As a new resident of the City of San Buenaventura, it seems that my dream has come true to live in this breezy, beautiful city by the sea. Wonderful beaches, lovely weather and rich cultural diversity make San Buenaventura a safe community to call home and establish a family.

Nevertheless, a paradise like the city of San Buenaventura or any other number of wonderful places in the world will continue to thrive only when the greater environment and the people living in it are at a state of balance. At the beginning of the 21st century, unusual climate change patterns began to emerge, many scientist have attributed these changes to global warming. Further more, natural disasters, wars, poverty, diseases and depression around the globe greatly impact our societies.

On May 12, 2008, a 7.9 mega earthquake devastated China's Szechuan province, killing thousands of people and incurring countless financial and emotional losses. Just a few days before the catastrophe of the Szechuan earthquake, the devastating Cyclone Nargis hit cities in Myanmar which has already brought about tremendous flood damage and the loss of thousands of lives.

At this moment, on one hand, I am grateful and feel so fortunate to live safe and sound here in San Buenaventura with my dearest family and friends. On the other, I feel very empathetic to those who are much less fortunate than us. Then, I start to contemplate the messages Heaven and Mother Nature are trying to send to us:

Nature is like our mother, she nurtures every living thing with her rich resources and kindness. The oxygen in the air keeps all of us alive, while the earth provides fertile soil for us to grow plants and food and works diligently to absorb bio-byproducts that all living things release and turns waste back into rich soil. Fresh water quenches the thirst of all living things; and creatures thrive in clean rivers, lakes and seas. Birds joyfully soar in lush fields and forests, while other animals prosper in undisruptive habitats. God had originally intended to prepare a paradise for everyone here on the planet Earth to flourish for generations to come.

In this modern era, where technologies and inventions have been highly integrated to make our lives easier, it is ironic that the human race can still be so easily thrown asunder by the great power of Mother Nature and these technologies have possibly made us even more susceptible to her wrath. When people over consume the natural resources with insatiable greed and disrespect, we disrupt the balance of nature and tempt her forceful vengeance. A recent study shows that, in the first decade of the 21st century, the occurrence of natural disasters has hit the highest record in the past 40 years. It is certainly a wake up call for all of us to take immediate action to set right the current crisis.

In 2005, my husband and I were fortunate enough to become members at the Tai Ji Men Qi Gong Academy under the guidance of our grand master Dr. Hong Tao-Tze. Being the master of the school of ancient Chinese qi gong martial arts, Dr. Hong has taught us the yin yang wisdom of life that has been passed down from generation to generation. From Master Hong's teachings, I began to understand that the qi (or energy) of each individual and all living things in the universe are connected together. When every member of this giant habitat lives harmoniously together, all lives prosper. Hence, the universe can achieve a wholesome balance. From yin yang philosophy, I learned to keep my feet grounded when things were going smoothly in my favor, and get myself ready when adversities in life come upon me. Whereas, I also learned to courageously face the adversities in life, and have great faith in the potential of improvement for the better and positivity. Although it was sorrowful to see the devastation of the Szechuan earthquake, the aid and rescue teams coming from around the world demonstrate that love and humanity still prevail.

What we can do right now to restore the wounded Earth is to sincerely express our apology to the Mother Earth and God for mistreating of the planet and to take immediate action to rectify the damage; it all starts from purifying our hearts. The thoughts that come from our hearts are very powerful. Our current world crisis and imbalance are fundamental manifestations of negative thoughts and insatiable desires. If people can love and treat each other and every living thing with respect and sincerity, then the world can continue to thrive in peace and prosperity. When we think positively under adversity, good energy can start to overcome the hardship, even turn the course of undesirable circumstances into something in our favor.

As citizens of the planet Earth, we are responsible for the continued well-being of our only home. We can start to protect our environment by first cleansing our hearts. Let the pure soul in our heart be awakened and let love, peace and harmony extend through out the world. As a member of Tai Ji Men Qi Gong Academy and Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), I hereby sincerely encourage you to take charge of changing our destiny for the better by logging on to www.taijimen.org, or http://www.co-work.org/Lecture2008/english/sign_eng.php to support Global Endorsement of Declarations for Human Rights of World Citizens and Peace. The collected signatures of all endorsers will be presented to the United Nations in Paris later this year.

Together, we can fill our world with love, peace and harmony again!