.
We all have our complaints about things. Whether it is about a (lack off) efficiency ~ usually associated with other people’s work ~ or about how things work in general; if it were up to us things would be different!
And while there is nothing wrong with optimizing how things are done, or finding new and innovative ways to get our chores done more efficiently; we have to be careful that we are not complaining just ‘as a matter of course’ ~ complaining for the sake of complaining ~ because that is when we are putting the message out there that there isn’t anything that comes our way that is ever ‘good enough’.
But perhaps the one thing that sparks most complaints ~ at any rate where I live ~ it is the weather.
Let me start by saying that the ‘perfect weather’ is a very personal thing. Some people like the weather hot, dry and with loads of sun day after day, while to others the perfect weather might be a cooler, more moist environment. Or anything in between…
And then there is the fact that, ultimately, the weather provides nature ~ in its broadest sense ~ with what it needs rather then bending to our every human whim.
Even the crops we plant are our choice, and if we could we would control the environment in which they grow up to a tenth of a degree and every drop of moisture that would fall on it. Which in turn may or may not benefit our neighbor’s crops, or nature in general.
Yet, whenever we do get ‘the perfect weather’, chances are we will experience a ‘perfect season’. A snowy Christmas, a cold Winter, a warming Spring, a hot and sunny Summer, a warm and comfortable ‘Indian Spring’, a stormy Fall ~ and so on.
But then again, according to our personal wishes, the weather is hardly ever truly perfect.
We get what nature needs rather than what we want.
Which bring me to one of the most interesting complaints I have heard in a long time!
It was made by the owner of a beach-side restaurant who didn’t think that this Summer had been a good one at all. His business had not done as well as he had envisioned because the weather forecast had been wrong too many times.
So not only did the weather itself not live up to his expectations; the forecast of it had fallen short, according to his complaint on national TV.
It makes me think that perhaps, just maybe, we should be a little be more grateful for the good things in life…
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Friday, August 28, 2015
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
History
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History is the past; its study; its line of events. Pretty much in any way you look at it, it is a ‘has been’.
The question then becomes whether we just drop the subject. After all, it seems much more profitable to live in the present, to be aware of the present. To be ‘mindful’ in the ‘now’.
If we would go along with that line of thought, then anything that already has happened becomes unimportant. Live, learn and move on.
Letting go of the past.
From that same perspective, one might even say that when we would put any importance at all on things from the past ~ even history ~ it would get (at least part of ourselves) stuck in that past. And this then would be especially true for objects from the past that we may find ourselves holding on to, although it would certainly also be true for perspectives and attitudes from the past.
It is an interesting thing, the past.
On one hand we don’t want to get in a position where we live and re-live our history over and over again. So it stands to reason that observing our history with a critical eye is a good thing.
On the other hand it is also true that our history ~ whether that is our family history, our cultural history or even the history of world events ~ can get us in touch with our roots. It can show us where we have come from. Where we have been and what steps we have taken that have brought us here, today.
It can show us how far we have come.
Looking at it that way, holding on to some things from the past may be related to the respect we have for the steps we have taken…
The only thing to watch out for is that, while it is a good thing to know our roots, to be aware where we have come from and how much we have achieved since that time in some (sometimes very distant) past ~ we are living our lives right now!
And from that perspective our history is linked to our future (would that be ‘herstory’).
Making plans for our future is a good thing. Working towards a goal which may even be a couple of years out in the future can be quite productive, and we may even have some kind of object or token that helps us, or reminds us, where we want to go.
As long as we realize that the only way to get there is to live life right now.
In this very moment…
.
.
History is the past; its study; its line of events. Pretty much in any way you look at it, it is a ‘has been’.
The question then becomes whether we just drop the subject. After all, it seems much more profitable to live in the present, to be aware of the present. To be ‘mindful’ in the ‘now’.
If we would go along with that line of thought, then anything that already has happened becomes unimportant. Live, learn and move on.
Letting go of the past.
