Just a little anecdote, to describe what motivated me to act upon the refugees problems:
The difference between Thinking and Doing
Yesterday there was a lot of attention towards the refugee problems we are currently facing in this world. Lot's of media had extensive coverage of the fast growing hurdles of fellow humans who, as a last desperate resort, undergo life threatening voyages to run away from even more threatening situations in their homeland.
I saw the devastating pictures on news-sites and television programs like RTL Late Night. It was that last broadcast that got me thinking. I started thinking things we all must have thought, like "We need to do something about this!" or "This needs to be handled at the source", only to think later on "But that won't help the people who are in trouble now, we have to act upon that too!"
As with many of us, my thoughts continued on the subject for hours, but eventually all emotions of the day got me very tired, so I fell asleep.
When I woke up next morning, the thoughts were still there. Not that I had much time for them, I had to go on with my life. A life that asks for constant attention and devotion to certain daily recurring rituals. I didn't take the time to stand still by the fact the refugees must have had similar rituals as well, but lost those when they left their entire life behind.
One of my daily rituals put me harshly back to the reality that was still hidden in my thoughts. This ritual was the daily walk with my Labrador dog through the nice park next to my house. In the middle of this park there used to be a bronze statue of a playing child. It was stolen a couple of months ago. From a distance I saw it standing, a new statue! And not just another one, this one was very colorful and joyful! When I got closer, I saw it was a handmate artwork, build up from colored plastics. There was also a ribbon attached to it, I could read two words: "Welcome Refugee".
This is where the reality struck me of something I learned a long time ago and I decided to cary with me as a guidance throughout my life! Here, someone must have had the same thoughts I had. This person however, had done something important that I had neglected so far. This person namely had not only thought, but had done something substantial as well! The result stood in front of me in the park and it touched me deeply. It even took me a while to become aware of the fact several other dog owners were standing there looking at it as well, all deeply moved by this lovely gesture, an act of kindness from an anonymous sole that exactly described what we all already had though the night before.
This gesture motivated me to start acting as wel. When I got home I directly started a camping among this community and asked my friends of Guldencoin to find a way to contribute to this cause by means of actions based upon Guldencoin donations. This feels good! Why? Because I transformed my thoughts into deeds. Good deeds, at least thats what I hope for!
