Recently our family watched a BBC series about the origins and evolution of humanity, The Incredible Human Journey, which was a pretty interesting show. I learned several things I had not known before - one being that there was a time that both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals co-existed in Europe. That, in itself, was interesting to me. But it went further to explore potential reasons why our species continued and the Neanderthals died out. Despite the larger brains of Neanderthals, it was Homo-sapiens that seem to have developed art forms and a sense of shared identity across lands (beyond particular tribes.) Neanderthals appeared to just be going at it alone. Community and group consciousness seem to be key elements in our continued survival.
We find ourselves in the same situation these days. The problems of this world are more than my mind can even comprehend. I'm reading The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health - and a Vision for Change. (It is written by the lady who created The Story of Stuff video, which surely you have all seen but hey, why not watch it again because it is really good.) It covers the same topic as the video but with much more information. Luckily, it also mentions ways in which people are trying to make things better, ideas for change, etc. (Thank God she included hope in there - the story of our consumerism, destruction of resources, abuse of other people to make a profit...oh man, it gets really heavy and really complicated.)
When I am processing this kind of information, my first response is to want to control it all in my own little tiny world. For example, I want to stop buying clothes because the cotton wastes so much water and is full of toxic pesticides that spill into the Earth and then there's the pollutants in the processing of fabric and oh my god...the sweat shops that pay people terrible wages to slave away to make our disposable clothing when they can barely feed their families. Ok. And that's just the t-shirts. That's nothing compared to gold and diamonds and oil and and and....
But we can't be like the Neanderthals. Not if we want to survive anyway. We can't just go at it alone. When I start spinning off into the swirl of upset, my husband reminds me that changing consciousness is where the real shifts happen. I'm so glad he reminds me of this. He reminds me that when collectively we shift, things can change fast. Amazing things can happen. And these times are all about changing consciousness.
I think it does start at the individual level - we become more aware ourselves and make more conscious choices. Maybe that inspires others to do the same. But we can't control it.
My plan currently is to evoke the sense of gratitude for what I have - all these things that make my life easier have come at costs far greater than the money I have spent to acquire them. In a subtle way, just acknowledging that and saying "Thank You" is a step in the right direction, I think.
My vision beyond is to live more simply - something I've been working on for quite a while by reducing the amount of stuff we have and being more conscious of what we buy. Gardening and growing more of our own food, utilizing resources (like yard space and water) more effectively, and eventually creating a more self-sustaining homestead (using permaculture principles) are all part of my long term goals.
These are all things that, in addition to feeling really good to me, bring community together to learn and share. They are small things but I feel us all being called to do small things that, in the overall picture, can create change. It seems like all over the place there are people who are being drawn to practices that foster community and relate more kindly to the earth and her inhabitants. This gives me hope. This, to me, signals the potential for change - that, more and more, we can be called by some longing to do things differently and to work together in creating a better situation for our children and generations to come.
We find ourselves in the same situation these days. The problems of this world are more than my mind can even comprehend. I'm reading The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health - and a Vision for Change. (It is written by the lady who created The Story of Stuff video, which surely you have all seen but hey, why not watch it again because it is really good.) It covers the same topic as the video but with much more information. Luckily, it also mentions ways in which people are trying to make things better, ideas for change, etc. (Thank God she included hope in there - the story of our consumerism, destruction of resources, abuse of other people to make a profit...oh man, it gets really heavy and really complicated.)
When I am processing this kind of information, my first response is to want to control it all in my own little tiny world. For example, I want to stop buying clothes because the cotton wastes so much water and is full of toxic pesticides that spill into the Earth and then there's the pollutants in the processing of fabric and oh my god...the sweat shops that pay people terrible wages to slave away to make our disposable clothing when they can barely feed their families. Ok. And that's just the t-shirts. That's nothing compared to gold and diamonds and oil and and and....
But we can't be like the Neanderthals. Not if we want to survive anyway. We can't just go at it alone. When I start spinning off into the swirl of upset, my husband reminds me that changing consciousness is where the real shifts happen. I'm so glad he reminds me of this. He reminds me that when collectively we shift, things can change fast. Amazing things can happen. And these times are all about changing consciousness.
I think it does start at the individual level - we become more aware ourselves and make more conscious choices. Maybe that inspires others to do the same. But we can't control it.
My plan currently is to evoke the sense of gratitude for what I have - all these things that make my life easier have come at costs far greater than the money I have spent to acquire them. In a subtle way, just acknowledging that and saying "Thank You" is a step in the right direction, I think.
My vision beyond is to live more simply - something I've been working on for quite a while by reducing the amount of stuff we have and being more conscious of what we buy. Gardening and growing more of our own food, utilizing resources (like yard space and water) more effectively, and eventually creating a more self-sustaining homestead (using permaculture principles) are all part of my long term goals.
These are all things that, in addition to feeling really good to me, bring community together to learn and share. They are small things but I feel us all being called to do small things that, in the overall picture, can create change. It seems like all over the place there are people who are being drawn to practices that foster community and relate more kindly to the earth and her inhabitants. This gives me hope. This, to me, signals the potential for change - that, more and more, we can be called by some longing to do things differently and to work together in creating a better situation for our children and generations to come.
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