From that same perspective, one might even say that when we would put any importance at all on things from the past ~ even history ~ it would get (at least part of ourselves) stuck in that past. And this then would be especially true for objects from the past that we may find ourselves holding on to, although it would certainly also be true for perspectives and attitudes from the past.
It is an interesting thing, the past.
On one hand we don’t want to get in a position where we live and re-live our history over and over again. So it stands to reason that observing our history with a critical eye is a good thing.
On the other hand it is also true that our history ~ whether that is our family history, our cultural history or even the history of world events ~ can get us in touch with our roots. It can show us where we have come from. Where we have been and what steps we have taken that have brought us here, today.
It can show us how far we have come.
Looking at it that way, holding on to some things from the past may be related to the respect we have for the steps we have taken…
The only thing to watch out for is that, while it is a good thing to know our roots, to be aware where we have come from and how much we have achieved since that time in some (sometimes very distant) past ~ we are living our lives right now!
And from that perspective our history is linked to our future (would that be ‘herstory’).
Making plans for our future is a good thing. Working towards a goal which may even be a couple of years out in the future can be quite productive, and we may even have some kind of object or token that helps us, or reminds us, where we want to go.
As long as we realize that the only way to get there is to live life right now.
In this very moment…
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.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Eat, drink and be merry
.
The full saying is “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die”, in other words enjoy life while you can!
It is advice that has several different aspects to it. On the surface it seems to say that all there is for us to do is to enjoy the moment. Carpe Diem.
Yet if we take this advice to heart, it not only tells us to live in the moment, perhaps even be aware of this moment; it also tells us to not worry about things or situations that may or may not come up in our future. Or about things that may have happened in the past. To not worry about things that are not here, now, right in front of us…
No, better to eat, drink and be merry; the past is history, and the future will take care of itself (and if we do need to handle something, solve something we can do so if and when it comes up).
It also tells us that we can best be happy in this moment; because while we may not literally die tomorrow, chances are that we learn from what we experience today such that tomorrow we are a new and different, a transformed person.
On the surface it even seems to tell us that it really doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we ‘eat, drink and be merry’ today.
Now, I am all for big doses of merriment and happiness!
But it does bring up the question on how we view our food today.
It seems that more and more people are intolerant to parts of that same diet that didn’t give our parents and grandparents any trouble at all. On top of that, more and more people feel they need to enhance their ‘three square meals a day’ with nutritional supplements; perceiving that our food is missing what we perhaps need most. And to a certain extend the same thing is true for our drinks. There are very few places left where we can safely drink water just the way it appears in nature. Even tap-water is not necessarily tasty, or a drink that would make us happy; give us merriment.
Coming to think of it, it seems like food and drink; eating and drinking is less and less something that makes us ‘merry’. Happiness is in the company rather than in the menu.
It makes me think that perhaps it is time to redefine what we are eating and drinking. To get our fridges filled with those products that make us happy and healthy ~ physically as well as mentally and spiritually.
It would be a good starting point to ‘eat, drink and be merry’, while it may also instigate our transformation into wholeness.
So for now, eat drink and be merry!
.
.
The full saying is “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die”, in other words enjoy life while you can!
It is advice that has several different aspects to it. On the surface it seems to say that all there is for us to do is to enjoy the moment. Carpe Diem.
Yet if we take this advice to heart, it not only tells us to live in the moment, perhaps even be aware of this moment; it also tells us to not worry about things or situations that may or may not come up in our future. Or about things that may have happened in the past. To not worry about things that are not here, now, right in front of us…
No, better to eat, drink and be merry; the past is history, and the future will take care of itself (and if we do need to handle something, solve something we can do so if and when it comes up).
It also tells us that we can best be happy in this moment; because while we may not literally die tomorrow, chances are that we learn from what we experience today such that tomorrow we are a new and different, a transformed person.
On the surface it even seems to tell us that it really doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we ‘eat, drink and be merry’ today.
Now, I am all for big doses of merriment and happiness!
But it does bring up the question on how we view our food today.
