A Time for Reflection

Each month as I find myself seated at the computer I do a quick memory check of the previous few weeks. What have been the highlights? Have any new and profound awareness insights surfaced? Very often there is a glaring awareness – one that has arisen due to client work or to personal experiences. Occasionally, like right now, my reflection brings to surface a feeling of deep content as I realize that my energy is being focused in a way that is harmonizing and healing.

It is an interesting observation to totally feel a lack of drama, concerns or worry – a rare experience actually. This has me thinking that maybe we really have created a lifestyle that is so out of sync with how we are meant to live. Currently I live in a small community where there is a great deal of community minded co-operation, sharing and organization. The number of community oriented activities and services available are too many to list, but it’s interesting to note the extent of commitment demonstrated by individuals who are working for the collective benefit.

More than once in the past month or so I’ve seriously questioned the so-called important things we base our societal survival and health upon. For example, I deeply doubt that structuring society to become so dependent upon stock markets, financial security, investments, etc is really the best possible way we could live and be healthy. The many structures and infrastructures we have co-created – such as an education system that does not meet the needs of most children, agriculture and trading agreements that disadvantage third world countries, religious systems that are often in conflict, wars that make bankers and corporations richer, a so-called health system that focuses on illness treatment, and an intense reliance on industry and technology –  do not strongly support individual growth and wellbeing.

Somehow it seems that somewhere along the way we have become disempowered, or as some would say ‘we have lost the way’. We have handed over responsibility for our lives to organizations, religions, governments, etc. Rules, regulations and new laws are continually put in place to ensure that the average person does as he/she is told, thereby making it more difficult to actually question the value and validity of our particular life options.

During one of my weekly hikes on the mountain trails I met a young lady from Canada who was spending several weeks touring Australia. It was refreshing to hear her comment that she was feeling totally recharged by her exploration of the many nature experiences she’d had. In fact, she commented that spending time in nature with absolutely no cell phone and rare access to the internet had opened up new possibilities for living life more meaningfully. She was excited about the prospect of returning home and maintaining a low profile use with technology and spending increasing time in nature. My sense is that having ‘time out’ from her so-called normal or usual life has offered this inspirational young individual with an opportunity to create a life that is filled with new opportunities and possibly even deeper meaning.

Maybe there is more to life than earning sufficient income to pay the taxes, mortgage and bills. Maybe it’s time for us as a collective to deeply question aspects of co-created reality that do not resonate and do not appear to be working to our joint advantage. I’m sure you could come up with a list of systems and restrictions that are impeding your wellbeing, along with likely options for living healthily and optimally.

One of my current concerns is the environmental damage that is being done to the food chain due to the heavy chemicalization of crops, along with the evident failure of the mono-cropping system of agriculture. The more I read and hear about organizations such as the Slow Food movement (www.slowfood.com) and learn about permaculture the more I’m inspired to become involved locally, to participate in, to learn and to share ways in which food growing, processing and usage can be applied locally. If I had a crystal ball I would like to predict that the time will come when all the refined, mass processed and produced foods will become a thing of the past. Here is a Food Fact from the Slow Food Movement that should be of concern to everyone! “Just 12 plant breeds and 5 animal breeds provide three quarters of the world’s food.”

Possibly if the focus is shifted from ‘Me’ to ‘We’ there could be increasing potential to really shift more rapidly out of systems, infrastructures and paradigms that are no longer relevant, healthy or beneficial to the common good.

While it may sound as though I’m finding fault and complaining I do believe it’s important to identify areas and systems that are not working optimally and to then working communally and collectively to find solutions. There can be no change globally until solution based strategies are put in place. A powerful demonstration of how this is being done is via the Slow Food Movement. Gradually individuals and groups worldwide are gaining awareness and actively becoming involved in creating sustainable and health conscious communities.

And, as I reflect upon this passion of mine that is surfacing so strongly I also urge you to look to the areas of life where you feel you can make a difference. Where is your passion? What can you contribute to supporting a sustainable and well balanced life? How can you change the ‘Me’ to a ‘We’ in relation to your endeavors?

We are no longer living in a world of isolated individuals or communities. Whether or not we fully understand and accept the concept of interconnectedness it’s actually becoming more evident that we are all One – what happens in one community also affects others elsewhere. It is through a process of questioning and reflecting our values, beliefs, attitudes and habits that we can fully become empowered to create changes that are all inclusive, healthy, supportive and sustainable.

In Universal Now time these changes have already been made. We have created a new era, a time in which peace and harmony prosper. Yet, in linear time –  in which we are still functioning  – there is still a great deal of constructive thought needed to create that final outcome. We have no choice. This is a time of making hard decisions, a time for changing patterns and practices that harm and are detrimental to our communal wellbeing and to the sustainability of our precious Earth.