Since the late 18th century, philosophers have posed the questions what makes humans different from animals?,  what capacity does our species have that the others lack? , what makes us the most intelligent and highly sophisticated animals on the planet?

Across all major world religions, science, psychology, and philosophy… ONE thing is agreed upon as the universal answer to those questions. At the core of the human soul, we have the ability to feel compassion and practice the Golden Rule and that is what makes us human. This quality is the answer to the questions of what distinguishes us apart from all other species.

Even 500 years before Jesus Christ walked on this earth,  Confucius said; ” Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.  And in the centuries following that statement, all major world religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity) hold this Golden Rule central to their teachings. But the most beautiful part of this rule is that the religions not only call for compassion to be given to others but especially to be given to our  “enemies”.  How then have we strayed so far from this cornerstone? 2/3 of the world’s wars are religiously based. That does not make sense. At the core of all religions, none will legitimize the barbaric nature of war nowadays. There is a calling now more than ever for the leaders of world religions to make this distinction.

And for those of us in the world that may not identify with the major world religions;  Science also backs this belief in the Golden Rule. Studies have been conducted and have found that a human characteristic of moral reciprocity has existed throughout history and may have even been a crucial element in the survival of our ancestors! Data from psychological experiments has shown that humans would not allow for a baby to remain in a burning building not because the thought of burning flesh repulses them, but because the core belief that every life is important is ingrained in the human soul. Now, this may sound quite obvious but have you ever questioned why? Why do so many humans risk their own lives to save those of others? And yet we humans all over the world kill each other savagely and thoughtlessly and are killing the planet for our future generations? How can we (humans) flourish and be happy if we are living against the true nature of our being?

We have been straying from the core of humanity because of a modern culture of self-indulgence and self-centeredness. We talk least about our similarities and what makes us the beautiful human race and more about the differences in cultures, values, and religions. The task of our generation is to reestablish this global sense of compassion. Now in this day, we are ever dependent on our global community. We are bound to one another electronically, politically, and economically. Our financial institutions are in meltdown, the planet’s state is crucial, and we may be on the brink of a third world war. Why do we continue to treat other nations and the world as we would not wish to be treated? Perhaps the overwhelming global unhappiness is as simple as not being true to the core of humanity; this innate need to find our common humanity.

Is the answer as simple as calling to action this need for compassion?

I will give examples and suggestions in my speech tonight!

Good luck to you all!

Senior citizens in America are for the most part seen as a nuisance that must be tolerated. We spend exuberant amounts of money to prolong our transition into a Senior Status and we perpetuate the negative stigma that old age is second class by treating grandma and grandpa as infants that need to be babysat and juggled around between family members. Or better yet, send them away! Sure, go visit your mom or grandmother in the old people home every month or so out of guilt, but otherwise concentrate on staying young, so you don’t end up the same way as them one day.

We don’t put our newborn infants into an assisted living facility because they require much time and care. We live through sleep deprivation and worry with the new souls of the world… why don’t those great souls that have shaped our world today deserve the same commitment as the leave this place?

In many Asian countries, growing old is not a stigma. It is special. Senior Citizens do not have to fear growing old, but rather can age gracefully and have the respect and admiration of the younger set. And in most Asian households you will find 2 up to 3 generations under the same roof. There is no such thing as older people living on their own or these nursing homes we are so familiar with…  Instead, a beautiful symbiotic relationship evolves where the middle aged children work hard to provide for food and housing for their children and their own parents…who, in turn, usually take care of the household chores and in raising and rearing the grandchildren. Win/win, right?

Instead Americans empty their pockets for the endless rounds of cosmetic surgery to hold on to that physical beauty for as long as they can. And once family members deem an individual to be of a non-beautiful state and the process of caring for this family member is just far too demanding or challenging (insert sarcasm)… we ship them off to the nursing home, hospital, or to Florida. Florida would be the best option of them all obviously. But in this economy… I wonder if that’s even happening anymore?

I wonder if there is a correlation between how we as Americans treat our elders with how we treat the Earth. We take the easy way out and have this Me mentality when it comes to not caring and valuing our more experienced, knowledgeable, life giving elders that seems to carry over to how we just lazily can’t possibly recycle or the same Me mentality that wants to take a half hour shower and spend $50 on a shirt rather than donate to bring clean water to a small tribe in Tanzania. What’s going on in our culture and in our world today?

If only people could see how the knowledge and experience of the elderly is so valuable…how we can learn from the beautiful stories of the human experience… how we have the power to change our youth obsessed, quick fix, lazy as sin culture NOW and how that will translate into how we will start to take the time to care for one another, care for this planet, care for our elders.  Growing old is natural and the planet will continue to grow older too… it’s the approach to the process that we have control over… Do we want our own life’s journey to end in solitude and dispair? Do we want to accelerate the aging state of the planet?

I think it’s exciting to have the power to make a cultural change! What side are you on?

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=114207989&m=114207984

So this term, Energy Vampire, is apparently a real term. Or atleast this environmental website that I was reading uses it freely as if it is. Just roll with me here. Energy vampires are the outlets that are draining our electricity during the night hours when we sleep, relax, or even in the day when we’re at work!  These energy vampires are responsible for 20% of our electric bills and total to about $10 billion wasted dollars a year in the US! TEN BILLION DOLLARS! What a shame! We talk about how could we possibly send every child to college or have enough money for national healthcare… Hmm. Most entertainment systems in our country can cost up to $75 dollars alone in vampire energy per year when they are turned off! What! That’s crazy! I know in these tough economic times every buck counts so we have to learn how to be more efficient.