It seems that more and more people are intolerant to parts of that same diet that didn’t give our parents and grandparents any trouble at all. On top of that, more and more people feel they need to enhance their ‘three square meals a day’ with nutritional supplements; perceiving that our food is missing what we perhaps need most. And to a certain extend the same thing is true for our drinks. There are very few places left where we can safely drink water just the way it appears in nature. Even tap-water is not necessarily tasty, or a drink that would make us happy; give us merriment.
Coming to think of it, it seems like food and drink; eating and drinking is less and less something that makes us ‘merry’. Happiness is in the company rather than in the menu.
It makes me think that perhaps it is time to redefine what we are eating and drinking. To get our fridges filled with those products that make us happy and healthy ~ physically as well as mentally and spiritually.
It would be a good starting point to ‘eat, drink and be merry’, while it may also instigate our transformation into wholeness.
So for now, eat drink and be merry!
.
.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Conscious decisions
.
On average we make two kinds of decisions during a regular day. The ones that we think through ~ in other words the decisions that we are totally conscious of ~ and the ones that we hardly give any thought at all. The first ones are the ‘big decisions’, often having to do with jobs, houses, cars, school and education choices, and so on. The second ones more often than not are the small decisions, like what we will cook for dinner tonight, when to do our household chores, and what to keep and what to toss…
And that last one is an interesting one.
All too often, as long as something is not broken and still may have a perceived use in our future, we have a tendency to hold on to it. Whether we store it in the garage or in the attic; we are just not ready to toss it.
Chances are that when we would think it through, we quickly would come to a (conscious) decision that either we actually will use this item again in the foreseeable future, or no, it may have some use for somebody, but we will never use it again.
It is just one of those things…
And then, when that nice extra space is totally filled up with ‘stuff’ we ~ at least at that time ~ were not ready to toss, we suddenly become aware of the ‘problem’ and start making conscious decisions about whatever we have gathered.
It is probably why Spring-cleaning and garage-sales go hand in hand. And why eBay is still well visited site in many Countries.
On the other hand, we may also make those small decisions on the other side of the spectrum. Where, without giving it much thought, we toss things we have used quickly and easily. Keeping our attics and garages clean of clutter, while perhaps finding ourselves buying the same items over and over again ~ because, as it turns out, we would use them on a regular basis.
Some may argue that the first way of making the ‘small’ decisions is most likely what our parents would have done, while us ‘youngsters’ are unwilling to put up with the clutter…
There have to be hundreds of ‘small decisions’ we make every day without giving them much thought. It indicates that part of us is functioning on ‘automatic pilot’, not because we don’t know what to do with whatever comes up, but more likely because we tend to let our thoughts run ahead of ourselves. Thinking of tomorrows and futures that may or may not arrive as we envision them.
Therefore the more aware we are of this very moment, the more conscious our decisions will be ~ both the biggies as well as the small decisions…
.
.
On average we make two kinds of decisions during a regular day. The ones that we think through ~ in other words the decisions that we are totally conscious of ~ and the ones that we hardly give any thought at all. The first ones are the ‘big decisions’, often having to do with jobs, houses, cars, school and education choices, and so on. The second ones more often than not are the small decisions, like what we will cook for dinner tonight, when to do our household chores, and what to keep and what to toss…
And that last one is an interesting one.
All too often, as long as something is not broken and still may have a perceived use in our future, we have a tendency to hold on to it. Whether we store it in the garage or in the attic; we are just not ready to toss it.
Chances are that when we would think it through, we quickly would come to a (conscious) decision that either we actually will use this item again in the foreseeable future, or no, it may have some use for somebody, but we will never use it again.
It is just one of those things…
And then, when that nice extra space is totally filled up with ‘stuff’ we ~ at least at that time ~ were not ready to toss, we suddenly become aware of the ‘problem’ and start making conscious decisions about whatever we have gathered.
It is probably why Spring-cleaning and garage-sales go hand in hand. And why eBay is still well visited site in many Countries.
