Gift Gallery
WHAT IF…
EVERYONE HAD A HOME
What are basic human rights? What are we entitled to have just by being human? Do our universal rights include food, shelter, dignity, respect, freedom, education, clothing? What prompts us to deny anyone these fundamentals human rights?
The Problem: Homelessness
A Better Path: Affordable Housing for All
ALL JOBS PAID THE SAME
What if all workers where treated with the same respect for work well done? What if there wasn’t a hierarchy of one job being better than another? The reality is we need all work to be done well, so why is that the CEO is paid more than the teacher who builds the future or the grocery clerk who sees our food is safe and available?
The Problem: Unsustainable Salaries
A Better Path: Livable Wages
WHAT IF…
OUT OF THE DARK SOMETHING NEW IS BORN
What if we took everything we have learned in 2020 and use that knowledge to make the world a better place? What if we restructured work to be more humane and learned to value equality and fairness for all? What if we learned to appreciate all those who make our comfortable lives possible?
The Problem: Fearful World
A Better Path: Better Days Ahead
WE ACCEPTED AND CELEBRATED OUR DIFFERENCES
I’ll wear a wild pattern and you wear a striking plaid. It’s more than okay that we are different. In fact, it’s wonderful because diversity enriches our country and our lives. It is our fear to reach beyond the singular self that makes us fear the other, the different.
The Problem: Restrictive World View
A Better Path: Embracing Diversity
WHAT IF…
WE HAD CLEAN AIR, WATER AND EARTH
Modern science has demonstrated that our planet’s natural systems of water, air, and earth are all interconnected. We cannot survive if we ignored their linked network. We live within a mutual life-sustaining community that requires as a species we move beyond putting singular self interest above our common welfare.
The Problem: Environmental Destruction
A Better Path: Protect the Planet
ALL CHILDREN WERE LOVED AND PROTECTED
Children are our future. They are the hope of a better future. If children are abused or neglected, we distort and harm that future reality. Our children need to receive the best from us - our love, protection, encouragement, in short, far more than the bare minimum of mere existence.
The Problem: Child Abuse
A Better Path: Insuring Child Safety
WHAT IF…
EVERYONE HAD ENOUGH TO EAT
There is enough food in the world to feed everyone. Our concept of borders and national pride block us from aiding those who cry out in hunger for help. Such beliefs prevent us from understanding we are all our neighbors’ keeper, one people on one planet.
The Problem: Hungry Families
A Better Path: Better Nutrition Standards
WE BUILD OUR TRUST IN EACH OTHER
Trust is aways a choice. Our trust of another begins with learning to believe in ourselves. When we are insecure, we project our fears and see dark shadows where they do not exist. When we trust each other, we build mutual bonds, community and acceptance of one another.
The Problem: Fear of the Other
A Better Path: We Need Each Other
WHAT IF…
THERE REALLY WAS PEACE ON EARTH
Human beings are not very good at resolving violent problems and issues. In over 3,400 years, we have only been totally at peace a mere 8% of the time. Isn’t it time to figure out a new way to solve our problems without resorting to violence, threats, and destruction?
The Problem: Accepting Violence as a Solution
A Better Path: Building Peace
WE FOCUSED ON THE POSSIBLE
What if we create positive thoughts and actions, instead of negative ones? Believing in the possible enables a creative environment, invites others to participate, and creates a community based on equity, fairness, and solutions.
The Problem: Seeing Only the Negative
A Better Path: Positive Life View
WHAT IF…
WE LOVED OUR ENEMIES
What if we chose peace, instead of hate? Why do we fear reconciliation? Do we have the strength to abandon labels and see our enemies as human? Can we convert those we fear to allies through empathy and understanding.
The Problem: Negative Labels
A Better Path: Positive Choices
POLITICIANS TOLD THE TRUTH
Our legislators are elected by the people according to law. They are supposed to represent all of us. When they lie to “We, the People”, we become cynical and lose faith that our government is really attempting to equally address our actual needs.
The Problem: Dishonest Politicians
A Better Path: Truthful Representatives
WHAT IF…
WE LIVED THE TRUTH
Are we capable of living the truth? Can we set aside our fears and false beliefs? Do we have the courage to reach beyond our social self and make a commitment to what we can become if we live within our true self?
The Problem: Lies Told as Truth
A Better Path: Truth as Reality
WE KNEW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TRUTH AND OPINION
I have an opinion and you have an opinion. It doesn’t mean either one of us has found the truth. Opinions express our beliefs, colored by emotion. Truth is grounded in facts, drawn from verified direct observation. It is vital in life to know the difference and listen to both.
The Problem: Opinions Aren’t Facts
A Better Path: Understanding What Is a Fact
WHAT IF…
THERE WERE NO BORDERS
As far as I know, we are all homo sapiens. Basing anything on color, religion, gender is unsustainable. Are we so frightened by the “other”, we would rather have constant war and destruction, rather than peace and creativity? When will our self-confidence be based on equality and fairness, instead of domination and fear?
The Problem: The Lines that Divide Us
A Better Path: Finding Each Other
MEN TRUSTED WOMEN
What would it take to build trust between all the genders? Centuries of discrimination have embedded inequality between men and women into every fiber of global society. Isn’t it time to realize that women represent over 50% of the world’s population.
The Problem: Distrust of the Feminine
A Better Path: Joint Leadership
WHAT IF…
US AND THEM BECOME WE
What if we erase the imaginary line between us and them? Why do we let our divisions separate us so we are unable to have empathy and a rational conversation between us and them? Without being inclusive, our democracy will never achieve unity and balance.
The Problem: Social Isolation
A Better Path: Mutual Community
EVERYONE HAD HEALTHCARE
What if no one was forced to choose between having a place to live or food to eat because of the high cost of healthcare? What does it say about us when we are content to link the availability of healthcare to a job, instead of the value of every individual?
The Problem: Unequal Access to Healthcare
A Better Path: Healthcare as a Universal Human Right
WHAT IF…
WE TREAT EACH OTHER WELL
What if we love, honor and respect each other? What if we saw the inherent value of each person beyond their place in life? Beyond their income, age, gender, race or wealth? What if we greeted each other with a smile and well wishes? What a difference that would make!
The Problem: Disrespectful Communications
A Better Path: Positive Conversation