This is a book that grew out of a poem.

Live The World You Want

If you want people to be loving, be loving;

If you want people to be understanding, be understanding;

If you want people to invest themselves in relationships

And make an effort to make them work, invest yourself;

If you want a world in which people are less greedy, share;

If you want a world with less war, be more at peace with yourself and others;

If you want a world in which more people contribute, give;

If you want a better world, be a better person.

Even if others do otherwise, you can know

That you are doing what you can do

To make the world a bit better rather than worse;

For the world is simply you and I multiplied, and multiplied,

Throughout time and is no better or worse than you and I make it.

The poem had developed from an extemporaneous speech at one of Colorado Mountain College's graduation ceremonies when I was honored as Teacher of the Year. Within a few days of graduation I was asked for copies of the speech. Having none, I turned the main idea of the speech into a poem which became popular as refrigerator philosophy.

Over time, the poem grew in my mind and finally became a book, a book based on a lifetime of observation, thought, and study. The major focus of the book is that the individuals we remember and glorify or vilify are not the only humans who make a difference in the course of our world. Each individual makes a difference. And since anonymous individuals far outnumber the famous and infamous, they make a much larger difference than they realize.

I have seen too many people, college students and older adults, even teachers, become overwhelmed by the problems of the world and feel helpless. My goal is to help them identify and articulate their own personal philosophies, philosophies that help them create a better world both for themselves and for others.

Thus this practical and down-to-earth handbook invites you, the reader, to participate in doing something about the state of the world primarily by exemplifying in your own life the way you want the world to be.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE 7

LIVE THE WORLD YOU WANT 8

SECTION I: THE GIFT

THE UNGRATEFUL LIVING 11

DEFERRED LIVING 12

DAILY THANKSGIVING 13

LIVING LIFE 14

MY GOOD FRIEND, DEATH 18

THE GIFT 21

SECTION II: THE QUESTION

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? 23

SECTION III: SOME OBSERVATIONS

BEING HUMAN 30

THE HUMAN SPIRIT 34

YOUR HERITAGE 37

"HUMANUNKIND" 39

DIFFICULTIES AND DISASTERS 41

THOUGHTS ON THINKING 44

SECTION IV: POSSIBLE ANSWERS

THE ESSENTIAL STEP 48

OLD-FASHIONED MORALS AND VALUES IN A

MODERN, POST-INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY 52

"REVERENCE FOR LIFE" 56

THE GOLDEN RULE 59

ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF WISDOM 63

ON BEING RIGHT; OR "I'D RATHER BE WRONG!" 66

ONE IN FIVE BILLION 70

PARADOXES 75

NOT THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS

BUT A BETTER ONE 76

EARNING AND MAINTAINING YOUR RIGHTS;

OR, OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 79

SELF-GOVERNMENT 84

SECTION V: MAKING THE MOST OF IT

WORKING AND LIVING 89

ART AND EXISTENCE 91

THERE IS NO GOODBYE 98

ETHICAL ILLUSIONS 99

LIVING WITH ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE

OF THE PAST 101

PRIORITIES 103

ENJOYING LIFE 107

YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING;

OR, HOW TO CURE "HAVETOITIS" 111

THE POSTERIOR APPROACH TO LIFE; OR,

HOW VICARIOUS CAN YOU GET? 115

IMAGINATION 117

A ONE-WORD COURSE IN

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS 120

DOES ANYBODY LISTEN; DOES ANYONE CARE? 121

THE INDIVIDUAL IS NOT THE GROUP 123

HOME 124

GETTING OFF THE BENCH 127

TALENTS 128

"THERE IS NOTHING EITHER GOOD OR BAD,

BUT THINKING MAKES IT SO" 133

BUTTONS, BUTTON PUSHERS, AND ELEVATORS 136

WHO SAID IT WOULD BE EASY? 138

SANCTUARY...