On the other hand, we may also make those small decisions on the other side of the spectrum. Where, without giving it much thought, we toss things we have used quickly and easily. Keeping our attics and garages clean of clutter, while perhaps finding ourselves buying the same items over and over again ~ because, as it turns out, we would use them on a regular basis.
Some may argue that the first way of making the ‘small’ decisions is most likely what our parents would have done, while us ‘youngsters’ are unwilling to put up with the clutter…
There have to be hundreds of ‘small decisions’ we make every day without giving them much thought. It indicates that part of us is functioning on ‘automatic pilot’, not because we don’t know what to do with whatever comes up, but more likely because we tend to let our thoughts run ahead of ourselves. Thinking of tomorrows and futures that may or may not arrive as we envision them.
Therefore the more aware we are of this very moment, the more conscious our decisions will be ~ both the biggies as well as the small decisions…
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.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
A thousand eyes are watching me…
.
Every once in a while I find myself in a place where it seems I’m being watched. Usually this is not a matter of people watching me ~ my sense is that as far as people are concerned some may, yet most won’t.
However, in nature it is a different matter.
In nature there are places that somehow are special places, places that have a specific energy. Often places that are old. Older than memory, even. And while they may look non-assuming in the present, they have a decidedly different feel to them.
It is in those kind of places that I often feel watched…
Perhaps it is the animals that live there. Or the birds.
Yet many times it feels like the trees and plants themselves are watching me. Questioning me as to what brings me there. What are my reasons, my goals? What do I have to offer?
And the longer I look at nature in a place like that, the more eyes seem to be looking upon me.
A thousand eyes are watching me…
Sometimes, while meditating in a spot like that, flashbacks come. Images of long forgotten times. Snapshots of rituals performed in ancient times ~ some of which could still have a place in the present, while others have long since outlived their purpose. They may even give me a sense of belonging; an idea that I could have been part of that in a different time, a different day and age…
Whenever that happens, it feels that throughout time, a thousand eyes are watching me…
It brings up thoughts and questions in this current time.
After all, if I had certain knowledge in that other, long forgotten time, what did it entail? And is it still there for me to use? Is it information that I feel comfortable about in today’s world, or do I feel the whole world would be watching me if I would start working with it again?
The more I look into that; the more I ponder those questions, I find I am looking at these strings of thoughts with different eyes. There are the eyes that see the flashbacks, and the eyes that see the snapshots. There are the eyes that see the rituals unfold, the eyes that see the energies build, and the eyes that see the energies wane again and go dormant…
And I realize that I am watching me with a thousand eyes ~ through time.
A thousand eyes are watching me, inviting me, bringing back memories to me of long forgotten times.
.
.
Every once in a while I find myself in a place where it seems I’m being watched. Usually this is not a matter of people watching me ~ my sense is that as far as people are concerned some may, yet most won’t.
However, in nature it is a different matter.
In nature there are places that somehow are special places, places that have a specific energy. Often places that are old. Older than memory, even. And while they may look non-assuming in the present, they have a decidedly different feel to them.
It is in those kind of places that I often feel watched…
Perhaps it is the animals that live there. Or the birds.
Yet many times it feels like the trees and plants themselves are watching me. Questioning me as to what brings me there. What are my reasons, my goals? What do I have to offer?
And the longer I look at nature in a place like that, the more eyes seem to be looking upon me.
A thousand eyes are watching me…
Sometimes, while meditating in a spot like that, flashbacks come. Images of long forgotten times. Snapshots of rituals performed in ancient times ~ some of which could still have a place in the present, while others have long since outlived their purpose. They may even give me a sense of belonging; an idea that I could have been part of that in a different time, a different day and age…
Whenever that happens, it feels that throughout time, a thousand eyes are watching me…
It brings up thoughts and questions in this current time.
After all, if I had certain knowledge in that other, long forgotten time, what did it entail? And is it still there for me to use? Is it information that I feel comfortable about in today’s world, or do I feel the whole world would be watching me if I would start working with it again?
