I'm reading a book by Irwin McManus called "Uprising", a book kinda challenging the way we live our lives, particularly people who follow the life and times of Jesus Christ...
I also watched a must-see movie called "The Constant Gardener" the other night and it's been rattling my brain. I find it hard to spend money after watching something like that- I drink chocolate milk, water a plant my husband had delivered to me for our anniversary, shower daily, tip water down the drain that tastes a day old...when millions of people just want some clean water to avoid dying of dehydration.

Annnnyway, there's one great sentence in "Uprising" that has me thinking (there are many but this is a favourite): "We want to feel good about ourselves more than we want ourselves to become good".
A 'Western' world problem perhaps more than anywhere else -maybe because we have little issue of simply surviving? Maybe this idea of self-esteem and feeling good about ourselves is overrated. I think it's really important to know who you are, and the bible does talk about loving neighbour as yourself...however I don't know that the two are in an order but have to come together. Are people living like 'when I feel better about myself, then I'll do such and such'? I do think it's possible to love your neighbour without loving yourself (overcommiting yourself, allowing yourself to be mis-used or abused by people) but maybe we are too focused on ourselves and feeling good about ourselves -or just feeling good in the sense of happiness from pleasure. There's always things we can do to simplify our lives to help others and become more good (I know that's not proper English but hey, it's Friday and I have a baby). I want/need to be more good that's for sure.

A random thought, why do we call it 'Western' world when we don't go around talking about 'Eastern', 'Southern' or 'Northern' world?