Something about walking in the purity of the Amazon Rainforest last spring really brought home to me how disconnected we have become from our planet. We talk about this in bits and pieces, but when we really look at the totality of our disconnection, it is startling! No WONDER we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Isn’t it time to slow down and ground ourselves in a more sustainable way of living?
When I talk this way, I tend to get strong reactions from people who fear I’m suggesting we revert back to covered wagons crossing the plains. Nothing of the sort! However, as with anything, there must be a comfortable balance outside this extreme lifestyle we’ve adopted. Somewhere in the search for comfort and bliss, we went straight to craziness!
Since the industrial era, the American Dream has shifted to higher education, a cushier office, six-figure+ annual incomes, a couple of kids and pets per family, one or two houses, two or more cars, the possible boat or airplane, etc. How many hours are we willing to sacrifice to make this happen? Why is it ok that we stay tethered to work all the time now? Is all this stress worth the seemingly incidental rise in illness and disease that goes with it? When is enough enough?
Outside of just the busy-ness factor, let’s talk about all that accompanies that. Take for example mass-production of food. When I was in the Amazon, I ate native grown foods, and the flavors exploded in my mouth. Even our “organic” produce no longer tastes that way after being grown in our overworked and nutrient-deficient soils. When would we try to amend that by growing our own foods and enriching our own soils if we are busy working all the time? Worse yet if we are living on chemically processed foods and not even trying to get any nutrients from Mother Earth.
What about the air we breathe? Even that is artificial and processed. I stood in the jungle and inhaled as deeply as I could the earthy smells and fresh air. I’ve never smelled air like that! Most often it is filtered, air-conditioned or heated air in office buildings, homes, gyms…or air that has been filled with the waste fumes of automated vehicles and technology. Where can we go for truly fresh air here?
As most of us work or attend school during the week, our primary exercise is done indoors in a gym or at home/work. Where would we go into nature for a brisk hike to experience the wildlife and enjoy the sights and sounds of Mother Earth? The token ‘natural areas’ left behind by subdivision builders hardly qualify as nature!
Where is the balance? How can we get back to some of that? Can we not restore some semblance of man/nature harmony in our “civilized” lifestyles? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, or ways you may be restoring some of this balance into your life!
Namaste,
Sheryl Sitts, Chief Inspirational Officer
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