These days it seems like everyone wants to complain about mankind being evil and destructive, but how many people do you know that genuinely want to harm innocent animals and people? How many people do you know that genuinely want to destroy the planet and spread hate?
The answer to that question is obvious, because human beings — by nature — are nothing like that. Hate and unprovoked violence are learnt behaviors. We are not born with them.
No, most of us value peace, freedom, justice, happiness and friendship. We oppose harming the innocent, the proliferation of corruption and, in short, the concept of evil. When you really stop and consider all of this, it’s quite beautiful.
So to illustrate the beauty and power of the human spirit — and help remind everyone that we can be so much more than what this system indoctrinates us to be through fear, ignorance, division and hatred — I decided to compile this list of images and short stories.
Enjoy!
“You were born an original, don’t die a copy.”
John Mason
Image credit: Unknown
When we come into this world we are thrust into a climate of powerful emotions through television, celebrity culture, and peer pressure to conform. But when we follow the crowd, we betray ourselves.
Always follow your heart and stray true to your spirit. The only person’s approval you are truly in need of is your own.
“We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”
— Charles R. Swindoll
This little Chinese girl lost both her legs in a tragic accident, and was living in poverty. Her future did not look bright at all, as she had to stop attending school at the age of 11 because she couldn’t afford it. Nonetheless, she refused to allow herself to mope around and give up on life.
Instead, she began to pursue swimming, and although it was extremely difficult for her to even learn the basics, she kept trying over and over again.
Today she is a gold medalist champion swimmer with the Chinese Paralympic team.
In life unfair things (at least according to our human perception) are going to happen, this much I can promise you. But how we deal with those things is ultimately what determines the future of our lives. Choose to be a victor of your life’s story, not a victim.
“I’d rather die on my feet, than live on my knees.”
— Emiliano Zapata
Image credit: Stuart Franklin / Magnum Photos
This is a picture of the famous “Tank Man.” What became of him, no one actually knows. But his bravery embodies the innate rebelliousness of the human spirit; reminding us that we have an extreme dislike for injustice, bullying and corruption, and we are naturally rebellious in the face of these forces.
Most of us are sadly controlled through fear, but those of us who honor our spiritual warrior within, would rather die fighting for freedom, than live as slaves. Those who make this ultimate sacrifice, may die in flesh in extreme cases, but the intangible power of their spirits lives on forever and inspires countless others in the future to do the same. If we all obeyed this spiritual nature, we could easily overcome the evil in this world. For we are many, and they are few.
“Get up, stand up — stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up — don’t give up the fight!”
— Bob Marley
Image credit: Source
The Gulabi Gang is a group of Indian women activists that came together as a response to widespread domestic abuse and other violence against women and children that the authorities were not addressing appropriately. They also break up child marriages and fight local injustices and corruption.
The group reportedly consists of 400,000 women between the ages of eighteen and sixty years old, who have simply taken it upon themselves to learn self defense and stand up to corruption, regardless of whether it hides behind figures of authority or not.
“Before becoming a Muslim, a Sikh, a Hindu, or a Christian, let’s become a Human first.”
Unknown
Above is a picture of Christians protecting Muslims during the Cairo protests in Egypt, and below is a picture of Muslims protecting Christians in Pakistan.
Image credit: Malik Shafiq
It does not matter what religion, or lack thereof, we choose to associate ourselves with. All that matters is that we agree to respect one another, uphold justice, oppose injustice, and try our best to embody integrity and humanity.
We may come from different backgrounds, but the spirit of integrity and humanity within us remains the same.
Those who move mountains begin by carrying away small stones.”
— Attributed to Confucius
Image credits: Unknown
The above pictures are of a man named Dashrath Manjhi — the Mountain Man.
After losing his beloved wife in a tragic accident, simply because medical help was too far from his village — and knowing full well that the government and local authorities would not do anything about it — Dashrath decided to take a hammer and chisel, and began chipping away at the mountain that stood between his village and the healthcare facility his wife needed, vowing that what happened to her would never happen to anyone else again.
After more than 22 years of determined work — and in spite of intense ridicule — Dashrath managed to carve his way through the mountain above single handedly, creating a road roughly 360 feet long, 25 feet deep and 30 feet wide! Where once people would struggle to walk over the mountainous area, today cars can drive through. Dashrath had conquered the mountain, and because of his uncompromising determination, his village can now access the medical facility and will be able to do so moving forward in the future.
This man shows us that we can overcome anything if we put our minds to it. What he did is truly mind blowing. In fact, I was so impressed with his story that I wrote a blog on him HERE
“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”
— Attributed to Albert Schweitzer
Image credits: Unknown
This picture was taken during Turkish protests in 2013 when this poor dog was on the receiving end of tear gas.
One of the greatest virtues of the human spirit, is the ability to feel empathy and compassion. We are deeply disturbed when the innocent are made to suffer, and we will often time become angry, or even violent in protest. We are like a warrior species, intent to protect the innocent and challenge the unjust!
Find ways to honor this part of your soul by volunteering locally. I have found that we are a species that wants to be of service in a positive way. We want to contribute something positive to society.
Don’t let your brain talk you out of it and make excuses, just go do it. Purpose is always found in being of service. It is how we have been designed. Reach out to those in need, there is no shortage of those looking for help. You will be happy you did.
“One love, one heart, one destiny.” ― Bob Marley
Image credit: Ioana Moldovan
The above picture is of a little Romanian girl giving a riot officer a heart shaped balloon, which he couldn’t resist.
