on reconnecting with nature

Lots of Japanese beetles are happily frolicking on my roses this year, making a bit of a mess along the way, and some other pest, probably a moth caterpillar, has been laying eggs in our pussy willow and mauling its leaves.

Whether Climate Change, Covid-19, the garden pests, or so many other things – we tend to think that nature is out of balance.  But the more consequential conclusion is that we are out of sync with nature. We look to the outside for the culprit, a symptom based approach with little interest for the underlying cause.  Having become our planet’s biggest monoculture with the greatest impact on shaping the environment, the responsibility squarely falls on each one of us to make amends in rebalancing our relationship with it.  

Without a true understanding of the myriad elements that make up an ecosystem, each one of them contributing something that feeds back into the regenerative cycle, we tend to interfere in a reactionary way without being able to anticipate the consequences.  Used to the idea of getting rid of bugs with a spray can, we are learning the hard way that Monsanto has been making a worldwide mess of the environment and our health with their glyphosate that’s now showing up everywhere, including inside our bodies.

So, I won’t add insult to injury, and add more poison to a fragile planet that needs healing.  Maybe the bats that are living in our cliff can use this new food source of beetles and pests, or maybe the pests will promote the multiplication of the bats, which is a good thing. Whichever way around it is, nature is far wiser than I am, and I will leave it to the bats and birds to eat the excess bugs in my garden, instead of pulling out the spray.  A wonderful documentary about the 7-year rehabilitation of an abandoned farm into a sustainable and thriving orchard, The Biggest Little Farm, shows how intricate a balanced ecosystem truly is, how many elements contribute to a thriving environment, and that we can regenerate and rebuild by making an effort to reconnect with nature in a deeper way.  

wow!

When was the last time a bully motivated you to shift your attitude or behavior through threats or other aggressive measures?  I didn’t think so.

Dismantling the Minneapolis police department,  as their City Counsel vowed to do a few days ago?   I thought I didn’t hear right.  Even reducing police department funding, as many other large US cities are all of a sudden discussing, seems radical for here.  I would have said “interesting,” if I had heard something like that about Norway, which has, proportionately, one of the lowest prison populations in the world, because their approach to criminal justice is reformative, not punitive.  But here!  That is an amazing shift towards constructive social change.  

With one of the worst racial inequalities in the country, the idea to reform Minneapolis’s social fabric by shifting funding from police to community development is nothing short of radical, a nonviolent approach in nonviolent communication speak.  Granted, it’ll take time to develop the logistics (here an outline of what alternate policing might look like), and this idea will not sit well with many conservatives.

But the increasingly aggressive, authoritarian and weaponized approach to policing in this country has not made things better.  Authoritarian behavior results in anger, distrust, defiance, and ultimately resignation, a result of a punitive criminal justice system with its disproportionately large prison population compared to other Western countries.  “An eye for an eye” does not work, only a compassionate approach ultimately does because it builds people up instead of taking them down (see an earlier post, “drop the hammer,” on this).  It’s the difference between a glass half full or a glass half empty, or seeing the best in people instead of the worst.  

We are witnessing something big.  When the time is ripe things can get unstuck, and stuff beyond our wildest dreams is possible.  

hold on to your seat!

When people get murdered, or even discriminated against, because of their skin color;  when I have to think twice about a medical procedure, and more than ½ million people go bankrupt every year because they can’t pay their medical bills; when people work two or three jobs and still barely get by; when sick leave is not encouraged and sick meat workers go to work because they can’t afford not to; when education is discouraged by way of its astronomical cost, and the educational level of the country as a whole stays behind other developed countries; when pollution and deforestation are encouraged through profit oriented policies and we all get sicker;  then I cannot live deeply.  

This country is convulsing as we are experiencing the flip side and unravelling of a profit-above-all value system that no longer works for the majority of people,  and favors an ever slimmer percentage of the population.  The American Empire is crumbling because its values are rotten at the core. Racism, the cultural trauma this country is still carrying even after slavery has been long abolished, is still simmering under the surface and has broken out again, and again, and again, because it’s never been healed.  And so many other socio-cultural issues are broken as well.  

The tectonic shift I referenced in an earlier post is happening in real time.  We are experiencing an epic scream for awakening and change on all levels.  Inclusivity, togetherness, cooperation, trust, and sustainability are all values that are bigger than racism and social inequality.  Moving from Me to We is what we must do to resolve the biggest challenges in the history of humanity.  Leaving the myth of separation, as Charles Eisenstein calls it in his recent essay The Conspiracy Myth, behind, and uniting for a common cause, that of a better, more sustainable, life for all inhabitants of this earth, is a consciousness revolution, a shift in perception and thinking.  

