This area is for individuals to write about their beliefs and the ways they intend to help or are already helping change the world for the better.

This is for ‘ordinary’ people (like you and me) to write extra-ordinary thoughts that hopefully will inspire and encourage others to do that little extra, to put their life second, mankind first and their wants on hold. People who are willing to try and make man kind.

Letter from Cliff Findlay, co-founder of Niceism.

For me this website and concept is the beginning of what I hope will be a long journey helping people to find an alternative way or ways to help themselves, the planet and mankind. I have been encouraged by the millions of people who turned up for the anti-war demonstrations all over the world, and innumerable people I have spoken to over the years, who all believe that this world is not being looked after properly, and gave me huge amounts of support during conversations about what and how we can help. This site and indeed this letter is dedicated to all of you and the people who spend their lives doing good for others; without you I wouldn’t have had the courage to do this.

So why was Niceism created?

It is my belief that man has allowed his ego to cloud his judgment on how to behave and what to expect from life, particularly in the West. We treat the planet and other life forms as ‘ours’, to do with as we please. Animals that can be eaten are treated as a commodity and forced to grow unnaturally fast in unnatural conditions; those that can’t be eaten are put into categories and levels depending upon how much we like them. Dolphin, good. Rat, bad. How can man be so egotistical?

Vegetation is treated much the same. Picked before it is even ripe it is sprayed throughout its life cycle with chemicals, and because it is weak due to poor soil and industrial farming, it now depends upon the chemicals to survive the fungal and bacterial diseases it could have protected itself from in the past. Hence most mass-marketed food nowadays has little to no nutritional value, so we eat more of it encouraging the producers to increase the production rates even further.

Our mass-marketed food consumption rate per head (in the West) is vast. We could all quite easily reduce our consumption, be healthier, and help the world. If we don’t, diseases will spread into every area of the food chain (as we are already seeing) and the food chain will fall over. Or diseases will find their way into the human chain (BSE) and we will fall over.

The way the world is being ‘run’ (and I use the word loosely) is also very poor. The IMF and the World Bank seem to be in the hands of the corporates who use them as a get-rich-quick scheme, while they’re supposed to be helping the under-developed countries. In the ‘developed’ nations no one believes politicians any more because they know that behind most decisions there is a profitable business agenda. Politicians need money to run their political campaigns; most that money comes from companies, who then expect a ‘gift’ from the politician when they are in power. Corporations need to make money for their directors and shareholders and hence most political decisions become economically and not morally driven, leaving the whole process open to corruption as we have seen recently in most developed countries.

The religious leaders of the world, instead of uniting and agreeing to disagree and concentrating on where the religions cross over with each other and promoting acceptance, argue who is right and who is wrong. As if it matters! If you have a religion, good on you, If you believe that yours is the ‘chosen’ one, even better. But you won’t definitely know until you die. Meanwhile we’re all still down here and the world is falling deeper and deeper into disrepair. Ignore the differences and celebrate the similarities.

The media constantly runs stories that are negative; rape, murder, terrorists or the scandals of famous peoples’ love lives. Yet there are numerous positive stories worldwide every day that could be broadcast which would make people feel better about themselves and others and promote togetherness instead of separation. I’m not saying we shouldn’t follow world news or hear bad news, but surely we should get a much more balanced view.

And we wonder why there is so much stress and the youth of today seem to be disassociated. Wouldn’t you be? Or maybe you are?

So why is the mainstream news so bad? Why are these things being done to us, life and the world?

Many people believe in a long-term conspiracy, that there are certain chosen people who run the world. A small elitist group who meet now and again to decide what gets done. Personally I don’t believe this, unless the conspiracy theory is aimed at us the general public, and the fact that we allow this to continue and do nothing about it due to apathy and disillusionment it is our conspiracy fueled by ourselves.

We can and will change this world, we have to. We are slipping further and further into a ‘no return’ situation and if you care at all for your children and their children you must stand up now and do something about it. Reduce your meat intake, reduce the amount you consume, try to encourage others to do the same. Be positive and encourage others to be positive also. Even if people get fed up with you harking on about it, ignore them, there are millions, if not billions, of us and if we all do it the world will change. We can make the difference you and me.

I don’t think I ever realised that until now. I can make a difference. Yes I am only one person but I can shake as many cages as I can, I can look at life in a positive way and think how lucky am I, not what I haven’t got. I can make people change their views and how they behave and so can we all. If enough people help each other, together we will alter the course of the planet and make the governments of the world stop and listen and the corporates stop and act differently. Look at super size me, now look at the new McDonalds menu, look at ‘Peace one day’ and look at the UN resolution, look at this website and look at our members. There is a huge amount of positive action being taken by millions of people, the world over so let’s join in and lead by example.

Niceism is such a simple concept, a something that we all understand, that we can all do! A moral code that we all know, yet sometimes choose or are convinced to ignore. It is something that is so simple and yet is in every person, every day, and has no cultural, religious or colour boundaries. It’s something that I believe most people believe in or should I say have their own beliefs in. It just needs to be takn out of our subconscious and putting it into our conscious day-to-day existence. Rather than a late night discussion we can make it a daily rule.

Hopefully this simple website will help people the world over to interact and talk to each other. It will give them access to literature, build an online community, help small charities, alter the course of peoples` lives, and be positive in plenty of ways in a world where positivity is hard to find. With your help we can change this world and make man Kind.

Take care
Cliff Findlay

Niceism
MakeManKind

If you think some of these thoughts are far fetched visit www.alternet.org and read some of the articles or visit our library and read some of the books. It may change your mind and help you change others.