Take the initiative to seek out information, and then merge what you learn with your feelings. This is a way to use the Internet wisely, to allow you to feel your connectedness. You could read about the daily lives of people in that country. You could do a search for images of factory workers. When you find them, look into their eyes, and reflect that they or someone like them ran the machine that sewed your garments. You could learn more about the circumstances of their lives, and try to feel how your life would be if you had grown accustomed to living under those conditions.
When it is grounded in gratitude and a sense of closeness, your greater awareness of the disparities between your living conditions and theirs could motivate you to act to improve their circumstances. At a minimum, each time you put on an article of clothing, you can recognize that you are wearing a sign of others’ kindness. You could feel as close to others as your clothes are to you.

17th Karmapa

from the book Interconnected: Embracing Life in Our Global Society

Read a random quote or see all quotes by the 17th Karmapa.

Further quotes from the book Interconnected:

• Cultivating a spirit of generosity
• The impulse to connect
• Viewing others through the lens of interdependence
• Interdependent individual
• Bringing about real change in the world
• Experiencing connection rather than isolation
• Discovering new potentials
• Focusing on our inner interdependence
• Individualism or interdependence
• A genuine sense of affection
• The power of our senses
• Gratitude
• Self-discipline
• The full vividness of direct contact
• Dismantling the walls that separate us
• Inner conditions of interdependence
• You exist in connection with others
• Extend yourself and connect
• The opportunity to love