Our Disease of Disconnect

I think it's important for us to take care of our minds and hearts along with our bodies. All people need to realize that every decision we make in every aspect of our lives has far-reaching consequences. When we make a decision we need to think of that decision as a middle point on a piece of thread. The choices we make about food, shopping, clothing, entertainment, daily interactions with strangers, the way we spend our free time, the way we clean our houses, the way we raise our children...all of these choices make a difference in the world. A great many people say that what one person does soesn't matter...many people think that one person's choice to abstain from meat or shopping or a certain religion has no effect on the universe as a whole, but they're wrong. One person's decision to eat vegan saves 98lbs of beef, 67lbs of pork and 102lbs of chicken annually, based on the average North American diet. If everyone in the country decided to go without our daily 8 ounces of meat for one day a week, we would save more greenhouse gas emissions over the course of a year than if we gave up traveling by cars, trains, planes and ships combined. And that is just one serving a day, one day a week, for one year. Let's also remember that one person's lifestyle decision can inspire other people, who can inspire other people, and so on. Keep this in mind as you read further.
In the video above, Julia Butterfly Hill talks about the 'disease of disconnect'. What that means is that when we make everyday choices, we rarely think about the consequences of those choices. How many of you think nothing of going to Tim Hortons or Starbucks for a cup of coffee? For most people it's just a part of their every day routine. A learned behaviour that they have become numb to the consequences of because they have become mentally disconnected from the earth and it's inhabitants. I'm making an assumption here, but I assume that when the average Joe buys a cup of coffee, he may wonder whether it's fair trade, but if it isn't that probably won't affect his decision. And furthermore, I'm sure he doesn't think about the fact that it's being served to him in a paper cup that once used to be part of a forest that was clear-cut in order to supply our growing demand of paper products, stealing homes from wildlife and clean air from the lungs of the people whose communities surround it. Does he think about the petroleum complex in Ecuador, Africa, Alaska, etc. when he sees the barista pop a plastic lid onto his cup? Or is his mind somewhere else entirely? This isn't meant as an accusation, it's meant as a call to consider what events have lead up to you, your friend or a stranger holding that cup of coffee. Now consider what events will follow. Will he throw it 'away'? There is no such place as 'away'. In our culture it is widely accepted that when you throw something in the trash it goes away...but it doesn't. It goes to a landfill. I won't insult your intelligence by explaining why that's not a good thing. But just consider how much trash could be avoided if one person skipped their daily cup of coffee (it's not good for us anyways!) made it at home, or brought a re-usable mug to the coffee shop? Now imagine how much trash one person could save over their lifetime by doing this! Get it? Our decisions matter. Our choices make a difference. We have the power to affect change!
We have this problem of disconnect in most areas of our lives. The way we raise our children affects the way they interact with other children, who they will grow up to become, how they raise their children, and so on. How we choose to shop affects our mental health, the people who created the product we're buying, the landfill that ultimately has to accomodate our waste when we (or the person we gave or sold an item to) choose to throw it 'away'. Every product is made from materials that came from somewhere, then was assembled by someone, then was driven in a truck or flown in a plane or shipped by boat or train to get to the store we're buying it from. Every animal we eat supports a meat industry that is exploiting animals, polluting the environment and putting family farmers out of business. Every decision we make about food will affect us sometime in the future, whether it be through disease, obesity, general lack of well-being or the eating habits we teach our children. The way we treat strangers affects the way they treat other people and the way they feel, which can affect decisions they make throughout their day. I'm sure you're getting the point here. Every decision we make not only matters, but has a huge potential to make a difference in the world. There is a beginning and an end to the string our choices hang on. Consider both ends of that string when you make your decisions. Think before you choose. If we all truly thought about the events leading up to our actions and the results afterwards, I think most of us would change the way we choose to live.
The current state of the world is a direct result of our choices and of the choices of the people who came before us. Anyone can see where our choices have led us and are continuing to lead us. If we don't change the way we think, the way we act, the way we live...eventually the gift of life on planet earth will end. It starts with a handful of people realizing that their decisions matter and changing the way they live. A compassionate, loving, positive lifestyle is infectious! Making joyful, life-affirming choices and embracing the wonder of simplicity will inspire change in others. If not change, att the very least it will inspire thought in others.
I hope this has inspired you to look at your lifestyle and ask whether your life - beginning to end - is going to bring more good to the earth than harm. We have the power as individuals to change the world. Let's take that seriously!