Season of Nonviolence - Day 48

Welcome to Day 48 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 48: ECOLOGY

Gandhi said "To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves." 

 

Individuals like you and me who make the final decisions about what is bought and sold in the stores, how much carbon dioxide is pumped into the atmosphere, and what is dumped into the sea. Each of us can begin to heal the environment right away by changing our daily habits.

And what about our internal environment, which is as real as the one we see around us?  This internal environment has a powerful effect on the external environment: the way we think affects the way we treat the earth. When we purify this inner environment, we are not only making ourselves more secure and fulfilled, but we are also making an important contribution to the health of Mother Earth.  Nonviolence extends from ourselves, not just to our brothers and sisters, but to the earth as well.

Today:  I will practice recycling by using at least one recycled product and by recycling a product.   I will reduce, reuse and recycle the products I use.

Season of Nonviolence – Day 48

Welcome to Day 48 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Day 48: Ecology

"The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself." ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

When Roosevelt made this statement, our nation was in the midst of a great depression that was, in part, related to the environmental disaster known as the Dust Bowl. For years the farmers of Oklahoma and Texas had farmed their lands unrelentingly, not allowing fields to go fallow or alternating crops to keep the land healthy. The resulting destruction brought starvation to those areas and took years to repair.

We face a far greater disaster as we continue to consume and destroy our resources as if there were no tomorrow. Our cars and factories pollute the air, while we continue to destroy the rain forests that help keep our air clean. We consume and drill for oil as if it was an unlimited resource although we know this is not the case. This is the only home we have. Rather than caring for it so that our species can thrive for centuries to come, we continue to destroy limited resources for short term financial gain.

Contemplate or journal about how you can take better care of our planet. You can stop buying individual bottles of water, recycle paper, plastic and aluminum, or become actively involved in organizations who are devoted to protecting our environment and preserving all life on earth. How much are you willing to do to make sure your world thrives into the future?

From A Season of Nonviolence