Learning from Nature.

Nature.

We are destroying our planet and ourselves as a result of our materialism. Since nature is the source of native visions and centers us in Truth, the more we destroy nature, the less able we are to live in balance and wisdom and the more wars, disease, and disharmbony we create. 120

We must learn how to wake up and stay awake during these dark and changing times. (2012). Dire prophecies are fulfilled when humanity refuses to change. A thousand years of peace is being ushered in for those who will make the necessary changes in their hearts. The Grandmothers tell us that balance as a way of living is returning, balance in all relations, including with our Mother Earth. 115

“Blessed be our path,” Grandmother Rita from Alaska says. “The future is unfolding its new path. Blessed is the promise of new life.”

How Amish Choose to React to New Technology

Hi,
It’s not that the Amish shun all technology, in fact more accurate would be that they are selective adopters of technology. For example, they do not use electricity but what they can get out of a 12V battery. When a new innovation becomes available, certain early adopters pick it up (eg. a Cell Phone). The community watches closely, some others pick one up, and then decides based on a three-step decision.

1. Does this technology bring us to be more connected with the outside world?
2. Does this technology weaken community?
3. Does this technology create a sense of pride in people who use it?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” that is a negative thing for the Amish. Knowing this now, how do you evaluate the technology in your life?

Food and Climate Change

The most interesting area in my line of research that’s been occurring recently is the link between Climate and Food. This is actually the main direction of Anna Lappe’s Organization, Take a Bite, and has been a subject of my former work in the US and Costa Rica (See some of my work on the subject: Coffee and Carbon Footprint of Farms, Life Cycle abstract). It’s something that I’ve been working on for a long period, and is finally coming into it’s element.

To summarize, we worry about climate change because it affects thee well-being of people and wildlife. Solutions based on alternative energy, carbon storage and capture, etc. can prevent climate change, but it cannot provide immediate relief to the poor or habitat for the displaced wildlife. Sustainable land management, on the other hand, directly solves the emissions aspect of climate change, while incentivizes good care for the environment.

Reconnect

I offer you this challenge:
Whenever you can, go into the wild. Commune with nature, whether it is for a few hours, a day, or a week.
Breathe deeply. Listen intently. Let the wildness infuse you. Renew you. Sustain you. Go by yourself.
Take some friends. Share your stories with them around a campfire, under the starry sky. Listen intently
to their stories. Be open. Understanding will come. Strength will grow. Energy will multiply.

Whenever you can, go forth and interact with people. Spread joy. Greet strangers
you pass on the street. Smile often. Listen deeply when people speak. Start random
conversations. Or join ones already in progress. Meet new people. Those people
that you love, tell them. Give praise for a job well done. Thank people for being who
they are. Offer sincere compliments to those people that you have difficulty with.
Help people whenever possible. Be open. Treat people with loving kindness. Love
and joy will grow. Your world will get bigger and yet infinitely more intimate. The
impossible will become possible.

Is this a recipe for balance? No, it is a hint of possibilities.
It is glimpse of something beautiful. It is a piece of the puzzle; it is up to you to
finish putting it together as you see it. I hope this has given you a framework from
which to begin sourcing your flame, your greenfire, and keeping it alive.

SEAC Organizing Guide — Page 98

The full guide: Courtesy of SEAC open distribution