A Project: Dear Unicorn

More
6 years 5 months ago - 6 years 5 months ago #303123 by Avalon
This came across my facebook page yesterday I believe it was:

Clicky for pretty graphic


It seems a lot of people today in some form or another mutter something along the lines of "I'm losing faith in humanity" at least once a week... if not more. With major events like the Las Vegas shooting, the Syrian refugee crisis, the humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold in Puerto Rico, the Rohingya suppression in Myanmar... And even minor things, like tourists inadvertently killing a porpoise by removing it from the ocean to take selfies with it .... Really my list could go on, but the point is, with things like this, it becomes really easy to fall into the line of thought of "I'm losing faith in humanity". No wonder Mr. Unicorn doesn't believe in humans any more than we believe in him.

On the other hand though, you can google "restore faith in humanity" and come across pages like this one , this video , or this one , and this article archive . The results really are endless.

See the thing is, for whatever reason, we as a society seem to thrive on the negative more than the positive, and so that is what the media and news outlets feed us constantly. Eventually, the constant barrage of such negative results in "I'm losing faith in humanity." The reality is, that for the majority of us - us being members of this site - violent crime rates in our home nations have been in decline, but feel good humanist stories don't turn a profit the way the negative stories do.

Now, I'm not going to go out on some conspiracy theory and say that all the negativity is staged in order to turn that profit. Bad things would still be happening; the media just capitalizes on it. Rather, I'm proposing a sort of project. It goes something like this:

Dear Unicorn,
I saw a human today. Her act was simple: she gathered the community together to 'plant' balloons in the woman's yard, to let her know "we're here for you and we love you." She's just a regular mail carrier, but she helped another woman feel hope during her fight against breast cancer, and that's a major part of surviving. Sure, she could have just done her job, but instead she made an effort to know the community she serves, and all it took was a small act of kindness to help. You can read more about her here . I hope maybe this can help you believe in humans again.


Now, I happened to pick a story that could be found online, but the point is to highlight your everyday small act of kindness in the community around you. Little acts of basic human nobility and heroism that lie in each of us. This isn't a "toot your horn" kind of project; it's a "shine light on someone else" sort of project.

I feel that by doing so, it forces us to look out more for the good happening in the world around us, and less on the negative, and that sharing and publicizing those stories can help inspire more people to start doing more acts for their community.

So keep an eye out and share your "Dear Unicorn" stories here with the rest of us. Let's try to get as many as we can, to help inspire more "Dear Unicorn" stories in the world around us.

Not all those who wander are lost
Studies Journal | Personal Journal
Attachments:
Last edit: 6 years 5 months ago by Avalon.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Lykeios Little Raven, Kit, OB1Shinobi, thomaswfaulkner

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
6 years 5 months ago #303125 by Lykeios Little Raven
Dear Unicorn,
I saw a human the other day. He shaved his head to show support for an employee of his who was losing her hair thanks to chemotherapy treatments for her early stage cancer. It wasn't a huge thing, just a little act of solidarity and support for a fellow human being that I noticed. Hopefully you can start believing in humans. I know I struggle with "believing in" humanity quite often too.

“Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.” -Zhuangzi

“Though, as the crusade presses on, I find myself altogether incapable of staying here in saftey while others shed their blood for such a noble and just cause. For surely must the Almighty be with us even in the sundering of our nation. Our fight is for freedom, for liberty, and for all the principles upon which that aforementioned nation was built.” - Patrick “Madman of Galway” O'Dell
The following user(s) said Thank You: Avalon

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Visitor
  • Visitor
    Public
6 years 5 months ago #303127 by
Replied by on topic A Project: Dear Unicorn
Dear Unicorn,
I stopped to get gas on my way home from work last night and I decided to go into the convenience store to get a drink. Inside I saw two California Highway Patrol officers grabbing a snack. I got in line behind them to pay, and the person just in front of them turned around, thanked them for keeping us safe, and offered to pay for their snacks. They first politely refused, but the man insisted and they allowed him to buy their food. He shook their hands, said thank you again, and then left. In a world where suspicion and fear of law enforcement can pop up, this man showed his support for these other humans doing a very tough job. I was inspired to be a better human, and I hope that this will also help you to believe in humans.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Visitor
  • Visitor
    Public
6 years 5 months ago #303128 by
Replied by on topic A Project: Dear Unicorn
Dear Unicorn

Yesterday a cat got run over in our street , a few young girls stopped , one took of her coat and held the cat untill the animalambulance appeared , the cat was very angry and hurt and bit and scratched her but she did not let go. I heard that besides a minor head injury the cat is ok. I hope you start believing in us again Unicorn , not all heroic things are big , but someone holding a very angry injured cat is a heroine in my eyes ;)

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
6 years 5 months ago #303129 by Avalon
Replied by Avalon on topic A Project: Dear Unicorn
Dear Unicorn,

My on-campus job supervisor has a big heart. She spends a lot of her free time helping out the immigrant community by teaching them English, assisting them with finding jobs, and getting integrated into the community as a whole. This year, she's assisting the local homeless community too. She and others in town have been gathering together and recycling plastic shopping bags by crocheting them into thick, durable mats and then giving them to those who are homeless around town. The mats are designed to provide a barrier between the ground and their sleeping bags, to help keep them dry and clean. I know it's not much, but with winter coming soon and the shelters being constantly full, every little bit of assistance provided can make a really big difference. And since they're made out of pre-used plastic bags, the project helps the environment too by keeping them out of landfills. I think she's a pretty decent human if you ask me.

