It was invaluable to meditate on mindfulness and balance this past month. Seeking the boundaries I need in my life has helped me begin to carve out more time for myself. As the year came to a close, I felt more balanced than I have in quite some time.
What helped? Taking the necessary time just to be. Time for reading, hikes (in the clear, crisp air) -- even some gardening. Things that feed me at a very deep level. I actually slept for 10 hours a couple of nights in a row!
Last month, the feedback my pained body was giving me was loud and clear: "What you're doing, the way you're living, is not working." I was on the brink of a full-blown breakdown in the form of a major fibromyalgia flare-up.
Our bodies are a system -- and there needs to be a balance in and around that system in order for it to function optimally. It took mindfulness and humility for me to listen to my internal system and begin once again to ‘mindfully’ take care of it.
Thinking on the difference that mindfulness has made in my life, as we embark on a new decade in this world “out of balance,” it occurs to me that we collectively need to draw on mindfulness -- and humility -- to help us regain our balance.
The earth is a system, too. And all living organisms are part of that system. Clearly the earth system is off kilter, out of balance. The feedback we’ve been getting is loud and clear. How might humility help us to get back into balance collectively?
Linda Kavelin Popov describes humility as “being modest, humble, and unpretentious. We consider others’ views and needs as important as our own. We willingly serve others and accept help when we need it. When we cause hurt, we have the humility to admit it and make amends. We accept the lessons life brings, knowing that mistakes are often our best teachers.”
The term “humility” comes from the Latin adjective humilis, which may be translated as humble, but also as low, from the earth, or humid, all of which derives from humus (earth).
When I think of the earth, I think of natural balance. Gaia in her wisdom, a system of living organisms that work in homeostasis.
In his book Nature and the Human Soul, Bill Plotkin defines nature as “all that exists independently of human obstruction or invention; each thing according to its own spontaneities.” Unfortunately for nature, (and ourselves) we humans in our arrogance and ignorance have largely forgotten this.
I just finishing reading Fruitless Fall, The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis by Rowan Jacobsen. He chronicles the history of the European honeybee, its historic importance to agriculture, and modern agriculture’s dependence on it. He warns of the impending collapse of the honeybee species, and the catastrophic repercussions this will have for human survival.
Greeted by Time as "a spiritual successor to Rachel Carson's seminal eco-polemic Silent Spring”, Fruitless Fall puts a laser-like point on the ecological challenges facing Gaia and all her living systems.
In the last few decades, the world’s beekeepers have been humbled by the force and complexity of a phenomenon dubbed “colony collapse disorder,” or CCD. It has swiftly, silently decimated up to 50% of their hives (and livelihoods) with no warning -- and, so far, no definitive cause.
In the industrialization of agriculture, the focus has been on efficiency and perceived low cost -- to the exclusion of best practice. Animals, including bees, are kept in unnatural feedlots and fed artificial diets, largely by machine.
These conditions are stressful. Inevitably, they lead to disease; which is often managed by antibiotics and other drugs. But the pathogens adapt, and themselves become more resilient “super bugs”; so our scientists come up with stronger antibiotics -- which puts things farther out of balance.
In addition, honeybees have lately been living life in the fast lane -- thanks to fossil fuels and cheap honey from China, it has become more profitable for North American beekeepers to rent their hives out as pollinators than to harvest their honey. Thus, many beekeepers now ship their hives all over the continent by truck and train, following the crops. All in the name of profits and the GNP.
Since the industrial revolution, we have measured the success of a family or a nation by its financial wealth. But, as Robert Kennedy pointed out in the 1960s:
What helped? Taking the necessary time just to be. Time for reading, hikes (in the clear, crisp air) -- even some gardening. Things that feed me at a very deep level. I actually slept for 10 hours a couple of nights in a row!
Last month, the feedback my pained body was giving me was loud and clear: "What you're doing, the way you're living, is not working." I was on the brink of a full-blown breakdown in the form of a major fibromyalgia flare-up.
Our bodies are a system -- and there needs to be a balance in and around that system in order for it to function optimally. It took mindfulness and humility for me to listen to my internal system and begin once again to ‘mindfully’ take care of it.
Thinking on the difference that mindfulness has made in my life, as we embark on a new decade in this world “out of balance,” it occurs to me that we collectively need to draw on mindfulness -- and humility -- to help us regain our balance.
The earth is a system, too. And all living organisms are part of that system. Clearly the earth system is off kilter, out of balance. The feedback we’ve been getting is loud and clear. How might humility help us to get back into balance collectively?
Linda Kavelin Popov describes humility as “being modest, humble, and unpretentious. We consider others’ views and needs as important as our own. We willingly serve others and accept help when we need it. When we cause hurt, we have the humility to admit it and make amends. We accept the lessons life brings, knowing that mistakes are often our best teachers.”