The more I look into that; the more I ponder those questions, I find I am looking at these strings of thoughts with different eyes. There are the eyes that see the flashbacks, and the eyes that see the snapshots. There are the eyes that see the rituals unfold, the eyes that see the energies build, and the eyes that see the energies wane again and go dormant…
And I realize that I am watching me with a thousand eyes ~ through time.
A thousand eyes are watching me, inviting me, bringing back memories to me of long forgotten times.
.
.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
The ocean
.
Throughout my life I have experienced no greater feeling of oneness ~ and at the same time of being so small ~ as when I am walking on the ocean’s rim. Hearing the sound of the waves crashing onto the shores, and seeing the water as far as the eye can see… It is like Rumi said:
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
On top of that there is an awareness of ever continuing movement and flow; there is a rhythm to the ocean. The one very thing the ocean doesn’t do ~ something us humans seem to be very good at ~ is to stand still. Even when the ocean is at rest, for instance in that tiny moment when the tides turn, there is still movement.
The waves and the undercurrents. The surface, calm and even-tempered, or swept up in to frothy, angry sharp-headed waves. Whatever its mood, whatever the weather; there is always movement.
And when the movement stops as the wave has rolled onto shore, it then simply retracts to join the ocean once more. No regrets over things that once have been, things that could have been, or things that never were. The wave stops, regroups, and brings its experience of the shore back to the ocean. And then moves on.
As people we are more focused on our individuality. We seem to have lost the sense of belonging, the feeling of oneness ~ not just with other people, but with everything around us. Therefore, as soon as we feel we have reached a position that makes us feel good about ourselves and about our lives, we almost immediately start to hold on to that. To cement it; build walls around it. Sometimes we are even willing to go into extremes if only we can hold on to what we have gained in life. What we have accomplished.
What we fail to realize is that the moment we decide to stop moving and flowing with all that is around us, we may deprive ourselves from unfolding even greater things in our lives. We may be holding ourselves back from reaching even greater heights, more wonderful adventures ~ perhaps even from being all that we can be. (Which often is a whole lot more than we could ever imagine.)
Looking at the ocean, it seems to be a good bet that as long as we keep moving ~ permitting the universe to be our guide ~ we are giving ourselves the best chance to raise up to do great things.
After all, “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
.
.
Throughout my life I have experienced no greater feeling of oneness ~ and at the same time of being so small ~ as when I am walking on the ocean’s rim. Hearing the sound of the waves crashing onto the shores, and seeing the water as far as the eye can see… It is like Rumi said:
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
On top of that there is an awareness of ever continuing movement and flow; there is a rhythm to the ocean. The one very thing the ocean doesn’t do ~ something us humans seem to be very good at ~ is to stand still. Even when the ocean is at rest, for instance in that tiny moment when the tides turn, there is still movement.
The waves and the undercurrents. The surface, calm and even-tempered, or swept up in to frothy, angry sharp-headed waves. Whatever its mood, whatever the weather; there is always movement.
And when the movement stops as the wave has rolled onto shore, it then simply retracts to join the ocean once more. No regrets over things that once have been, things that could have been, or things that never were. The wave stops, regroups, and brings its experience of the shore back to the ocean. And then moves on.
As people we are more focused on our individuality. We seem to have lost the sense of belonging, the feeling of oneness ~ not just with other people, but with everything around us. Therefore, as soon as we feel we have reached a position that makes us feel good about ourselves and about our lives, we almost immediately start to hold on to that. To cement it; build walls around it. Sometimes we are even willing to go into extremes if only we can hold on to what we have gained in life. What we have accomplished.
What we fail to realize is that the moment we decide to stop moving and flowing with all that is around us, we may deprive ourselves from unfolding even greater things in our lives. We may be holding ourselves back from reaching even greater heights, more wonderful adventures ~ perhaps even from being all that we can be. (Which often is a whole lot more than we could ever imagine.)
Looking at the ocean, it seems to be a good bet that as long as we keep moving ~ permitting the universe to be our guide ~ we are giving ourselves the best chance to raise up to do great things.
