Separation From Nature

Originally published April 23, 2015

Today is the 45th celebration of Earth Day, a day that got its start in 1970, when hippies and flower children defined a culture, the tune “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” was still popular and our consciousness as a nation was beginning to emerge via the anti-war protest movement and voicing environmental concerns.

We’ve come a long way, baby, and we still have a long, long way to go.

We humans continue to struggle with separation from Nature. Most of us sit at our computers all day, we go to the gym for our exercise and we have little to no connection with the foods we eat. We simply go to the grocery store and pick up prepackaged edible items.

We think of ourselves as individuals and we are fiercely proud of our individuality.

I’ve been reading The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics and the Miracles of Forgiveness by Gary R. Renard. Renard discusses the pride we take in our individuality, how we see that as a strength that makes us powerful masters of our own destiny and all that good stuff.

He then brings to light a major problem when we relate in such a determined way to our own individuality.

Individuality creates duality. It has to – the word ‘individuality’ contains the word ‘duality’.

Isn’t that an eye opener?

Duality sets up division. As I’ve said before:

When we divide creatures into groups of ‘them’ and ‘us’, it can without difficulty turn into ‘them’ vs ‘us’, where it becomes easy for us to abuse them. Our conscious is salved, because we are ‘only’ hurting ‘them’. This segregation does not encourage, or even allow, a rapport with the animals and it creates a spiritual separation.

I have been helping to care for some baby chicks: feeding and watering them, watching and laughing at their joy as they discovered dried mealworms. I’ve cleaned their tubs, put some of them in ICU (commonly known as a modified paper bag) to keep other chicks from picking on them when they became ill, and held some of those same little chicks as they crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Then I learned the other day that some of them will be butchered and eaten. I live in a very rural community, so there’s a part of me that understands that. However, I will not be partaking in that meal. I simply can’t eat a fellow sentient soul who has rubbed her beak against my finger when I’ve filled her food and water containers.

Please understand – this is NOT a post on going vegan or vegetarian (after all, plants have feelings too). This is a post about being conscious about how we humans take our right for individuality for granted. And in taking that individuality for granted, we create division, followed by chaos.

So for this Earth Day 2015, I invite you to observe your own behavior and become aware of situations where you revel in your own individuality. Notice I said observe, not ‘judge’. And then, when you’re ready, change that thought, action or deed that creates duality to one of connection.

Because the truly lovely thing about transforming the world is we don’t have to change anyone’s mind to create that transformation. We only have to change our own minds.

A marvelous Earth Day 2015 to you!