When that shift happens for a critical mass among us, we will be able to tackle climate change, racism, hunger, and all the other challenges we brought upon ourselves because we believe we’re separate from each other and from nature. Revolutions are often messy because we fear the unknown and thus resist change. But the status quo is no longer acceptable, and neither is going back to whence we came, pre-corona, because we have already moved too far into the space in between. The best thing you can do is embrace the change and imagine a more beautiful new world (actually an Eisenstein book title).

now what?

This week the pace picked up considerably, the energy has changed.  From the news we can see that it is becoming increasingly difficult, especially with the warmer weather, to keep people isolated.  Bars are still closed in France, but people over there have adopted the apérue, apéritif dans la rue, apéritif taken in the street, in order to get out of the house.  Over here we’ve had demonstrations against the restrictions.

Most, but the most vulnerable, are ready to come out of lockdown and pick up where they left off in March, even if it has to be with certain precautions. While I can deal with face masks and strange shopping logistics for a while longer, I seriously miss seeing people in person.  It’s bad for the immune system and our emotional health to be kept away from parents, children, grandkids, and friends.  Zoom is just no substitute.

There was a certain comfort in the slower pace of daily life during the past two months.  Life has been simple, a bit boring of course, but also more relaxed.  Shorter workdays, more sleep, less frenzy.  But as an acquaintance said a few weeks ago, he is not ready for retirement, and neither am I.  Moreover, I am ready for shifts based on our conclusions from this episode (see my silver lining posts from the past few months), I am ready to live again, I am ready to be with people and do business, I’m ready to contribute to meaningful change. 

What has shifted for you during the two lockdown months?  What has changed in your lifestyle or thinking since mid-March about this whole situation and its aftermath?  Will you do anything differently now?

Goodbye COVID-19, welcome new world!

patience needed - silver lining #14

Many things take longer during the current Corona crisis.  With the bank closed, I wait in line for the drive-up.  Since the supermarket only lets in so many people at a time, I wait in line, six feet apart, to get in, and I wait in line to check out, six feet apart, to be assigned to a cash register.  Socializing on Zoom, when everyone talks over each other and the conversation becomes dysfunctional, I have no choice but to be patient with this less-than-perfect medium.  My basement is full of empty egg cartons, empty bottles, and plastic bags that all need to be returned for reuse or recycling.  Sooner or later I will be able to clear this backlog out – patience.  Even Amazon doesn’t currently deliver as fast as it used to during normal times.

We need patience to wait for the governor’s Go to reopen our businesses, to wait for the economy to creep back, to wait for this virus to pass through the population and do its thing.  We need patience during this pregnant pause to see how we will come out the other end.  If you’re looking for a vaccine against the virus, you’ll need to be patient. If you’re looking to go back to school or college, or to return to restaurants and gyms, and to a new normal, you’ll need patience.

We have been used to “instantaneously,” but that just doesn’t work right now. We have been stopped in our tracks. What are you doing with this?

from I to we - silver lining #13

You would like to go back to work and earn a living again.  You have elder relatives who may be at risk.  Perhaps your business must open again so you can make money and put food on your table.  You’d like to go back to normal.  You’d love to see your parents again, and your parents would love to see their grandchildren again.  You’d like to go on vacation.  You’d like to send your kids to camp over the summert. You’d like to feel secure out there again.  Or perhaps you’re on the frontlines and don’t feel that your work conditions are safe.  

We all want this virus gone, we all need to put food on our tables, we all want to see our friends in person and send our kids back to school and college.  Yet, our concerns express themselves in polarizing ways because we see different ways to get there.  Some are ok with social distancing, lockdowns, and mouthguards in public in order to help flatten the curve.  Others are urgently concerned about their financial situation and the curtailing of their freedom.  They are two sides of the same coin.  

What’s striking about this virus is that each one of us could unknowingly carry the virus for two weeks, or carry it without ever developing symptoms, and unintentionally infect dozens and even hundreds of others during that time.  That makes each one of us a crucial link in the effort to break the spread of the virus.  Each one of us on a worldwide basis is all of a sudden important in helping to prevent others from getting sick, to prevent the overwhelming of the healthcare system, the food system, the distribution networks.  We have already realized how dependent on foreign supply chains the world is - when too many people in China get sick, economies in many countries slow down.  When too many US meat plant workers get sick, Wendy’s runs out of hamburgers and the supermarkets have to ration meat purchases.  When the neighbor down the road parties, or heads to a crowded beach, her friends, her parents, the meat plant worker, or the supermarket cashier could get sick.

This pandemic is showing us the way from I to We.  No matter how you slice it or dice it, we’re in this together.

deeper, not faster - silver lining #12

Flying over the treetops provides you with an overview of the area and a grand perspective, but not an intricate comprehension of a forest’s ecosystem and its needs. 

In light of all the terrible repercussions of this worldwide virus pandemic, you might be getting tired of the many silver linings.  But since we already read enough bad press in the press, we may as well keep contemplating the other side of the coin here in this blog.

