Four Square Mindfulness

Today is the UN's World Day of Social Justice. This observance was created to recognize that social justice and social development are required of there is to be global peace and security. People who are fighting for their rights can't have peace. Social justice means we work together to make sure no one has to fight, so everyone can have peace. On this Day of Social Justice, the UN is focusing on several issues, all of which are related to creating a "just transition" to a sustainable future: Using green skills training to help everyone have access to decent work Economic diversification and social protections to ensure the transition away from the fossil fuel industry doesn't create unemployment problems Rethinking the relationships between governments, employers, and workers so that fundamental rights and fair economic outcomes can be assured for all Here at Four Square, we do all we can as a business and as individuals to promote social and economic equality. 👉 Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/guUPzpa #FourSquareMindfulness #WorldDayOfSocialJustice #SocialJusticeDay #DayOfSocialJustice #SocialJusticeForAll #UnitedForChange #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice Image: AI-assisted illustration by Sadek Ahmed

February marks a special time in the year: Black History Month started Feb 1 and runs the entire month. At Four Square in past years, we've used this time to post about remarkable Black Americans and Canadians who have contributed to the society and culture we all live in and love. This year, though, there is a different thread weaving its way through this celebratory month. Recent events - most notably the inauguration of the new President - have brought the systematic removal of all diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and programs in the US federal government. In addition, leading up to the election we saw several US states ban the teaching of certain parts of American history, specifically regarding the periods of slavery and Jim Crow. Such an erasure is, to say the least, disrespectful to the people who helped build that country and to their lived experiences. According to Dr. Kevin Gaines, the interim director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia, "African American history is at the heart of American history." Carter G. Woodson was a historian who established Negro History Week in 1926. This later grew into our month-long recognition when President Gerald Ford officially recognized it in 1976. It's important in this current climate that we continue to celebrate and recognize the important contributions of Black figures who have made our two countries better. One month is too short a time for this event. As part of our pillar of Liberation here at Four Square, we will continue to highlight the importance of this all month long and beyond. #FourSquareMindfulness #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #BlackHistoryMatters #BlackLivesMatter #RepresentationMatters #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice

Today is a national holiday in the US, and not because of the inauguration. It's Martin Luther King Jr Day, a day when we celebrate the incredible wisdom and leadership of a great man. Martin Luther King Jr's life and legacy is well known, so we don't have to repeat it here. What does bear repeating and acknowledgement is his forceful commitment to justice. This quote falls particularly close to the heart today: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". Dr King led us through some tumultuous times and gave the ultimate sacrifice. Don't let that be in vain as we move forward in America and beyond. Canada too faces the forces of injustice. Let today be the beginning, for all of us, of a commitment to a better world, the world Dr King fought so hard for. In ithat spirit, Dr King also told us: "Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." At Four Square we remember and celebrate Dr King because we believe in the values and principles for which he stood, particularly love and justice. Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day, and may every day ring with the song of freedom. #FourSquareMindfulness #MLKDay #HappyMLKDay #CivilRights #service #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice

Happy New Year to one and all. Thank you for a wonderful 2024. We hope our posts have given you something to think about over the past year and will continue to do so in 2025. Stay tuned for more of all things mindfulness from Four Square, most of all Love, Learning, and steps on the path to Liberation. May 2025 bring us all peace. Sarah & Bola #FourSquareMindfulness #HappyNewYear #HappyNewYear2025 #NewYear #HappyNewYearEveryone #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice

❓Did you know❓ NIH, citing Psychology Today, tells us that “According to archaeologists, meditation dates back to 5,000 BCE, and the practice itself has ties in ancient Egypt and China, Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism.” To think that we here at Four Square teach and practice such an ancient and powerfully influential tradition that has so many followers - estimated at between 200-500 million people worldwide. Today, December 21, is the UN's World Meditation Day. The UN recognizes and wants to help foster the awareness of meditation as a practice that “fosters empathy, collaboration, and a sense of shared purpose, contributing to collective well-being”. We know as well that it can be a powerful step towards peace and harmony between individuals and among peoples. Today we are proud to be part of that collective that practices and shares the powerful benefits of meditation. We encourage you to take a few minutes today just to stop, breathe, and be in the present moment. If you have more time, enjoy one of our free meditations (https://lnkd.in/grzrwf36). #FourSquareMindfulness #WorldMeditationDay #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #MeditationPractice #CalmTheMind #MindfulAwareness #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice

