Black and white saddle shoes!  Like the ones they wore in the 1950's.  I was 3 years old and they were my absolute favorite shoes.  I was heartbroken when I outgrew them and the store didn't have a new pair in my size.  I still love shoes, which is funny because I'm happiest running around in my bare feet.  I love taking my shoes off for Buddhist places and events.

Brownies!  Okay, just kidding.  Well a good place to start would be to have enough food for everyone.  But not  just handouts.  People feel better about receiving things if they feel that they've earned it.  So if there's no work then some kind of work program, like they had during the 1930's Depression era in the USA.   Building infrastructure, making arts and crafts, education, putting on plays and shows. 

Education would be the next step.  People need to have the basics like food, shelter, and good work, but education is what would lead to a lasting peace.  Education for self improvement and society's improvement.

Freedom of religion.  If people were simply allowed to practice whatever religion they wanted without being harrassed by people of differing beliefs that would be a huge help.

Helping other countries to get up to a basic level where they aren't fighting over scarce resources would be great start.

The US using our own resouces and innovations so we don't need to fight in the Middle East over oil.  Yes, there are many other issues involved but would we really have gone into a full scale war if oil wasn't involved?

So food, work, education, tolerance.

Progressing!  The zaadz site alone is amazing proof that we are moving forward.  The people blogging here are amazing not only in being wonderful human beings but also in the wonderful work they are doing.

While it's easy to point out the negatives of our culture there are positives that are staggering if you stop and think about it.  I live in a small city called Stow in north east Ohio.  Within a half hour's drive of my home, I can visit a Buddhist Temple, a Mosque, a Synagogue, and every variety of Christian Church (incluing Orthodox Churches both Greek and Slavic). 

I recently read a book called Teenage: the Creation of Youth Culture by Jon Savage.  It's a book about how the teen years came to be seen as a disctinct stage of development.  In it he discusses articles written in the late 1800's bemoaning juvenile delinquency, gangs, drug abuse, and youth being corrupted by dime novels.  The term juvenile deliquent goes back to the 1810's.  

There's little new about crime in cities or problems with substance abuse.  Yes, these things increase or decrease depending on the size of the city and the prosperity or lack. 

What's amazing is that people go on being good to each other.  This has expanded from being good to one's family to one's neighbors, to one's country, to the whole planet.  I don't even have to leave my home to send assistance to someone almost anywhere on the globe.  That's progress!

Friends, sure absolutely.  I have a great sense of humor.  I'm patient and calm with people.  I'm into all kinds of stuff and find everything interesting. 

Housemates, well, to be honest?  No!  I'm messy.  I have a bad tendency to start projects and then leave them scattered about.  I have a schedule that's erratic.  I burn incense and make weird foods. Hmmmm...I'm wondering how my husband stands me.

Mom!  Everything from how to tie my shoes to how to explore the world.  I'm still learning from her.

Meeting my husband.  He's been there for me for the best and the worst things that have happened to me in the last 18 years, with patience and love.

Comfort when a loved one dies. 

The first thing that came to mind was the days when I would have to drag myself out of bed in the morning to go to a job that I hated.  That maybe I loved at one time but all the joy had been sucked out of it by miserable coworkers and miserable customers.  It's always difficult when you can remember the days when you loved a job and know they are gone forever.  I am smart enough to move on to another job at that point, but that between point of being miserable there and not yet having found the next job is one of the hell realms (if you ask me).

The other situation that has taken enormous will power is learning to say no to my mother who has bipolar disorder.  She's chosen not to acknowledge that she has bipolar disorder and has allowed it to wreak havoc on her life for almost as long as I can remember.  I love her dearly.  She's a wonderful person.  So much good in my life has come through her.  Learning to say no to the wild schemes and the self pitying tirades has been a huge lesson in my life.

My husband's smile.  His smile lights up my whole day.  His laughter does too.  I think partly because he rarely laughs out loud.  It's not that he doesn't find things funny, he just rarely laughs.  I'm the opposite.  I find everything hilarious, laughing and giggling all the time.