Conscious Living Series #1: "Be the Change You Want to See in the World."

No Meditation Required (but Certainly Encouraged)!

Tara Dawn
I've decided that in the wake of my newfound following (thanks all you crazy people that read this crap), I should try my hand at addressing issues a little more deep than Tiger's latest affair or Sandra's devastation. Whereas these stories may be fodder for those with a rather voyeuristic nature, I've been attempting to turn the TV off and looking closer at how I live my life, and what effects this has on me and the world I live in. So I'm going to drag you along, and perhaps offer you some tips and tricks for doing the same with the new series I plan to start.

When I say "conscious living," I mean just that. I'm not insinuating that we should all toss away our belongings and live on the bare minimum. Whereas I'm not one to live a terribly exorbitant life, I certainly enjoy the possessions I have, and will acquire more throughout my lifetime. Living consciously isn't about forsaking your own needs or wants, but rather taking into considerations others in this world at the same time. It means understanding and contemplating why you do the things you do, why you buy the things you buy, and why you think the way you think.

Ghandi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." So I'm going to offer myself as both model and science experiment. I hope you all read along with me and offer insights and suggestions (or disagreements!) as I embark on this introspective process. Mind you, this may sound a bit like New Age rubbish, but I can assure you that the things I will discuss will be practical, and not outlandish. I think positive social change needs to be accomplished through realistic means. We're not all cut out to be Buddhist monks, but we are all quite capable of taking a look at ourselves, and evaluating whether or not we're living the kind of life we want to.

So come along with me... I'll be doing a "Conscious Living" series, as well as a "Conscious Spending" series-both aimed at understanding the effects of our actions and altering our behavior accordingly. So just start this entry out contemplating the thing most essential to your life: you! Think about the person you are, the person you want to be, and what changes you need to make to get there.

Cheers!

Published by Tara Dawn

Tara is a freelance writer, AC Featured Food and Wine, and Local Akron Contributor, currently pursuing a B.A. in Sociology at the University of Akron. She has written on a wide variety of topics-- but partic...   View profile

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