Dec 10, 1948, saw the creation of the most translated document in the world - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today and every year on Dec 10 we recognize Human Rights Day and this critical document. The UN created this commitment to enshrine the rights that all humans have “regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status.” At Four Square we stand for these rights every day in our work and our lives. Human rights are currently under assault around the world, notably in the USA at the moment. We must protect them with every fibre of our beings. As the UN Secretary-General said, “Human rights are under assault [...] This year’s theme reminds us that human rights are about building the future — right now [...] We must stand up for all rights — always." The Theme for Human Rights Day this year is OUR RIGHT, OUR FUTURE, RIGHT NOW!!! We have an opportunity and a responsibility to speak up against hate, change misperceptions, correcting misinformation and countering disinformation wherever we see it. Let’s stand up together for Human Rights. #FourSquareMindfulness #HumanRightsDay #HumanRights #StandUp #humanity #InternationalHimanRightsDay #HumanRightsForAll #HRD2024 #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice Images via @unitednationshumanrights

In Canada December 6 is a national day of remembrance and mourning. It marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Journée Nationale de Commémoration et d'Action Contre la Violence à l'Égard des Femmes), also known as the Montreal massacre. In 1989, we suffered a horrific mass shooting at the Ecole Polytechnique. This was a blatant anti-woman shooting in which 14 female engineering students were segregated and murdered and ten others injured simply because they were women in higher education. Four men were also injured. Today we remember their names and the lives lost. This shooting lead to the House of Commons passing more stringent gun control laws and policy on protocols for emergency services in dealing with shootings. These policy changes are credited for saving lives in 2020 when another mass shooting occurred in Nova Scotia. Education is a value deeply important to us at Four Square. No one can take away what you learn and everyone has the right to an education. Education can change the world. #FourSquareMindfulness #EcolePolytechnique #WomensEducation #EducationForAllWomen #CanadianHistory #SayTheirNames #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice

Just a few days ago on Nov 26 the World AIDS Day report came out for this year. In 2024, the message is clear - we CAN eliminate AIDS as a health crisis worldwide by 2030 if we address the human rights of all who are at risk and living with AIDS and HIV. The theme this year is “Take the Rights Path”. We at Four Square remember when the AIDS epidemic started in North America in the early 1980s. It was so scary back then. But it remains so for many people around the world, especially in Africa. So many are marginalized and stigmatized. As UNAIDS reminds us, “Gender equality is an essential element of an approach to AIDS that is grounded in human rights. Acceptance, respect, and care are vital.” We can do better! Let’s take the Rights path and finally put an end to AIDS in our lifetime. See https://lnkd.in/gM7XdupM for more. When rights are protected, health is protected! This is an issue we care about at Four Square, and we want to bring it to your attention. That’s why we post on these important days and recognize them here. #FourSquareMindfulness #WorldAIDSDay2024 #EndAIDS #AIDSAwareness #HIVAwareness #HIVEducation #HIVPrevention #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice

Today we honour the life of Justice Murray Sinclair, who died yesterday at the age of 73. Born in Manitoba, Sinclair started his career as a human rights litigator. Eventually he became the province's first Indigenous judge, and later a senator. In 2022 Murray Sinclair, also a Senator in Canada, was awarded as a Companion of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honours, for his life of service and dedication championing human rights, justice, and truth. His work continually sought to uncover the truths about the ways that Indigenous Peoples, and particularly Indigenous children, had been treated by Canadian institutions including the government. Justice Sinclair is most well known--and rightfully so--as the chair and chief commissioner of Canada's Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 2009 to its formal conclusion in 2015. At Four Square we send our condolences to his family at this difficult time and stand with the entire country in remembering this exceptional Canadian. #FourSquareMindfulness #TruthAndReconciliation #Indigenous #FirstNations #Metis #EveryChildMatters #CivilRights #HumanRights #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice Images via United Way Winnipeg and CBC

Today we honour Gisèle Lamoureux in our continuation of Canadian Women's History Month. Lamoreaux, who passed away in 2018, was a nature photographer and environmental activist from Québec. She founded Fleurbec, an organization dedicated to celebrating the flora of Quebec and nearby regions. An important aspect of her work as a botanist and naturalist was to make the knowledge in her field more accessible to everyday people. Among her many honours and awards, Lamoureux was awarded both the Order of Canada and l'Ordre national du Québec. Her dedication to connecting people with nature continues with the Prix Gisèle-Lamoureux, awarded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec to women of the province who make extraordinary contributions to the research community in the area of nature and technology. Four Square happily recognizes Gisèle Lamoureux as the embodiment of the idea that humanity is one with the ecosystem in the same way that we are all connected as people. #FourSquareMindfulness #ecojustice #ClimateJustice #EnvironmentalScience #ConnectWithNature #LoveNature #NaturePhotography #MeditationInAction #mindfulness #meditation #MindfulMeditation #gratitude #JustBreathe #LoveIsAVerb #LoveIsActivism #LoveLearningLiberation #DiversityIsOurStrength #SocialJustice