Live the World You Want

This is a book that grew out of a poem. Live The World You Want If you want people to be loving, be loving; If you want people to be understanding, be understanding; If you want people to invest themselves in relationshipsAnd make an effort to make them work, invest yourself; If you want a world in which people are less greedy, share; If you want a world with less war, be more at peace with yourself and others; If you want a world in which more people contribute, give; If you want a better world, be a better person. Even if others do otherwise, you can know That you are doing what you can doTo make the world a bit better rather than worse; For the world is simply you and I multiplied, and multiplied, Throughout time and is no better or worse than you and I make it. The poem had developed from an extemporaneous speech at one of Colorado Mountain College's graduation ceremonies when I was honored as Teacher of the Year. Within a few days of graduation I was asked for copies of the speech. Having none, I turned the main idea of the speech into a poem which became popular as refrigerator philosophy. Over time, the poem grew in my mind and finally became a book, a book based on a lifetime of observation, thought, and study. The major focus of the book is that the individuals we remember and glorify or vilify are not the only humans who make a difference in the course of our world. Each individual makes a difference. And since anonymous individuals far outnumber the famous and infamous, they make a much larger difference than they realize. I have seen too many people, college students and older adults, even teachers, become overwhelmed by the problems of the world and feel helpless. My goal is to help them identify and articulate their own personal philosophies, philosophies that help them create a better world both for themselves and for others. Thus this practical and down-to-earth handbook invites you, the reader, to participate in doing something about the state of the world prima