The term “humility” comes from the Latin adjective humilis, which may be translated as humble, but also as low, from the earth, or humid, all of which derives from humus (earth).
When I think of the earth, I think of natural balance. Gaia in her wisdom, a system of living organisms that work in homeostasis.
In his book Nature and the Human Soul, Bill Plotkin defines nature as “all that exists independently of human obstruction or invention; each thing according to its own spontaneities.” Unfortunately for nature, (and ourselves) we humans in our arrogance and ignorance have largely forgotten this.
... I look out
at everything
growing so wild
and faithfully beneath
the sky
and wonder
why are we the one
terrible
part of creation
privileged
to refuse our flowering ...
~ David Whyte, from "The Sun"
I just finishing reading Fruitless Fall, The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis by Rowan Jacobsen. He chronicles the history of the European honeybee, its historic importance to agriculture, and modern agriculture’s dependence on it. He warns of the impending collapse of the honeybee species, and the catastrophic repercussions this will have for human survival.
Greeted by Time as "a spiritual successor to Rachel Carson's seminal eco-polemic Silent Spring”, Fruitless Fall puts a laser-like point on the ecological challenges facing Gaia and all her living systems.
In the last few decades, the world’s beekeepers have been humbled by the force and complexity of a phenomenon dubbed “colony collapse disorder,” or CCD. It has swiftly, silently decimated up to 50% of their hives (and livelihoods) with no warning -- and, so far, no definitive cause.
In the industrialization of agriculture, the focus has been on efficiency and perceived low cost -- to the exclusion of best practice. Animals, including bees, are kept in unnatural feedlots and fed artificial diets, largely by machine.
These conditions are stressful. Inevitably, they lead to disease; which is often managed by antibiotics and other drugs. But the pathogens adapt, and themselves become more resilient “super bugs”; so our scientists come up with stronger antibiotics -- which puts things farther out of balance.
In addition, honeybees have lately been living life in the fast lane -- thanks to fossil fuels and cheap honey from China, it has become more profitable for North American beekeepers to rent their hives out as pollinators than to harvest their honey. Thus, many beekeepers now ship their hives all over the continent by truck and train, following the crops. All in the name of profits and the GNP.
Since the industrial revolution, we have measured the success of a family or a nation by its financial wealth. But, as Robert Kennedy pointed out in the 1960s:
“The gross national product [GNP] does not allow for the health of
our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play.
It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our
marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our
public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our
wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to
our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes
life worthwhile.”
life worthwhile.”
Or, in the words of economist Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate and former Chief Economist at the World Bank: “What we measure affects what we do. If we have the wrong measures, we will strive for the wrong things."
Wrong for the honeybees, wrong for the humans, wrong for every passenger on our humble planet.
Honeybees may be the modern canaries in the coal mine. As their colonies are collapsing, so are ours. Jane Jacobs, in Dark Age Ahead, convincingly argues that humanity is on the brink of cultural collapse like the one that followed the fall of Rome; a catastrophic loss of all our marvelous accumulations of knowledge and technology, and worse -- a loss of memory that they even existed.
By most accounts, it looks and feels very much as if the fate of the
world is approaching a fundamental crossroads, and for most
prognosticators the future is grim. …
prognosticators the future is grim. …
Undoubtedly many of the major issues of the day – from politics and
culture to economics and climate – are seemingly in a downward
spiral, [but] it’s also true that this is a time of great innovation, community-
building, and creative visioning.
culture to economics and climate – are seemingly in a downward
spiral, [but] it’s also true that this is a time of great innovation, community-
building, and creative visioning.
For every corporate crony there’s a neighborhood activist; for every
warmonger a peacemaker; for every usurer a micro-lender; for every
profiteer a volunteer; and for every agribusiness an urban garden.
warmonger a peacemaker; for every usurer a micro-lender; for every
profiteer a volunteer; and for every agribusiness an urban garden.
In each case, we can expound upon the poverty of the former while also
highlighting the power of the latter.
highlighting the power of the latter.
-- Randall Amster
***
What is the “power” of these simple, local measures, when they are up against entrenched multi-national institutions? I think the very fact that they are humble, as are the people who practice them.
Whether we are donating $25 for a micro-loan to a tiny local enterprise in Africa or Latin America, or speaking up at a school committee; supporting local small businesses rather than large big box stores; chopping out the dead stalks to make way for spring planting of a backyard garden, and/or buying as much local and organically grown food as we can access and afford, we are being humble, of the earth, working in and with the Earth and her children.
