Amy Giddon
Larchmont, New York, USA
Member of the Idealists of the World Facebook group since November 2018
What does it mean to be an idealist?
I believe that being an idealist means faith in humankind's capacity for kindness and altruism. It's also the ability to imagine what's possible and to not lose hope if the current state and the imagined state seem far apart.
What is one simple thing anyone can do to have an impact in the world?
One simple thing anyone can do to have an impact on the world is to leave every person, place, and thing a little better off than how you found them/it. We interact with so many people and places in our days and in our lives that this simple act will touch multitudes, and ripple out into the world.
What keeps you optimistic, hopeful, and motivated?
What keeps me optimistic, hopeful, and motivated are all the amazing humans who are optimistic, hopeful, and motivated. You don't have to look far to see incredible acts of bravery, generosity, and kindness. We are bombarded with negative messages and images that can easily lead one to believe that they represent the state of the world and more importantly the state of our hearts. We can challenge that one-sided messaging by shining a light on the goodness and compassion all around us. This will bolster the faith of all the latent idealists!
Do you believe idealism is learned or is it inside of everyone?
I believe that idealists are inside of everyone and if we scratch beneath the (sometimes hardened and scarred) surface of every individual, we wouldn't have to go far to find their idealist hopes and dreams. Watching children play is such a beautiful reminder of our innate desire for a beautiful world that everyone gets to share in. I think one opportunity is to expand people's scope of idealism—from their own "in-group" to an expanded view of connectedness and abundance.
What’s one thing you’ve done—big or small—that you are most proud of?
I'm most proud of the mobile app, Daily Haloha, that I created and just launched. It embodies my idealist vision of rekindling our sense of shared humanity. I'm proud of this accomplishment because I had no idea how to do this! I was led by my vision and my values to create something uplifting and connecting into the world where everyone belongs and where our full humanity is welcomed. It's an incredible feeling to now see Daily Haloha out in the world! I would love to see the Idealist community using the Daily Haloha app (it's free!). The Idealist community, and their thoughts and feelings as expressed in the app would enrich the Daily Haloha community and my hope would be that the app would be uplifting and inspirational to Idealists every day, everywhere.
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Learn more about Daily Haloha.