We try to be good Earth citizens.
We refuse to own a car and ride our bikes or borrow wheels when we need them. We refuse to own a dryer and are dependent on the whims of the weather to get our clothes dry. We purchase pre loved whenever possible, reuse whatever we can and try to live simply to reduce our carbon imprint.
Bringing bags to the shop and buying eco friendly products are all great things to do but I’d like to go beyond that this next year. Rather than look at my efforts to be environmentally conscious as a list of things I ought to do to “be a good person” I’d like to do more enjoying and integrating with my world.
I don’t mean in the crunchy granola way but in the spiritually conscious way. All major religions seem to be based on love. I’m less worried about perceived sins as I am about acting in love. Some would say that the act of prostitution is a sin… but what if some woman thought that was her only marketable skill to keep her children fed?
All major religions also seem to caution against judging others and maybe that’s why – we don’t know why anyone does anything and ‘good and evil’ are so susceptible to misunderstanding. I like to keep things simple for myself so I only have one moral rule that I follow. In all things I do I try to make sure I am acting in love first. All the rest falls into place and nothing else matters.
Why am I waxing so philosophical this Earth Day? I really have no idea. Maybe it’s because it’s been such a peaceful weekend – the first relaxed weekend I can remember having in about 6 months. Maybe it’s because I’m reading The Average Buddhist Explores the Dharma which is a thoughtful book on personal spiritualism. Maybe it’s a combination of both and more.
Whatever the reason, today I find myself musing on how to be a better global citizen. I don’t want to be a planetary cheerleader. I just want my life to exude what I believe: that each of us matters, makes a difference and is worthy of ultimate love. Taking care of our world is just an extension of that knowledge.