Mindfulness is all about understanding who we are and what that means in relation to ourselves, our bodies, our communities, and the world around us. A mindful person understands that they are not alone. They are a part of the world, and the world is a part of them–just as their cells are a part of their body.
In being mindful, we seek balance. It can become overwhelming seeing that the world is so often unbalanced and often for less than reasonable reasons. It’s obvious why a mindful, grounded soul and body would feel the need to assist their fellow man or their ecosystem. They wish to be a part of the world in a way that feels more symbiotic than user-driven and outcome-based.
Giving back to the community provides a person with a sense of peace with themselves. They didn’t sit idly by as the bus hit the pedestrian, they sprinted and saved the person from disaster, also saving the bus from damage. This is obviously a metaphor, but the feeling of accomplishment and gratification from helping others or the world can be just as life-altering. Be the change you seek; it is a mantra often followed by those attempting to be more mindful, who feel they have a duty to give what they’ve had given to them. Opportunity is everything.
My mother does charity work every year at Christmas and Thanksgiving, dishing out soup to the homeless. She was genuinely a different person before this. I can’t express to you the number of times she’s broken out in tears describing her experience assisting the world’s unfortunate. She’s grounded, mindful, thoughtful, and loving in a way that she wasn’t before this major shift in her world. Her changes stem from her decision to take action, get moving, and do her part in making the world a better place, even if only on a macro scale.
There’s a collection of people in my community attempting to get the funding together to establish a group of tiny homes for homeless people to inhabit while they’re receiving education on how to re-establish themselves in the world. This was a solution to an issue that wasn’t even conceived five years ago. Yet there they are, a collection of mindful, grounded, optimistic souls dedicated to servicing their community and making a difference.
There are so many other ways to provide for others. Simply throwing your change into the Ronald McDonalds cup at McDonald’s goes a long way to assisting children and families dealing with illnesses that would be untreatable at their economic level without assistance.
There are so many charities that one could donate to or even raise money for. There are 5k runs that donate their admission ticket profits to charities, and people can even choose to buy products that donate a percentage of their earnings to charitable endeavors.
Giving to others isn’t just giving to others. By doing this, you’re giving yourself something incredible. You’re giving yourself the feeling that you’ve made a difference, that you’re a good person, that you aren’t undeserving of the blessings you’ve received through your life.
It’s impossible not to be grateful when you’re leaving a soup kitchen, getting into your car, going to your nice home and having a lovely evening with your soulmate. The world has given you so much light and the ability to spread that light to those who live in perpetual darkness. It changes you on a level that is virtually ineffable.
So, what can you do? You can volunteer your time. You could work with an organization to help raise funds, or even donate money from your free checking account to help make sure that at least one less child goes to bed hungry through no fault of their own.
Help others. Help the world. Be mindful of what you have, what others don’t, and what you can do to assist. The world is complicated and often messy, and it’s up to a small percentage of the world to step up and contribute. Most people won’t. Good people will. Mindful, present, caring, empaths have always been those to lift up the heads of the broken and beaten down, paying themselves with the blessing that is understanding.