The Practice of Being With

Earth Day is coming to a close. I am feeling reminiscent of Earth Days from the early years of this national celebration. I enjoyed watching families mill about, visiting new age booths, listening to live music, learning about solar and recycling at educational tables, picking up free bumper stickers and brochures, and more. It was just good clean fun (excuse the pun). It was simply a moment to remember the earth, have some fun, and give thanks. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that two to three decades down the road, concern for climate change, the threat of losing most our environmental protections, and drilling for oil on our sacred sites, national parks, monuments, and public lands would create a political divide. I could never have foreseen that mass killings of our nations protected and endangered animals would be sanctioned by our government. I could not have imagined the idea of walls that would cut off migration and hunting patterns of creatures from butterflies to mountain lions and gray wolves, not to mention, families looking for safety.

I have had a knowing for several years that is now coming to the forefront of my life. It is that I am nature and nature is me. I want to live in a way that recognizes spirit in all and to rest in that way of being. That sounds simple, right? But think about it for a moment. The English language makes everything that is not human, a thing. Businessmen and politicians objectify land, animals, plants, and other humans to abuse them, run over them, ignore them, own them, and make money on them. It happens every single minute of the day. The military calls people “targets” so that soldiers can more easily kill other humans by objectifying them. This can all be done in the comfort of another country. I suppose if one is just following orders and pushing a button to annihilate “targets” on a screen, guilt is lessened quite a bit. A newer form of this objectification on a huge scale is in our addiction to social media. Who among us has not sent off a “post” filled with rage and self-righteousness, not really caring who we hurt. I’ll be the first to raise my hand, and I so regret that I allowed myself to get sucked in. Social media has probably been one of our greatest dividers. If the “other” is an “it”, whether they be human or rock, then it is easy to do away with “it”.

Although white cultures from all countries have lived with this individualistic “survival of the fittest” ideology since the beginning of time, I am just now recognizing how pervasively political, abusive, and demeaning it has become in all areas of our lives in the last several years. The fact that this is just now on my mind in a big way, says that, I too, have been exceedingly blind most of my life, and trying to drastically change my entire psyche to recognize every being, animate and inanimate, as energetically and spiritually alive, is no small feat considering that our language and culture tell me the exact opposite.

Today, this Earth Day of 2021, I want to commit to changing this very mindset that I, my parents, my grandparents, and all others before them have lived with. When I step into nature, I commit to being with whatever/whoever is there and recognizing the equanimity in all beings. When I listen to a person speak or listen to a piece of music, I commit to trying to hear the spirit in their words or the notes in the air. When I see a work of art, I commit to taking in the expression and the creativity and message that the artist wanted to convey. When I drink or eat, I commit to trying to have gratitude for all beings, plant and human, who had a part in bringing it to my mouth. When I sit with another human being, I commit to sitting with them, not sitting in front of them. I don’t want to be an outsider, an observer anymore. I already know that I will fail every single day. But today, I commit to trying to become "with”, not separate from.

I am about to start reading and studying a poem by the German philosopher, Martin Buber. It is called, “I-Thou” and was written in 1923. He divided people into two groups, “I-it” people and “I-Thou” people. It is all about this concept of which I have been writing. After reading a few verses of this poem, I thought of the movie “Avatar”. The Avatars were the “I-Thou” beings and the businessmen and military were the “I-it” beings. They simply could not understand each other. It could not have been a more clear example of this divide. I also want to read all of Joanna Macy’s books and any other books I can get my hands on broaching this topic, but the real teachings are in our actions. How do we, as a people who live separatist lives from all other beings on this planet, join our hearts and spirit in union? I think we must commit, sit quietly, listen, touch, ask to be a part of, pray for change. We must step outside into nature on a daily basis, look out our windows, journal our thoughts, and have gratitude for all beings of all kinds. Maybe we change our language when we speak. Native languages have names for Sky, Air, and Sun. They are not things. They are beings, live entities.

I have said that this pandemic has hopefully been the impetus we need for change, but I don’t think that this change can be a passive one. It will take all of us to turn the tide toward compassion and love, and it will take practice and commitment to “be with”. Today, the closing of Earth Day, I commit to whatever I can do everyday to bringing more healing to this incredible planet and ALL its beings. I am so honored to join this path with so many others who are doing the same. I see who you are, and you inspire me. Thank you. Happy Earth Life everyone.