Social Responsibility

I'd like to discuss one of my largest personal convictions and a point made last week at the Rural Sociology Department's Seminar, Rural Sociology in the World Today by speaker Victor Toledo. It is stated over and over again by many authors, teachers and great thinkers including professor and mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn (who by the way is amazing, if you have the time to find some of his books, lectures or meditations),

We are each being called upon to find out who we are and to live that authentically in the service of this world, not just for our particular small-minded benefit.
-From his 2009 Speaking of Faith Podcast on NPR

In his last week's lecture, The Civilization Crisis: the Dilemma between Industrial Agriculture and Agroecology, professor and author Victor Toledo made a clear point that we have fractionated ourselves to the point that we are failing to successfully and effectively organize for the common good of those in need today. We have let apathy and fear take over, giving power to corrupt governments and transnational corporations.

We each have a social responsibility that lies within each of our professions. We need to break paradigms that no longer function for the greater good of humanity and nature. How will you do this? How are you doing this? In what way will you contribute to the improvement or corrosion of our current and future world and society?

What does this mean? This means that each and every one of us, young, retired, female, male etc. has the responsibility as a human being on this earth to contribute to the safety, harmony and well-being of all things on this planet. This means we will all grow up one day to do something, to own a business, work in the service sector, manufacturing ect. and through that profession, whatever it may be, we have the chance to contribute to a greater good. This might sound sappy and idealistic to a lot of you, but I'm sorry, if we do anything less than make an effort to incorporate actions and social movement that will change our actions of exploitation, the "time is money" mentality, and benefiting ourselves at the cost of others, we won't make it and either will our children. Doctors, housewives, CEOs, nurses, teachers, engineers....we each have our own unique and special ways that we can make a positive difference in this world through our professions.

I would really like to read from the rest of you how in you will make a positive change through your profession, what small or big thing will you contribute? Please comment to this blog post with your response......Thanks!