Sixty-seven Minutes

     This week marked the ninety-third birthday of the great Nelson Mandela. The Nelson Mandela foundation has decided that since Mandela, himself, spent sixty-seven years of his life struggling for the freedom of an entire nation, that it would only be fitting if we, as that nation, commemorated his efforts in some gallant way. So, what better way to do this than to give a little bit of your own time, on this day, for other people. How about sixty-seven minutes of selflessness?
     When I started thinking about what I could do for 67 minutes for someone else, I started to panic. Thoughts like, "67 minutes is a long time" and "who on earth has 67 minutes to give away on a Monday" Suddenly I felt ashamed of myself, I talk a big talk, but when I am not on a ministry trip or involved with some organised event to bring the good news to others, am I in fact selfish? When left alone, with no-one watching, when the spotlight is elsewhere, are we in fact inherently selfish? The answer is an overwhelming, yes.
     If we had more people like Mandela, selfless people, dedicated to a cause, putting a noble ideal ahead of their own comfort and before their personal gain; wouldn't the world have such a different look about it? Imagine if we didn't just give up 67 minutes, once a year, but that everyone who physically could, gave 67 minutes a day to a cause, without expecting anything in return. This world would not be entirely void of poverty or sadness, but there would be a whole bunch of people less depressed with their situations, because they are finally starting to look beyond themselves. The intrinsic tendency of self-centerdness in humans is the root cause of most psychological and emotional disparity.
     So, how does one find a cause, where do you start giving, when, your whole life you've just been taking? It's not hard, you don't have to look far to find someone to bless with your time, money or a smile. Yes, it has to be deliberate, but once you start looking and finding people to bless and causes to forward, life becomes that much more rewarding. Living for something other than yourself, goes a long way in acknowledging that you are not God, that others are as important to Him as you are to yourself.
     Sixty-seven minutes a year can easily become 67 minutes a week and before you know it you've dedicated 67 years of your life to a cause that makes your time here in earth worth while. A sure way to limit regrets in life is to live selflessly. It starts with 67 minutes ... see also the post on An Ideal for Which I am Prepared to Die

An Ideal for which I am Prepared to die

      Nelson Mandela talking about, equality for all, in the country of his birth, South Africa. Are there any ideals which you feel strongly about? If not, why  not? I wage to say, that if we don't live by our convictions and follow our passions, that our lives stand the chance of being ordinary. This is a scary thing, as ordinary indicates a lack of thinking beyond yourself, it shows no signs of ambition and leads the person living such a life to ponder the relevance of their existence! What are you prepared to die for (if need be, that is)? Live for that!

2010 In Pictures!

I looked high and low to try and find some high-quality pictures for you. My aim was to try and depict the year that was/is 2010 through the power of the picture. I hope you enjoy them and please feel free to comment.
Enjoy!
 


Volcanic ash, that spewed into the earth's atmosphere, grounded European flights for weeks: Iceland, April 2010



The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico wreaked havoc. 4.9 Million barrels of crude oil spilt into the sea from April 2010

 

The effects of the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti in January are still being felt today. Haiti is the poorest country in the world..

  

South Africa was on the world stage for the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup: June/July 2010



The opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. February 2010

A marathon runner at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. October 2010

FIFA 2010 World Cup action: Kaka for Brazil

Miners trapped for 69 days in Chile. September/ October 2010.

Mark Cavendish, of team HTC Columbia, goes down in a sprint for the line at this years Tour de Suisse. June 2010

Central District of Hong Kong, China. Lights are reflecting off the smog. Picture taken in March 2010.

An enormous sinkhole swallowed up an entire clothing factory in Guatemala. Thankfully the factory was closed at the time! June 2010

Dogs getting ready for obedience classes in Mexico City. They seem pretty obedient already!



Tension between North Korea and South Korea is at an all-time high. Here a South Korean army platoon patrols the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.



Stunning celebrations for the Asian games held in Guangzhou, China. November 2010

Floods in Pakistan affected 20 million people and killed over two-thousand people. July/ August/Today, 2010

 Sources: Time Magazine, Reuters, National Geographic, Christian Monitor, Boston Press and Getty Images