The trick-or-treat comes for you in these helpful tips… You ask How does one kill a vampire of energy? Stake through the energy outlets! (I’m kidding… )

Here are some tips for killing the energy vampires:

-Most computers come with built in energy saving features; just look into your battery settings!

-UNPLUG Appliances if they aren’t in use! It’s that easy! 1. Unplug! 2. Save Money! 

-Plug phone chargers and appliances into power strips with one ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’ switch. It will make it easier to remember to turn everything off when not in use!

-Appliances now come ‘Energy Star’ qualified which means that they use less energy in the ‘off’ mode so make sure you buy those appliances which have been Energy Star approved!

Now that you know what Energy Vampires are and how to kill them, I’m really hoping that some people will just try this as an experiment in the next month and see if it truly effects their utilities bill. I know I’m going to try.

See now if you don’t care much about these types of treehuggin’ topics I KNOW you have got to care about your wallets!!!

Happy Halloween, I hope you guys can take the money saved from your next month’s utility bill and save it towards something great!

 Well, all over the world environmentally concerned people rallied for the need for an international treaty that demands that we lower the carbon dioxide levels down to about 350 ppm (parts per million) which scientists say is the safe upper level amount for our planet to avoid catastrophic climate change. Wouldn’t you think that as the country that acts as leaders in international organizations which regulate nuclear warheads and oil trade that this momentous day might be a bit more publicized? A bit more valued? I read the paper and watch the news and search the internet and I had no clue yesterday was International Cimate Day. What’s up with that? But I did know that the family finally admitted guilt in the Balloon Hoax. I bet you did too. Makes me sad.

Yesterday was so important because people all over the world joined together to talk about what should be instated in the Global Climate Treaty which will be developed and completed by December of 2009 in Denmark. Yesterday people spread the word of the importance of the number 350 and what it truly means to us. I feel like I got the short end of the stick because my country’s press didn’t feel the importance to publicize this international event. I had to delve into my Google Reader and specifically read environmental press to discover the 350 event and the International Treaty of 12/09. It wasn’t on CNN; it wasn’t on Perez Hilton. In my TED topic; I am going to try my hardest to find out what it is about our culture; about our values, that these topics are swept under the rug.

Now, I know that I am assuming that you guys too  feel like me in that we were kind of withheld vital information. And maybe you truly don’t care about the 350 event and think a bunch of treehuggers talking about what should be included in the December’s treaty are a bit too liberal or dramatic for your liking. But! I am going to blow your minds when I show you that it’s not that you don’t care about the critical state of our planet; it’s that our culture doesn’t care …so maybe you are unaware of your own true feelings!

America is the largest producer of CO2 in the world! Something in our culture is still saying it’s okay to ignore the obvious climate changes around us and keep on keepin’ on with the pollutant ways of yesterday. So what do we value more than our own planet? I’m going to Sherlock Holmes my way into this underlying question! Stay tuned.

Check out the 350 organization at 350.org and see what we can do to help shape the treaty that will be written in just about a month away!

I really liked that this article talked about the specific family’s circumstances. These 3 children of eastern Chicago were expelled for fighting are living with their grandmother after having just lost their mother to cancer and their father is not necessarily in the picture. Perhaps the fighting in school is a result of the tumultuous life events that have happened in these boys’ lives. The boys have been uprooted to another “alternative” school. This reminds me of when small charge criminals come out of jail worse off then how they had gone in. Why on earth would we take boys who have lost their mother under such terrible circumstances as cancer and ship them off to a ‘bad boys’ school? Do we as educators not care about rehabilitation or understanding?

This article also talks about the increase in out-of school suspension in Indiana because of the belief that if the behavioral issues are not handled at the present moment they will only be a later issue in the juvenile justice system. Now I’m really starting to become confused; I thought that the Goss vs. Lopez case had shown that because education was a property included in the rights under the 14th Amendment; that it was not to be taken away without proper Due Process. Education is a human right in this country! Thus, our schools should act as the medium for delivering this education to the youth of America. Since when did schools become a part of the justice system that feels it has the right to punish and sentence supposed criminals and interefere with their rights to education?

I was most pleased with the articles last section about possible alternatives to please both those who want to keep schools disciplined and orderly and those like myself, who believe that education should not be interfered with because of behavioral issues. The article mentions a system using positive behavior interventions. The article does not go in-depth explaining what this tactic is but it does go on to show the data of immense improvements that the particular school in Hobart had found after using the positive interventions.

But the BEST tactic is kept for the end of this article. The bottom line of the article is saying that a Zero-tolerance approach to misbehavior will not be a successful approach. Like the 3 brothers from the beginning of the article, there are many factors that go into a student’s misbehaving. And most important; suspension and expulsion are extremely tied to dropout rates.

The Goss vs. Lopez article showed the importance of education to those students who had been suspended so how can we so soon forgotten that the ultimate goal in school is education… and not discipline. If we are so eager to discipline children with a zero-tolerance approach then we are basically saying we are eager to impede education. Because the current discipline and education are not going hand in hand as shown by the dropout rates for students who suffer suspensions and expulsions.