My husband noted that pre-pandemic he was out visiting customers and jobsites so much that it was difficult to process all the data that came in while he was out, in a meaningful way.  He was usually either up very early in the morning, or went back to his desk after dinner to catch up and handle what came in during the day.  Now that he has been home office bound for five weeks and is all caught up, he is able to engage with incoming data, our customers, our projects, and future business opportunities in a much deeper, more meaningful, and ultimately in a more sustainable way.  The pandemic slowdown will likely influence how we do business post-pandemic.  It’s better for our customers, it’s better for us.

Same old same old is exactly what we don’t need after we’re through with this.

trusting yourself - silver lining #11

How is your trust in your body and yourself?  This novel virus will likely be around for the next few years and may present us all with a unique opportunity in regard to that question.  

The Western healing model has become somewhat dogmatic, stale, and authoritative.  Meanwhile, complementary and alternative therapies have made vast inroads among those who appreciate a broader healing conversation.  With the advent of so much free information on the internet, for those who trust their judgement, intuition, and body, healing is becoming more of a cooperative effort between them and their healthcare provider.  That requires engagement, research, and trust, trust in your ability to discern what’s relevant to you, and your body and mind’s needs.

When things open back up, this exceptional situation will present us with the option to remain fearful about contact with others for the next few years until a vaccine is available, something many believe is the only way to protect them, or to approach this situation more holistically, by also strengthening your mind and body, and supporting them in doing what they’ve been made for – living in coexistence and mutual exchange with the natural world.  After all, we are part of nature, as is the virus, not apart from nature.  

I am neither belittling that this virus can be nasty, nor that we should rely on nothing but prayers, or forego handwashing and face masks to protect us from it.  Moreover, we are collectively paying with weakened immune system for the toxins and pollution we have dumped into our environment.  But cancer, for example, while not transmittable in the same way, is also a really terrible disease, and with over 600,000 cancer deaths in this country every year against the 50,000 US Covid-19 deaths, it seems that we have come to accept cancer’s prevalence in our culture. On a related point, I have been criticized for suggesting the potential merits of the Swedish approach to creating Coronavirus immunity.

Your ability to vet information, something that can be learned, and discerning rubbish from a valid piece of information even when the majority seems to veer elsewhere, takes confidence and trust.   Deciding how best to protect your body, and understanding how your body heals, takes trust.  Read an interesting and much lengthier interpretation on that in Planet Waves.  Soon enough your body will encounter this virus. Will you live in constant fear, which weakens your immune system, and makes your mind vulnerable to manipulation?  The alternative is building trust in You, your body, and your ability to navigate this new reality. 

real simple - silver lining #10

There is a magazine with that name, and now it applies to many of our lives.  Life has not only slowed, it’s also become very basic.

For those not on the frontlines, life revolves around the house – eat, drink, work, cook, kids, sleep, repeat. Everything has become simplified down to personal grooming.  No dressing up for work, make-up optional for women unless you need to get on a Zoom call (and even then you can stay in your pajama pants as long as your top looks decent).  Expenses have been stripped down to basics, income may have taken a hit.  

Celebrities, luxury goods, travel, events, and anything else that might be considered frivolous or gratuitous, have no relevance in our current pandemic world.  My eyes glide right past pictures of sunshiny exotic travel destinations on my Instagram feed.  Not relevant. Even though food, water,  electricity and internet all function normally, we’re still somehow in survival mode because our lives are anything but normal, and may not be for a while yet.   

Is back to basics such a bad thing?  Did that new pocketbook, those new shoes you had to have, that trip to Disneyland with the kids, the groomed nails that took an hour every week, the salon hair color, all those mindlessly placed Amazon orders for stuff, really make your life happy and relevant?  Will you go back to your pre-pandemic consumption patterns when it’s all over?  Will you hustle and rush as you did before?  Stuff your and your kids calendar again until you fall into bed at night exhausted?

Or will something have shifted?

a healing crisis - silver lining #9

In the last few days we’ve seen so many robins in our backyard that I actually looked up this red breasted bird’s symbolism.  

In homeopathy they speak of a healing crisis when symptoms briefly intensify before abating and disappearing.  I have been pondering if this worldwide crisis, a health pandemic with ensuing economic collapse we are all trudging through so painfully, is triggering a cultural healing crisis of sorts?  

Several symptoms of our cultural dysfunction have indeed intensified during this crisis, all of a socio-economic nature (see silver lining #5) because they are a result of our form of extreme capitalism, which is exploitative in nature, of people and of the environment.  At the same time, we have watched as nature has caught its breath and showed us how fast it can heal if extreme human activity is curtailed (see silver lining #2).  

Are we now able to see the connection between environmental deterioration and extreme capitalism? Are we now able to see the connection between a comprehensive social safety net and a robust economy?  

Lo and behold, the symbolism of the robin is “stimulation of new growth, renewal and hope.”