Irrespective of where we are born, what political party we associate ourselves with, what skin color covers these flesh space suits, or what religion we identify as being our own, we all value and enjoy the beauty of peace and love, and this makes us very much the same.
These beautiful forces are within us all, and we deeply crave them, but as we get older we being to delude ourselves into believing we are different from one another. But this is simply not true.
Love and peace transcend skin colors, social status, religion, geographical location and everything in between. They bring us together and overcome hatred and division. They allow our minds to be calm and still, because Love and peace are the languages of the soul (our true selves beyond material flesh) — They remind us that we are all very much the same within, and we all want to live in a world dominated by these pure and beautiful forces.
It is only a small minority that want the opposite, and if we can simply focus on the fact that we are many and they are few, and that we all want the same thing, we can take this world back and create a much better planet for all.
“If you can savor the humorous aspect of misery and misfortune, you can overcome anything.”
— John Candy
Instagram/Emad S Nassar
This incredible photo is of a father and his two children in Palestine. In spite of having their home destroyed, they are still laughing together and making the most of life.
Personally I have had to start my life over on more than one occasion. It was unbelievably difficult to say the least, but it taught me to lose my fear of external circumstances and outcomes. It taught me to accept that life is unpredictable, but whatever may come I can overcome it. Understanding this gives the mind great peace.
I learnt that happiness is really just a choice that we have to make within ourselves. It does not depend on outward circumstances, which can change in the blink of an eye, it depends on us and whether we choose to focus our powerful mind’s energy, attention, and focus, on everything that is wrong, or focus on the things that are right.
Learn to train your mind to no longer fear the unpredictable, because life itself is unpredictable and fearing this and resisting it is one of the great sources of our pain and suffering. Accept that there are things beyond your control, but believe in the power of your spirit to get you through any difficult time.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision that something else is more important.”
— Ambrose Redmoon
Image credit: Malcolme Brown
This is a Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc. On June 10, 1963, he and other monks engaged in a peaceful protest to raise awareness about the unjust oppression being imposed upon them by the Roman Catholic government. But this protest wasn’t like others before it. This protest was different.
As the events of the day came to an end, three monks emerged from a car. The first one placed a cushion on the ground, and the second one opened the trunk of the vehicle, from which he took out a large container.
The marchers then formed a circle around a third monk, who we now know was Thich Quang Duc and proceeded to pour gasoline on him.
Thich Quang Duc never flinched, but remained calm, composed and in deep meditation. The image spread throughout the world, made the front page of news papers and magazines world wide, and Thich Quang Duc successfully called the world’s attention to his cause and his sacrifice is considered instrumental in the dissolution of the Diem government. U.S. President John F. Kennedy later said that “no news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one.”
Let this be a reminder to all of us, how privileged we are as a human race to have a tool like the internet available today. Use it to spread awareness about important issues and ideas that will help improve the planet. Don’t take it for granted my friends.
You can watch the video of what took place below;
“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.”
— William Faulkner
Image credit: BACA
The above images are of a biker gang called BACA (Bikers against child abuse).
These men and women have come together to help children confront their abusers and protect the innocent. They help them to overcome their trauma and seek justice. Because nothing is as badass as standing up for the vulnerable and innocent, and confronting the predators who prey on them.
There is a reason why those who indulge in evil do so in the darkness and behind closed doors my friends. There is a reason why they prey on the vulnerable and the innocent, and that reason is because they are weak, because the strong do not need to hide or conceal their ways.
In other words, we should not fear evil, it is them that should fear us!
“Let your life be your message.”
— Mahatma Gandhi
Image credit: Instela
After finding dead snakes washed up onto a barren wasteland in 1979, village-man Jadav Payeng — just 16 years old at the time — decided to start planting some trees to create a habitable environment for animals to live.
ut what he ultimately accomplished, was something no one could have ever anticipated; Jadav single-handedly turned the barren wasteland into a 1,360 acre forest! That’s more than 1,000 football fields in size! To put this into a different perspective, Jadav created a forest bigger than the entire Central Park in New York City!
The beautiful forest today houses elephants, Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceros, more than 100 deer and rabbits, along with apes, birds, and vultures, amongst other animals.
This man is soft spoken but simply embodies positive change. His life is his message, and it is important for us to understand that our life is also our message.
In other words, kindness should not simply be an action, but a lifestyle. Activism should not simply be an action, but a lifestyle. We must strive to embody that which we revere and know to be right and true. This is to honor our spiritual nature. And by making the commitment to live our lives in accordance with higher principles, we automatically elevate ourselves to a much higher place while protecting ourselves from insidious influences that surround us in the world.
“No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”
— Attributed to Max Lucado
AP Photo/AL.com, Joe Songer
Image credit: YouTube
These awesome images above are from the Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville. These kids go through a lot, but these real life super heroes are committed to easing their suffering by interacting with the children and brightening up their days.
So often in life we look at the mountain of troubles of the world and feel defeated and overwhelmed before taking any action. We feel like we could never make a positive difference, or any positive impact, and we talk ourselves out of trying. But when we do this, not only are we setting ourselves up for a struggle with leading a purposeless life of depression (since we have a deep spiritual need to contribute something positive to society), we are also robbing those in need of the help and love they need.
Don’t focus your energy on what you cannot do. Instead focus yourself on what you can. No action is to small, and no deed is insignificant. Find a way to get involved in volunteering or reaching people online. What you do matters, don’t ignore that calling you feel deep within.
Written by Gavin Nascimento, Founder of aNewKindOfHuman.com
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