Waves of Change in Oneself Create Ripples of Change in Others

Self-regulation is the only control we possess in this lifetime. The way we treat our resources and ourselves is vital to our journey on earth. Our actions influence people around us and should always be done with benevolence. As humans, there is a lot of monkey see monkey do. With this concept, we can make dynamic changes in the world with our lifestyle and by example.

The more we are virtuous, the more people want to follow us with free will. When we are giving agape love, we provide people with the freedom to be who they are. Would you like to learn from someone who allows you to grow on your own or dictate how everything should be done? I believe allowing people to be creates positivity in every relationship and radiates far greater than the negativity of dictating for change. My most valuable friends have been the ones who support and love me through all the phases of my life. Life is about learning and evolution from the people and experiences we encounter. What better way to learn than leading by example?

The wave contest came to me at a serendipitous time in my life. I arrived at in a place where I’m highly conscious of all that I do. I want to perform the least amount of harm to the earth and fellow beings while I am here. I already recycle, use a reusable water bottle, use minimal water, walk instead of drive if possible, and carpool whenever when I can. The changes that I have made recently to decrease my carbon footprint are becoming vegan, using green products on the planet and body, shopping locally, and creating a clear mindset with self-work and meditation.

Waves of change and how they impact the enviroment:

Vegan: Being vegan is one of the most enviromenatlly friendly changes you can make. Joseph Poore from the University of Oxford states, “cutting meat and dairy out of your diet could reduce your carbon footprint from food by 73%”. Another statement said by Poore, “a vegan diet could be the single best way to reduce your environmental impact. “Livestock provides 18% of calories but takes up to 83% of farmland.” By Damian Carrington.

If everyone were to become vegan, the global farmland would reduce 75%, decreasing the mass extinction of wildlife, and greenhouse emissions, in turn leaving our planet with less catastrophic carbon damage.

Veganism came to me naturally three weeks ago. I was meditating an hour or more a day and becoming more aware of my way of living and finding it inconsistent with my beliefs. One night I was in the middle of a calamari dinner, and I couldn’t take another bite. At that point, I went vegetarian.

Within days I became vegan, thinking of the animals being kept against their will for my dairy and egg consumption. From this moment on, I could not eat anything other than vegan. I chose not to use conscious beings for my advantage without their free will. This may sound confusing although we all use people to our advantage. We need people to pick up our trash, work at farmers markets, treat us when we are sick..., these people are providing a service out of their free will. To me it is okay, because they are consciously helping others and we can't possibly perform every task on our own.

With all of the facts stated above and my conscious level, I can never go back to a life of eating meat, dairy and eggs. Before adopting a vegan diet of your own, research vitamins, minerals, and protein to make sure you stay healthy. Always check with your doctor before making any significant changes in your diet.

Shopping: When I shop I look for local stores and farmers’ markets to buy produce and products. Supporting our local stores is essential in keeping our carbon footprint smaller. Using local and seasonal fruits and vegetables puts less stress on the environment due to reduced shipping and decreased water usage.

I chose to shop at stores where people are happy working. It means employees are cared for products sold are cared for; in turn, the positivity is carried over to the world. Look up the rice experiment and you will find that positivity and negativity play a role on the environment. In this experiment rice containers were kept separately and taken out daily and communicated with . One was spoken to with kind words and the other negative. At the end of the experiment, the kind words rice looked normal and the negative words rice had mold.

Using earth friendly products: As far as impacting the earth with friendly products, I consciously buy products that do not test on animals, are vegan, and have no phosphates, parabens, sulfates, and mineral oil. Products with the ingredients stated above are proven to correlate to cancer and are not green on the environment. Cleaners for the home and car I buy are also green on the earth. Once in a while, I need something more substantial and use it to keep my home and clothes clean. I believe maintaining a clean environment is essential for keeping a vibrant state of mind and health.

Thoughts and Mediation: Last but not least our thoughts create our reality. I believe positivity is a bar that influences people and the environment exponentially. Loving thoughts destroy less carbon than negative thoughts. Therefore, working on meditation and yourself is the glue that keeps humans from harming the earth and other conscious beings both physically and emotionally. Meditation is a practice in awareness and reflection. As we increase our self knowledge and control of our reactions, we grow to become an enlightened being.

Without reflection in my life, I would not have arrived in a place where I have made the necessary changes in my life to act for others and the planet rather than myself. In turn, creating a small carbon imprint on the world during my time here on earth.