Thinking Like A Mountain

Recently, I've been rereading the old classic Thinking Like A Mountain by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming and Arne Naess.

Only in hindsight did I realize what a formative influence this book had on my worldview. For me, reading it was an environmental and philosophical coming of age. It presented a broad enough container to hold the depth and breadth of the plight of our home planet and its inhabitants, and the full range of emotions that accompany this awareness.

image courtesy of Pixabay

In some ways it reminds me of Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe in scope, although its subject matter deals with time, the state of our planet, and our complex inner landscapes.

The thinking it inspires is what's needed for the times we're living in. We have the solutions to our problems, but are experiencing a profound failure of imagination. We're trapped in the very mechanisms we've created that our eating away at our future.

This theoretical container came just in time for me. My heart is breaking with the knowledge of the new lows our societies have reached. I understand how people in Nazi Germany didn't want to believe its people were capable of the legendary horrors inflicted upon those they considered undesirable at the time. We want to believe in the decency of our public officials. How do we look clearly at the extent of the cruelty and corruption we're facing so that we can find effective ways of confronting it? Because we must confront it.

We need to work through our denial, grief and disbelief to get to a place where we can turn things around. We can do it. It means we'll have to empower ourselves and each other and work together in ways we never have before. The future is in our hands, and we can't drop the ball on this one.

We've never had such powerful tools. With the internet we can share what works and what doesn't instantly. We can stay informed and keep each other up to date. We have alternatives to cruelty and destruction. We can turn off the TV, and put our energy into solutions instead of fear and anger. We can create the kind of future we'd want to live in. There are so many ways to seize our power. Lets do this!

image courtesy of Pixabay

Because We're Alive, We Are the Place of Power

Because we're alive, we are the place of power. Future generations are counting on us, as are our ancestors, many of whom dedicated themselves to making a better life for us. We're the ones able to act on their behalf because we are alive.

Taking the long view, we'll need all the love, smarts and resources we can muster to keep our souls from shrivelling and to do what's right. It's up to us to protect our planet, and to bring about a better future for all of us.

We need to cut through the fake news, refuse to be divided and not get suckered into the blame game. We're here to find and support each other as we stand up to politicians who've broken their promises, and to the billionaires who have tainted our politics, media and cultures.

photo courtesy of Kyle Cottrell

Let's face it: most of us are unacknowledged by our media. We're portrayed in all kinds of unflattering ways, but we see ourselves reflected in trends that aren't media driven: the popularity of Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn, the increased number of vegans, the popularity of 'buy local' campaigns and gardening, the tiny house movement, the thousands who take to the streets over injustices, and our love of community. 

We don't need validation by the media when we have each other. We need to reclaim our public spaces, tax dollars and voting rights, and correct the systems that have caused anguish for so many. Let's discuss the future, grieve together, share food and find new ways of expressing what we want so our many kindred spirits can find us and join in.

Branding doesn't work for us; we're learning, growing and evolving from the ground up. We welcome people from all races, nationalities, religions, genders, gender identifications, ages, classes and movements. All have insights and abilities to contribute, and all are worthy of respect and inclusion. Let's demonstrate the peaceful, wise and sensible way forward in all its many forms.

Let's stop those pipelines and end fracking, and get on with clean energy, proportional representation and decent standards of living for all. Let's protect our land, water and air together and stop exploiting each other. It's time to create a harmonious way of being with each other and with the magnificent planet that sustains us.

It's our duty as citizens – as human beings – to seize this critical historic moment and to work together in ways we never have before. If we're alive, our lives have meaning. It's our job to protect and restore our world. 

Future and past generations are counting on us. And we're going to have a wonderful time together while we envision and create the future we want.

photo courtesy of Kinga Cichewicz