Common Dreams

Many of the world's top leaders --including Turkey as well-- from politics, business and the global community attend at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss how to make the world a better place.

Davos, Switzerland, 26Jan2008

This year (Jan 23-27, 2008) they invited people around the world to join them, and help them by submitting their own answers to ''The Davos Question'', which is:

What one thing do you think that countries, companies and individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?

First let's have a look what tell us the statistics about social, economic and environmental development at local, national and global levels: I would like to point out that during the last 40 years GDP has increased, child mortality has decreased dramatically, poverty has been reduced (38% lived under the poverty level of $1/day in 1970, 19% in 2000) etc. A good result for the world in general. As for the full presentation, it can be found here.

On the other hand, almost everyone believes that giving more people access to technology helps everyone today:

*It helps individuals by giving them more information and more opportunities.
*It helps businesses by creating new markets.
*It helps governments by raising general economic standards.

Let me determine that all of those people now becoming part of the global community are our new customers, our new competitors, our new providers and even our new friends. Yes, digital access also makes the world a better place:)

I know that each one of us wants to make a difference for a better life for all as much as possible.

Is there anything for the individuals in order to make the world a better place?

What can we do as each one of us is a player in the field of life?


Most of us work for a company, live in a country in the different parts of the world. Our individual actions influence the folks around us, and that influence finds its way into the companies we work for, and countries where we live. So, how about we, being individuals, focus on the good things in the people around us, and try to learn to be more forgiving of those imperfections?

We used to hear reports of systems, injustice, environmental disasters, global weather changes, political news and more every each day. It is all too enormous for us to believe we might make a difference for the better because we can no longer affect the whole; our voice is not heard in the circle of life. However, our wisdom, passionate enthusiasm and experience are withheld from our community of life.

So, to keep myself in the game I say to myself ''I do not have to do everything. However I need to do something''.

Each and every day I do something like this: taking good care of myself, education of myself, walking in the nature, having dialogues with others,... Thus, taking actions in my life that I try to contribute to a better world for ALL.

I keep myself on this path is through gratitude. Because gratitude is the key for the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. In other words, it turns chaos to order, confusion to clarity, denial to acceptance. It can even turn a meal into a feast, a stranger into a friend, respect into loyalty. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

I believe that I can walk another mile when I'm grateful. Because gratitude really affects me by giving more optimism and a greater confidence.


I strongly believe that tiny changes that make the world a better place:

My colleagues walking this path with me...
Blooming roses in my neighbour's garden...
The birdsong that I hear every early morning...
Saying prayers for those who in need...

I give my gratitude at least for the four above. I would like to encourage you to try it. Just because we do not need a revolution to improve but in any form of slight tiny CHANGES will do that. To have this thought in our mind is already a CHANGE, no matter how great or small that something is. By that, we can make a big difference. The world can become a better place.

Be the change you wish to see,
Be the best that you could be,
Be the possible good human-being for others,
We can all make a difference,
In the smallest of ways...
Worth doing!
I strongly believe.

The best thing about having a generous and grateful mindset is that you start seeing mostly good things:) The world seems like a much more pleasant place to be, even in the midst of hard times, and I'm generally in a happier and cheerful mood in my life. It's like that saying, ''Sunshine is like a jam. You can't help getting a little on yourself when you spread it around.''

So, in the spirite of glorifing a simple life, and letting it shine out a little farther than it has before, I would like to give my Better Place Award to...


Gil: From Lisbon, Portugal. As it truly is sites such as his that makes the www a better one. No doubt he will receive many awards for a site of this nature:) Why not discover the beauties of the world with him? As he stated that it is not such a small world.

World Map Mosaic
at the Vasco da Gama monument
in Belem, Lisbon

The Award Rules say that:

1.Use Ukok's image (above) in your post.
2.Award the blogger(s).

I'm grateful I have been with blogosphere from the beginning of Aug 2007, and only 6-months old that I am in this exciting work. This is my Second Award in a real short time, after my First Award that I am given last month in January.

I'm grateful I am always amazed at the beauty people are interested in sharing! It is about, and by, people just like me. People that love. People that care. And it grows and grows. Because I realize that there really are so many of us who contribute to my journal as the bloggers, the readers, the commentators, and even those of you who read me silently in the background:)

I'm grateful A dear friend of mine, biologist Smaranda nominated me for the Special You Make The World A Better Place Award. She is from a beautiful -yet undiscovered by many- country with dreamy mountain scenery, majestic castles, medieavel towns, the place of birth of the inventor of the jet plane engine Henri Coanda, known for the myth of Count Dracula, and famous for gorgeous talented plentiful women, see below handiwork for a better understanding:), that is Romania. She is also a believer to being a beautiful part of it instead of changing the world. For the world of beauty, join her. THANK YOU for caring about me, Smaranda:)

''Traditional Romanian Costume''
A 33X33cm (=13 inches) fabric block
made by dear Alexandrina
for my World Project,
that is yet under construction.

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other? by Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880)