Even if we are “only” taking the time to listen to our bodies and rest, so that we can speak -- and listen -- more mindfully to those we love, we have Gaia working with us, because we are working with her.
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the state of the world and I can easily go to despair. I worry that nothing I can do could possibly help enough to make a real difference. We really can't know standing here and looking into the future, how it will all play out. Then I look out at my garden, or hear the laughter of a child at play and I think of the musicians on the Titanic who even though they knew their fate used the gifts they had been given right up to the very last moment.
Like Helen Keller, I wish I could "... accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble." My job (and yours) is to bring the gifts I've been given into the world.
The environmentalist and lifelong student of world cultures, Thomas Berry calls humanity's almost universal commitment to industrial progress, "the supreme pathology of all history" -- and says it requires remedial treatment:
In the days leading up to writing this blog, the song Color of the Wind from Walt Disney's Pocahontas has been playing in my mind over and over again. I finally googled it and found a clip sung by Judy Kuhn. It may feel corny to you but if it feels right, I humbly invite you to click on the link above and listen to it. [I found myself weeping]
I leave you with the words of Bill Plotkin:
May we humbly begin to work together with each other and the systems that sustain us, to create healthy society everywhere. May we do so consciously and with purpose. May we finally enter the season of our flowering.
Happy 2011 and beyond.
Namaste
~ Kate
The Practice of Humility
I value others' thoughts and feelings.
I am willing to give and receive help.
I am a work in progress.
I admit mistakes and learn from them.
I am resilient, not perfect.
I am grateful for my gifts.
I am thankful for the gift of Humility. It is my greatest teacher.
Reflection questions
What lessons is life presenting to me?
What am I thankful for?
How can I better consider the needs of the sentient beings around me?
Who do I need to make amends to?
Whether we are donating $25 for a micro-loan to a tiny local enterprise in Africa or Latin America, or speaking up at a school committee; supporting local small businesses rather than large big box stores; chopping out the dead stalks to make way for spring planting of a backyard garden, and/or buying as much local and organically grown food as we can access and afford, we are being humble, of the earth, working in and with the Earth and her children.
Even if we are “only” taking the time to listen to our bodies and rest, so that we can speak -- and listen -- more mindfully to those we love, we have Gaia working with us, because we are working with her.
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the state of the world and I can easily go to despair. I worry that nothing I can do could possibly help enough to make a real difference. We really can't know standing here and looking into the future, how it will all play out. Then I look out at my garden, or hear the laughter of a child at play and I think of the musicians on the Titanic who even though they knew their fate used the gifts they had been given right up to the very last moment.
Like Helen Keller, I wish I could "... accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble." My job (and yours) is to bring the gifts I've been given into the world.
The environmentalist and lifelong student of world cultures, Thomas Berry calls humanity's almost universal commitment to industrial progress, "the supreme pathology of all history" -- and says it requires remedial treatment:
The entrancement with industrial civilization ... must be considered as a profound
cultural disorientation. It can be dealt with only by a corresponding deep cultural
therapy.
At such a moment a new revelatory experience is needed, an experience wherein
human consciousness awakens to the grandeur and sacred quality of the Earth process.
This awakening is our human participation in the dream of the Earth, the dream
that is carried in its integrity not in any of Earth's cultural expressions but in the
depths of our genetic coding.
In the days leading up to writing this blog, the song Color of the Wind from Walt Disney's Pocahontas has been playing in my mind over and over again. I finally googled it and found a clip sung by Judy Kuhn. It may feel corny to you but if it feels right, I humbly invite you to click on the link above and listen to it. [I found myself weeping]
I leave you with the words of Bill Plotkin:
A healthy society is, among other things, sustainable, just, and compassionate. It is
sustainable because it is expressly organized as an integral component of the greater
community of Earth; it establishes a niche for itself that benefits both its people and
the greater geo-biological community of which it is a member. It is a just society
because it provides equal opportunities and benefits for all persons. It is compassionate
because it shares its wealth with all other societies and with the greater web of life; it
does not exploit other peoples or species. -- Nature and the Human Soul
May we humbly begin to work together with each other and the systems that sustain us, to create healthy society everywhere. May we do so consciously and with purpose. May we finally enter the season of our flowering.
Happy 2011 and beyond.
Namaste
~ Kate
The Practice of Humility
I value others' thoughts and feelings.
I am willing to give and receive help.
I am a work in progress.
I admit mistakes and learn from them.
I am resilient, not perfect.
I am grateful for my gifts.
I am thankful for the gift of Humility. It is my greatest teacher.
Reflection questions
What lessons is life presenting to me?
What am I thankful for?
How can I better consider the needs of the sentient beings around me?
Who do I need to make amends to?
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