Not all those who wander are lost
Studies Journal | Personal Journal
The following user(s) said Thank You: Lykeios Little Raven,

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
6 years 5 months ago #303130 by Kit
Replied by Kit on topic A Project: Dear Unicorn
Dear Unicorn,

I was at a restaurant where a human toddler was having a meltdown. The mother was there alone with her daughter, and obviously stressed out and distraught, as if she had nothing left to give. An older gentleman approached them. The mother looked up to him with a mix of fear and hopelessness across her face. He paused, and complimented her on the skirt she wore. A smile of gratitude and relief replaced her distressed expression.

After that, the mother was no longer holding her head braced in her hand, and was able to calmly interact with her daughter again. They seemed to enjoy the rest of their meal. This little act looked to have rescue their day.

My dear Unicorn, sometimes even we don't believe the humans around us exist. But I'll promise you today, I at least, will do my best to acknowledge those around me when I have the spoons to spare.

Love,
Kit
The following user(s) said Thank You: Avalon,

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
6 years 5 months ago #303134 by Carlos.Martinez3
To those who lost their faith in humanity , there are a many people who have a focus on simply watching things become undone. Some have many labels and some have multi labels. As the wind blows on all faces it never ask of race or color or creed. There are a many things we can do with wind , harness use or enjoy. The choice is yours to choose where your faith or not faith is placed. Here in our home I am growing my hair for donation sake. My son at 4 years old has expressed several times he wants to do the same. The world is filled all difrent manner of people, extremist on many spectrums. To those who identify as unicorn... I say there is hope, seems foolish to say there isn't. This temple is filled with individuals who have made a better day on the simple idea of re focusing.
I don't do hypothetical things often nor do I rant or even "pretend" but I do encourage . I lived a life most similar to the idea of the "unicorn". For me.... got to be too sad and too predicable and too boring ... for me , till I became as I read some where ... be the change you want to see in your life . Here's to the many ... changes ... that study here !

Pastor of Temple of the Jedi Order
pastor@templeofthejediorder.org
Build, not tear down.
Nosce te ipsum / Cerca trova

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
6 years 5 months ago - 6 years 5 months ago #303139 by Kit
Replied by Kit on topic A Project: Dear Unicorn

Carlos.Martinez3 wrote: To those who lost their faith in humanity , there are a many people who have a focus on simply watching things become undone. Some have many labels and some have multi labels. As the wind blows on all faces it never ask of race or color or creed. There are a many things we can do with wind , harness use or enjoy. The choice is yours to choose where your faith or not faith is placed. Here in our home I am growing my hair for donation sake. My son at 4 years old has expressed several times he wants to do the same. The world is filled all difrent manner of people, extremist on many spectrums. To those who identify as unicorn... I say there is hope, seems foolish to say there isn't. This temple is filled with individuals who have made a better day on the simple idea of re focusing.
I don't do hypothetical things often nor do I rant or even "pretend" but I do encourage . I lived a life most similar to the idea of the "unicorn". For me.... got to be too sad and too predicable and too boring ... for me , till I became as I read some where ... be the change you want to see in your life . Here's to the many ... changes ... that study here !



You're missing the message here. In short, it's "We see lots of bad things because it's our focus. So let's share the good things we've seen. Hopefully we can start looking for them, seeing more of them, and focusing less on the bad. Additionally, it will inspire us more to be the good in life."

The programmers have a saying "Crap in, crap out" meaning that what you put into something, is what you'll get out of it. In this case, the more bad you see, the more disheartened you can become. By watching for the good in our lives, we can hang onto our own good. And all the while we can still acknowledge the crap (but we don't have to be buried in it)

Also, this is a good opportunity to share the stories of the good things we've seen, done, or received ourselves in a 3rd person kind of way. A way to inspire without tooting our own horns (HA! no pun intended)

The unicorn thing is just a cute fun way to address (that one was intended) the issue.
Last edit: 6 years 5 months ago by Kit.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Avalon,

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
6 years 5 months ago - 6 years 5 months ago #303148 by Carlos.Martinez3
The term is garbage in garbage out .

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_in,_garbage_out


Please please please be aware not every one will respond the same . I have shared my story not... in that ... way... silly fun way... as every one. Not my cup of tea. I did respond to how I and many change our focus. So I guess in your opinion I missed it .... opinions are like arm pits , we get two and they may smell .
Kit I get it .( very rude in my opinion but hey I got two too!) I choose not to answer or speak as such , not a big deal. I think a Jedi would say thank you for not... conforming to the status quo and see the actual issue. Be well and may the force be with you .
That's all.... calm down .

https://www.templeofthejediorder.org/forum/carlos-martinez3/111477-knight-lessons

Feel free to use the lesson on it if u like and it's proper terminology .


I was simply making an attempt to join this thread in examples

Pastor of Temple of the Jedi Order
pastor@templeofthejediorder.org
Build, not tear down.
Nosce te ipsum / Cerca trova
Last edit: 6 years 5 months ago by Carlos.Martinez3.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
6 years 5 months ago - 6 years 5 months ago #303154 by Avalon
Replied by Avalon on topic A Project: Dear Unicorn
Carlos, the point is to look for and see the good that others in your community are doing, not what you and your family are doing. You don't want to do that, then fine. But please don't derail by starting a spitting contest with someone who was just trying to clarify the intent of the thread to begin with. She was pointing out what appeared to be an obvious missing of the intent behind the project. Which is the so called "silly fun way" that isn't your cup of tea. If it's not, then fine; don't participate. And don't derail.

Enough of that....

Looking for the next Dear Unicorn!

Not all those who wander are lost
Studies Journal | Personal Journal
Last edit: 6 years 5 months ago by Avalon.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kit

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Moderators: ZerokevlarVerheilenChaotishRabeRiniTavi