Friday 20 February 2009

Living WITH The Earth




Living on the earth is easy, we all do it without giving much thought to it. But how about living with the earth?

We’ve been blessed with a beautiful planet that, if treated properly in order to give nature a chance to do things the way they were intended, would provide for all of our basic needs; there would be enough nutritious food, clean water and shelter for everybody.

But we don’t.

Most of us choose to just live on the planet instead of living in harmony with it. We no longer follow the natural cycles of life, whether that’s our own lives or those found in everything natural that surrounds us. We’ve built a society where living in peace and harmony with the earth is actually the more difficult option, but surely it should be the easiest and most natural thing to do? Shouldn’t understanding nature’s cycles, including the natural cycles of our own bodies, be instinctive or at least learned through the generations so that we ‘just know’ rather than something we have to teach ourselves and strive to achieve? Shouldn’t respect for the environment be an established standard rather than something we need to reminded of? Shouldn’t we naturally prefer food that’s free from chemicals and toxins and from livestock that’s treated humanely rather than weighing up what’s best for the earth and everything that’s a natural part of it against what’s cheapest for us?

Many hundreds of years ago people lived in closer harmony with the earth but eventually man became materialistic. Once that happened, there was no stopping us and these days, those of us who still try to live as natural a life as we can, and who truly care about the environment and want to preserve this beautiful planet are still all too often seen as ‘a bit weird’. I’ve been called a new age hippie, a tree hugger, an old witch, an eco-warrior, and a green trendy and while I suppose I’m all of those things in differing degrees (except green trendy - there’s nothing trendy about me), they’ve been said in a derogatory manner as if caring about our environment is wrong!

We can’t hide behind ignorance. We all KNOW how important it is to care for this planet and yet so many still do far less than they‘re able, if they actually do anything at all.

Why?

Sharon J xx

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5 comments:

pipnvik said...

Hi Sharon,

News flash mate, welcome to those of us that dare to dance to the drum with adifferant beat.

By doing what you can, no matter how small it may be, makes you a specical person not a social outcast.

keep up the good work

Wombat
xxxx

Sharon J said...

Hi Wombat. I know what you're saying but I really don't understand why some people have to be so critical of those who are trying to help the planet continue to support life as we know it. Luckily there are others who ARE supportive though and they're the ones who are starting to think perhaps they should take the environment a bit more seriously themselves too :)

Cottage Smallholder said...

Hi Sharon

I think that loads of people are growing their own now. If they have a garden/have found an allotment/ have a patio with enough room for pots.

This is very different from tackling global warming. Yes we can cut a carbon footprint but will it do any good rather than making us feel a bit better? The jury seems to be out on effects of this.

I don't care what everyone else thinks. I'm tackling global warming and doing it.

It's like those old Oxfam commercials - if everyone gave a penny from their purse we wouldn't have a problem.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you completely in the sense that our society has made it really difficult to live in harmony with nature. I understand that we live much more comfortable lives that those in the past, but we are hurting both ourselves and the environment. One big thing that I really hate is our diets. Our society has made it easy to eat tons of crap food and extremely difficult and expensive to buy fresh produce. Luckily local farmers are becoming more popular.

Sharon J said...

Cottage Smallholder. I agree that an ever increasing number are growing their own but it somehow seems to have stopped there for most yet there's so much more each of us could do, some obviously more than others. I'm with you anyway - I don't care either what others think of ME, but I do care that they aren't thinking about the planet.

Pays To Live Green. Yes, definitely more comfortable but far less healthy, both for the body, mind, spirit and the earth. We need more balance in things now.