Creating the world you want to live in

[maenad nuri]

I have a favorite commercial. I'm a little ashamed to say that, but I do. Liberty Mutual's Responsibility, what's your policy? It actually brings a tear to my eye, and I want to give whatever agency came up with it a prize.

For awhile, I liked it because it simply showed people being good to each other, when they had no need too. I live in the political, cynical world of high school, where I feel the need to leave my lunch hour early because all that the other aides I eat with do is b***h about the teachers. I don't want to be that, so I avoid it.

But, today I read an amazing reading on this commercial from a fellow Hellenic (indeed, I learned to formulate my prayers from his journal) Brad Hicks

In it, he writes:

Quote:

But the reason that touches me the most deeply is this one: whenever you do something cruel, the people around you see that the world contains cruelty, that cruelty is within the realm of normal behavior. Whenever you do something selfish or negligent, people learn to expect selfishness and negligence. But when you do the right thing, you create a world in which other people learn that they can expect other people to do the right thing. Or, at least, they can sometimes hope others will do the right thing without being total saps.

This seems to be much the same as some peoples idea of what magic is; that we send out our will/energy to change the world where we live (if I am characterizing it correctly). But if we can apply this to magic, why don't more people apply it to living?

I'm about to go camping for the rest of the week (I'll be back on the 15th) but I thought this was interesting enough to share and get other viewpoints on.

Any takers?  

[Fiddlers Green]

We live in the world.
By enriching that world, we enrich our own lives, and the lives of all others living there.
We are a part of the world.
By bettering ourselves, we better the world.

It seems in some cases far easier to not care about others.
There is so very much wrong that even thinking about righting it seems daunting and frivolous.
The forest easily obscures the trees.
Thus, the mere thought of trying to better our lives or environs causes despair and ennui.

As far as magic...
As with all things...
There are those who honestly are in it just for themselves.
Furthermore, there are those who have decided it is in some way more impressive to be "Evil".
Of course, my own views are tainted by the excessive size of the Dark (as in, Mr. Dark) family tree in the areas I have lived.  

[saint dreya]

i rather enjoyed the entire entry. more than simply the "feel-good" quality from the commercial, he does mention a number of reasons why someone would do a "good" deed, if only to avoid "bad" reactions for not doing the deed.

to some extent, doing these deeds is actually taking responsibility for something, of which it seems many are loathe to do. in sociology/psychology, there is a concept called "the bystander effect", or some sort.

Wiki read

past example

with the more people around to witness the event/action, the less likely any one individual is going to actually act in a socially acceptable fashion. the common idea held of what might be perceived by the bystanders is "there are a number of other people around who can do it. i don't need to bother."

for one reason or another, some might not wish to take responsibility unto themselves and act. i find it a rather easily observed action in the magic community, mostly in relation to money however.