Abundance

I was thinking the other day while driving to work that we live in a world of abundance. And the thought came to mind because as I drove on Highway 24 through the Caldecott tunnel, I came out on the other side with San Francisco in front of me. It should have been a beautiful sight at 7 o'clock in the morning, but instead, a heavy layer of smog draped over the City and Bay. It was at that moment that I realized the abundance of smog...and then the abundance of cars on the road....the buildings along the freeway, and on and on and on. My mind shifted to the excess we have in our lives and the world in general.

It wasn't really a depressing thought; rather, the thought opened my mind to how we view abundance in our lives. Could we take the idea of abundance to a different level? Could we consider abundance as a way to create a sustainable, green future?

I tried to think of all the negative things I saw before me and offer an idea or a solution....in abundance. The solution to smog became an abundance of hybrid solar/electric cars that while running, would capture sunlight and convert it to energy, that could be stored in batteries in the car. And then when at home, a person could plug in the car to their house, and any "extra" energy that the car captured that day could be used for energy needs within the house.

And then I considered the abundance of old warehouses along the freeway. Could they be converted to affordable housing so that new houses would not have to be built, and therefore, we could protect more acres of nature?

What about the abundance of old lots, partial lots, or abandoned lots that we often find in urban areas. Could we transform them all into urban gardens where we could grow food to feed people who are in need?

As my mind danced, I started to think about some of the things in my life that I have in abundance and wondered if I had too much of anything....more than I needed? And did I have so much of something that I could share it with others? 

Yes, I have MANY things in abundance in my life: love, peace, passion, friendship, trust, space, beauty, tenderness, tranquility, health...my list could go on and on. And so now I am pontificating how I can share all this "extra" stuff with others who need it greatly to survive, to thrive, or even just to get by. 

And if we all felt abundantly fulfilled, would we be driven to conquer the world, to attempt to control every aspect of our lives, to own a mountain of "stuff"? 

What would our world look like if we all had the opportunity to live in abundance most of the time?