Panda Heart Publishing's Official Blog

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs…….Ask yourself what makes you come alive…….And then go and do that…….Because what the world needs…….Is people who have become alive.”

Harold  Thurman Whitman                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Most of us have had times in our lives when we have felt depressed.   Maybe it was our job, something in our family, or a relationship that appeared broken.   One way we can lift ourselves out of these states of depression is to focus on what makes us feel alive and experience joy.  We have this capacity within each of us.   In fact, we are the only ones who have these answers for ourselves.

When we are sharing the gifts that we hold in our hearts, we begin to feel alive and joyful.  We are then focusing inward and sharing outward toward others.  Depression is usually about focusing on the outward circumstances of our lives and bringing them inward until we feel them throughout our bodies.

This is not to minimize the circumstances that have brought about the depression, but usually these situations have already happened and are now out of our control.  What we do have control over is how we choose to respond.

Let us take a moment and focus on the wonderful gifts that we hold in our hearts.  Write down these gifts, experience them, and truly appreciate them.  These are the unique and beautiful qualities of who we are and totally ours to share.  We just need to make the choice to do so.

Think about how we could share our gifts right now in our homes, where we work…….everywhere.  Sharing our gifts brings us a sense of “aliveness”, which becomes very contagious and easily felt by those around us.   “What makes you come alive?  Now go and do that.   The world truly needs people who have become alive.”

“The world of humanity is possessed of two wings:  the male and the female.  So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly.”                                                                                                            Bahai Writings

This is a unique time in our history and there has never been a greater need for the “woman’s touch” when we, as  women, become co-equal partners with men in solving the critical issues of our time.

The 20th Century was dominated by two World Wars and/or the fear of war.  It was dominated by combat as a way of solving the world’s problems.  The 21st Century is a time for women to stand up and declare in loud, unyielding voices that there are other ways.

The war that we are willing to wage is a war on poverty, illiteracy, and disease among other issues with measurable results.  If what we are doing is not working then we change course and persevere to find solutions that bring about the desired outcome.

The Beijing Conference in 1995 opened up the hearts of women.  There was a cry for all women to unite and be heard.  When we are clear and express who we are, we enhance creativity, compassion and forgiveness.

When women  become co-equal partners with men and take on their leadership roles, they can address the core issues of our time, which are not economical, cultural, or political, but rather a matter of our own integrity.  The real issues will become, health, education, the environment, and interracial, intercultural healing.  They will be the issues of the heart.

The world is not served by our silence; when we, as women, hold back the spiritual gifts of our heart.  The world is served when we take a stand for peace and use our voices and our heartfelt actions to find the solutions for peaceful co-existence.   “When the heart is brought to the table, war is not an option.”

We represent half of the world’s population and it is time for our leadership.  As women, we can lead the way for this process by demonstrating the actions of the heart and model this legacy of hope to the next generation.