After all, “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
.
.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Way of life
.
We all have our own way of life.
And when we are looking at the way of life we feel comfortable in, we tend to look in three areas: The place we call home, what work or job we feel most suited to, and our relationship with others.
As far as our home and job are concerned, we are often relatively clear as to what we feel is best for us. Living out in the country, or rather in town; a little cabin, or a big mansion; whatever it is that makes us happiest. And the funny thing is that a big part of that has to do with our earliest years, when we were truly young tikes. Finding the type of work we feel is most fun may come easily to some, and be something that is really hard to figure out for others. Yet as a rule of thumb it has to do with doing those things that make us most happy as we do them ~ day after day.
Our relationship with others; that is where it gets to be really interesting…
Those relationships can get their starting point really early in life also. Without ever intending it to happen, daughters can grow up more like their moms than they ever envisioned, while sons may be more like their fathers ~ even when as a teenager they swore they would never be like their dad. And by the same token, we tend to ~ when we grow up ~ make similar choices to our parents’ concerning our relationships. In other words, daughters may tend to look for a similarity to their fathers when looking for a relationship, while sons may do the same while keeping their mothers in mind…
For better or for worse.
Only when we find ourselves in a period of transformation do we start to question the choices we have made in the past. Simply because up to then it was part of our way of life.
But no matter how fond we are of our way of life, how comfortable and secure our way of life makes us feel ~ in times of change we will change, and as we change chances are that we will change our way of life. Things like growing our own food; we may have grown up doing it, and yet, as adults we choose to buy it in the grocery store. And by the same token, a large percentage of people today have given up hunting our food. Or raising our own animals, slaughtering them ourselves to feed our families.
In other words, as the world around us changes, we change. And as we change, chances are we will require our way of life to change. In this point of time, our way of life is no longer set in concrete!
It is called evolution, and more often than not that is a good thing!
.
.
We all have our own way of life.
And when we are looking at the way of life we feel comfortable in, we tend to look in three areas: The place we call home, what work or job we feel most suited to, and our relationship with others.
As far as our home and job are concerned, we are often relatively clear as to what we feel is best for us. Living out in the country, or rather in town; a little cabin, or a big mansion; whatever it is that makes us happiest. And the funny thing is that a big part of that has to do with our earliest years, when we were truly young tikes. Finding the type of work we feel is most fun may come easily to some, and be something that is really hard to figure out for others. Yet as a rule of thumb it has to do with doing those things that make us most happy as we do them ~ day after day.
Our relationship with others; that is where it gets to be really interesting…
Those relationships can get their starting point really early in life also. Without ever intending it to happen, daughters can grow up more like their moms than they ever envisioned, while sons may be more like their fathers ~ even when as a teenager they swore they would never be like their dad. And by the same token, we tend to ~ when we grow up ~ make similar choices to our parents’ concerning our relationships. In other words, daughters may tend to look for a similarity to their fathers when looking for a relationship, while sons may do the same while keeping their mothers in mind…
For better or for worse.
Only when we find ourselves in a period of transformation do we start to question the choices we have made in the past. Simply because up to then it was part of our way of life.
But no matter how fond we are of our way of life, how comfortable and secure our way of life makes us feel ~ in times of change we will change, and as we change chances are that we will change our way of life. Things like growing our own food; we may have grown up doing it, and yet, as adults we choose to buy it in the grocery store. And by the same token, a large percentage of people today have given up hunting our food. Or raising our own animals, slaughtering them ourselves to feed our families.
In other words, as the world around us changes, we change. And as we change, chances are we will require our way of life to change. In this point of time, our way of life is no longer set in concrete!
It is called evolution, and more often than not that is a good thing!
.
.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Fragile
.
The system that we are as a human being is ~ just like any ecosystem ~ fragile. Sometimes surprisingly small changes can create a movement that brings unbalance. Sometimes that unbalance is a good thing as it can motivate us ~ as a system ~ to evolve. To grow and adapt and become better at what we do and who we are. In those rare cases the unbalance ultimately results in healing and personal growth.
