Here are a few wonderful excerpts from the book I'm currently reading, Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind.
"Activist Bill McKibben explores the connections between modern economies, unnatural human living patterns, and widespread unhappiness. His insights into "deep economy" yield a surprising prescription: relocalization. What will matter most in the years ahead, he says, is whether the economy in place will build or undermine community and cooperation: the state for which humans are genetically wired and in which they thrive best."
TOTALLY AGREE.
"Our world is composed, more and more, of individuals in isolation from each other, each following his or her own path. Plenty of data back this up. Every study of the phenomenon shows Americans spending less time with friends and family, either working longer hours, or hunkered down in their "Internet alcoves."
Since I have been back from Nepal, I have discovered some pretty stark differences between the way we live in America and how others live in other places around the world. The one difference that stands out to me the most is how we, in America, do not have as much of a sense of community as we think we have. Walking down a dirt road in rural Bharatpur, past vegetables, buffalo, and playing children, I noticed the local Nepali people sitting in their yards, drinking milk tea and having conversations with each other. They had no other pressing tasks to complete that day. They actually had time to sit with their neighbors for hours and welcome the passing day. Their sense of community was so strong. Here, I have lost that sense of community. I still talk with friends, family, co-workers, etc. regularly, but it's not the same. I literally have to schedule time for these things because everyone has such a crazy schedule.
The Link between Happiness and Local Community
"There is a hopeful future in store if we shift to economies that are more local in scale. Local economies would demand fewer resources and cause less ecological disruption. They would be better able to weather coming shocks. They would allow us to find a better balance between the individual and the community, and hence derive greater satisfaction from our lives."
"Humans seem to be genetically wired for community. Why do people so often look back on their college days as the best years of their life? Usually, it's not because their classes were so fascinating. More important is the fact that they lived more closely and intensely in a community than ever before or since. Having connections with others is much better than having money."
"It is not hard to figure out why happiness has declined here even as wealth has grown. In the two decades between 1974 and 1994, the percentage of Americans who said they frequently visited with their neighbors fell from almost a third to barely a fifth, a number that has continued to fall in the last decade. We simply commuted too far from our too-isolated homes, worked too many hours, and then chose at the end of the day to bask in the blue glow of the tube shining through the curtains."
Even implementing a local farmer's market is a step in the right direction. More people can connect with the individuals who provide their food and that is only part of the solution.
There are so many things that can create a greater sense of community, but it is hard to find enough enthusiasm and support to follow through. Oftentimes, people end up moving into intentional communities or eco-villages to fulfill this sense of community and togetherness. I think it would be really cool to try that out for a few months! In the end, it is our economic lives that play a crucial role in wrecking or rebuilding our communities. We need to learn to depend on those around us for something real. If we do, then the bonds that make for human satisfaction, as opposed to endless growth, will begin to reemerge.
Here is an example of an intentional community or eco-village. This one below is in Ithaca, NY.
Thanks to Linda Buzzell and Craig Chalquist for collaborating and creating this inspirational work of art that I have in my hands! And thanks to Bill McKibben for all of his awesome advice when it comes to environmental change. Everyone should take a look at this book; it will really change the way you see our connection with the environment and the economy. This book leaves you feeling optimistic for the future and provides you with the drive to make some change! That's why I decided to focus this blog post on Ecotherapy.
Author Linda Buzzell sent me a link to an Ecoresilience Leadership Certificate course in San Francisco if you're interested and have completed undergraduate-level schooling.
http://www.chalquist.com/ecoresilience.html
Happy Wednesday!
MacKenzie
Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well on this fine Sunday. I just wanted to share some organizations that I have discovered this past week because I'm feeling inspired by what they have to offer for the future of our planet! Currently, I am sitting at the Portland Flea-For-All, selling the jewelry I have been busy making for the past month since I got back from Nepal. It's pretty fun to spend a weekend here because you meet some interesting people and get the chance to advocate for yourself and share what you have to offer, which in my case, is funky jewelry! Here's my page if you want to check it out ~ MacKenzie Rose Designs. Thanks!
THE PACHAMAMA ALLIANCE
So over the past few days I've been looking into the Pachamama Alliance, a non-profit organization that is working towards an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet. According to their website, they were "born out of an invitation from the Achuar people of Ecuador to work in partnership with them to preserve their land and culture by bringing forth a new worldview that honors and sustains life." From what I have seen so far, the Pachamama Alliance seems like a very wonderful catalyst in the race for worldly transformation. And I honestly feel so inspired when I see people really aiming to make this world a better place. There are lots of things that need improving and I think one of the most important things that we need to work on as a population is to renew our relationship with the land and get back to our roots.
The Pachamama Alliance's main focus is to empower the indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest to preserve their lands and culture to educate and inspire individuals everywhere to bring forth a thriving, just, and sustainable world. What a mission. I think this is a goal that should really be taken to heart, and we should begin to help other indigenous people preserve their cultures all around the world. Creating a sustainable planet is key to our survival in the future and many people think they are incapable of making change. Improving the state of our environment should be at the top of our to-do lists because in the end, it could make or break life as we know it. By creating more environmental organizations and conscious communities, we can make a difference.
The Pachamama Alliance's Awakening the Dreamer Symposium
Please check out the Pachamama Alliance website AND their sister website (Up to Us: How We Can [Actually] Change the World):
Pachamama Alliance: http://www.pachamama.org/home
Up to Us: http://www.uptous
ECOTHERAPY: HEALING WITH NATURE IN MIND
Also in the past week, I have begun to read a great book, Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind. It discusses how, in the Western world, we have severed our connection to the very source of life, and as a result, we are possessed by an ever-growing hunger that we try to fill by consuming more and more, in the process destroying the very fabric of life that sustains us. According to this book and other sources, ecopsychology seeks to address the sources of our cultural madness and to reestablish the lost connection with the more-than-human (natural) world. Sustainability is a key concept in ecopsychology, boh in the sense of how we, as a epcies, can live sustainably on the earth, and how we, as individuals, can create sustainable lives and relationships. Sustainability has a lot to do with dynamic balance, reciprocity, and interdependence. Achieving a sustainable society will require a diversity of perspectives and the cultivation of our ability to tolerate ambiguity and chaos. Creating enduring and sustained community is a central goal for ecopsychology and ecotherapy.
Needless to say, this is a VERY good book so far. It also talks a lot about how individuals acquire mental illnesses as a result of a life lived out of tune with nature and wilderness. Once people spend more time outside, their moods lift and they feel more connected with everything around them. People who suffer from mental illness oftentimes feel disconnected and lonely in a world that is so fast-paced and constantly evolving. When they get out and spend more time with themselves or others in a natural environment, they almost always feel much better about themselves. I really like how this book advocates for being more active outdoors because I personally notice a difference in my mood when I spend time exploring the woods of New England. It's always a refreshing and awesome way to spend my time.
http://www.ecotherapyheals.com/
That's all for now! Enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday while I get back to being a flea-er!
MacKenzie
