“When we throw a banana peel into the garbage, if we are mindful, we know that the peel will become compost and be reborn as a tomato or a lettuce salad in just a few months. But when we throw a plastic bag into the garbage, thanks to our awareness, we know that a plastic bag will not become a tomato or a salad very quickly.
Some kinds of garbage need four or five hundred years to decompose. Nuclear waste needs a quarter of a million years before it stops being harmful and returns to the soil. Living in the present moment in an awakened way, looking after the present moment with all our heart, we will not do things which destroy the future. That is the most concrete way to do what is constructive for the future.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh, Our Appointment With Life
Every generation struggles with the question of, “What can we do to make the world a better place?” However, these ideas are often too big to be implemented and remain as such, simply ideas. That is because direct change starts at the individual level.
Our actions in the moment sow the seeds of tomorrow. When we become aware of the consequences of these actions, it is possible for us to purposefully shape our future. Being mindful of our decisions allows us to make the best possible choices. The more we all do this, the more secure our future will become. If every life on earth took on this awareness, there would be no need to worry about the future.