More often though, once our system loses its balance, a chain reaction is set into motion. Like dominos, all that pieces that up to that point had created a stable, workable balance in our system fall down. And what started as a small, seemingly inconsequential imbalance becomes bigger and bigger with every part of our system that trips up.
In order to regain our balance, we almost always have to look at all of the pieces in the puzzle that is our system at once. It hardly ever works when we just set one part of ourselves straight, without taking the rest of us into consideration.
And that doesn’t just involve our physical selves; it is also about our emotional selves, our spiritual selves and perhaps most importantly our mental selves. When we are thinking ‘wholeness’ in a system that is oneness incorporated, our chances at regaining our balance tend to be better than when we find we have become despondent. Our attitude matters a great deal where our balance and wholeness are concerned. Our thinking can ultimately bring stability and balance, where none was before…
Ecosystems work in similar ways. Once something is taken out of an ecosystem, it soon becomes apparent that it wasn’t a ‘stand-alone’ piece in its environment. Even small changes can create big effects.
That is why it always has been important to understand the environment ~ the ecosystem we are part of ~ to such an extend that we can project the consequences of our actions.
This means that harvesting parts of our environment ~ be it plant life or animal life ~ needs to be done with restraint in such a manner that we can feed ourselves and those of our ‘tribe’, and yet also make sure that the balance in the system remains strong and stable. We need to find a way to thrive, while allowing our environment, our ecosystem to thrive as well.
How we do that is just as much subject to change as we are, as the world is, and even the universe…
Therefore, the way things were done ~ and understood to be the right action, even ethical ~ 50 years ago, may now be nothing more than a lame excuse that shows that we have no true comprehension of the consequences of our actions or the fragility of the (eco)system we are so nonchalantly changing.
Just because we have always done it that way.
And sometimes just for kicks…
.
.
The system that we are as a human being is ~ just like any ecosystem ~ fragile. Sometimes surprisingly small changes can create a movement that brings unbalance. Sometimes that unbalance is a good thing as it can motivate us ~ as a system ~ to evolve. To grow and adapt and become better at what we do and who we are. In those rare cases the unbalance ultimately results in healing and personal growth.
More often though, once our system loses its balance, a chain reaction is set into motion. Like dominos, all that pieces that up to that point had created a stable, workable balance in our system fall down. And what started as a small, seemingly inconsequential imbalance becomes bigger and bigger with every part of our system that trips up.
In order to regain our balance, we almost always have to look at all of the pieces in the puzzle that is our system at once. It hardly ever works when we just set one part of ourselves straight, without taking the rest of us into consideration.
And that doesn’t just involve our physical selves; it is also about our emotional selves, our spiritual selves and perhaps most importantly our mental selves. When we are thinking ‘wholeness’ in a system that is oneness incorporated, our chances at regaining our balance tend to be better than when we find we have become despondent. Our attitude matters a great deal where our balance and wholeness are concerned. Our thinking can ultimately bring stability and balance, where none was before…
Ecosystems work in similar ways. Once something is taken out of an ecosystem, it soon becomes apparent that it wasn’t a ‘stand-alone’ piece in its environment. Even small changes can create big effects.
That is why it always has been important to understand the environment ~ the ecosystem we are part of ~ to such an extend that we can project the consequences of our actions.
This means that harvesting parts of our environment ~ be it plant life or animal life ~ needs to be done with restraint in such a manner that we can feed ourselves and those of our ‘tribe’, and yet also make sure that the balance in the system remains strong and stable. We need to find a way to thrive, while allowing our environment, our ecosystem to thrive as well.
How we do that is just as much subject to change as we are, as the world is, and even the universe…
Therefore, the way things were done ~ and understood to be the right action, even ethical ~ 50 years ago, may now be nothing more than a lame excuse that shows that we have no true comprehension of the consequences of our actions or the fragility of the (eco)system we are so nonchalantly changing.
Just because we have always done it that way.
And sometimes just for kicks…
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