Before I began this blog I had a huge brainstorming session, and knew that one of the most important aspects of this site would be educating readers about humanitarian issues. I wanted to feature charities and talk about humanitarian crises – to use my passion for writing and my platform to contribute even just a little bit to changing the world. I wanted to talk about both local and global issues; open up the dialogue.

Somewhere along the line I began to hear Tolstoy’s words in my head whispering, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” I interpreted this to mean that we must do inner work before we do outer work. We must have peace within us before we can help create peace in the world.

So many of us are out there educating ourselves about what is happening in the world without a strong inner foundation, and we can so easily be whisked away into a space of negativity and despair when we really think about the injustices. It’s disheartening, to say the least.

I began to ask myself, How does one reconcile a deep desire to witness positive change in the world and act upon it, while staying firmly grounded spiritually?

I pondered true Activism; those individuals who are out there every day fighting for change. Pounding the pavement, experiencing setback after setback, and of course, the occasional win. These individuals have enough passion in them to keep going, keep fighting.

Then I thought about the Pacifist side of things, which I’ve always found myself more aligned with. I’m not a fighter. Not confrontational. I kind of hover in the middle of things.

I came to the conclusion that we need both.

We need the Activists and the Pacifists.

I realized that great change-makers are destined for their roles – Martin Luther King Jr., Gloria Steinem, Susan B. Anthony, The Dalai Lama; these individuals who throughout our history have contributed to making huge changes in our society were/are the only ones who could fill those shoes. Something that appears to be a massive challenge or burden with no end in sight to one person, can simply seem like a bump in the road to another.

Individuals who are truly passionate about changing the world meets at an intersection between Spirituality and Activism. It’s a space where decisions and actions are focused on fostering positive changes for the greater good.

If that isn’t spiritual I don’t know what is…