, it connects us, having compassion for yourself and for others is the ultimate human trait, its why we watch movies, to understand, to connect, to laugh to be apart of the whole.
Be aware of your own consumption level: Can you do things that don’t cost the earth or another person directly or indirectly? Of course we can, like be creative, go to a beach, go for a walk, ride a bike, plant a tree, make some art. You would be amazed at what is under our noses even more so than chasing it in some mall. Doing anything local like in your backyard, neighborhood or home will pretty much keep you out of the wheels of consumption and interestingly busy.
Volunteer or Travel: Although the flight will be huge carbon footprint, if you discount you won’t be driving your own car or consuming energy in a house for 6 months to a year, the experience will feed the soul beyond what any Company or School can give you financially or mentally. To see how most of the earth is living, a lot as they always have, simply, will do wonder’s for your inspiration of how you personally can make a difference.
Find a Skill you Love: What most Western economies are striving for and dependent on is insatiable consumption. A more village type community that had longevity did not depend on a large profit margin, it depended on variety and having most people skilled and adding to the life of a village. A village needs Farmers, Shop keepers, Yoga instructors, Weaver’s, Healer’s, Coffee Barista’s and someone to make a good meal! And each of those people have their needs of people.
Live Simply: What do you need to survive daily? How simple can you live, and when you get that simple, what is your luxury? You see most of the world lives so simple, that a luxury could be a clean glass of water. All the Yoga in the world may teach you the principles of how to conduct oneself inwardly and outwardly, t0 be non grasping, to have non attachment, practice non violence but when it comes down to it, it’s in the choices we make and moments we live, some need to be saints, some want to be a bad ass, some to be a billionaire, but if whatever you do has a little bit of sharing involved with it, it just may get to the people or animals that need it the most. After awhile you just don’t need anymore stuff.
The bottom line is the world doesn’t need to find the billionaire’s to solve the problem’s we are facing. A good billionaire will do what anyone of us would do, something they are capable of. Sharing, travelling, being creative, making choices, by staying educated these choices will serve either just yourself, or the whole world at large.
Published Article found on Elephant Journal:
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/07/where-are-the-billionaires–amanda-ramcharitar/
Amanda Ramcharitar Yoga 
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