Living Green, by the Bible November 29, 2008

I am not a Jehovah’s Witness, but I read their literature from time to time. I came across this article in Awake! It is from the Dec 2007 issue.

The Bible’s Viewpoint. Why Care for the Earth’s Environment? Human activities may be damaging the health of our planet now more than at any time in history. As the threats of such problems as global warming become more alarming, scientists, governments, and industrial groups are increasing their efforts to respond. Do we as individuals have a responsibility to help care for the environment? If so, to what degree? The Bible provides good reasons for us to act in ways that benefit the earth. It also helps us to be balanced in our efforts. Supporting Our Creator’s Purpose Jehovah God made the earth to be a gardenlike home for mankind. He pronounced all of his work to be “very good” and assigned man “to cultivate [the earth] and to take care of it.” (Genesis 1:28, 31; 2:15) How does God feel about earth’s present condition? Clearly, he is offended by man’s mismanagement, for Revelation 11:18 foretells that he will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” So we should not be indifferent to the earth’s plight. The bible assures us that every trace of the damage caused by man will be undone when God ‘makes all things new.’ (Revelation 21:5) However, we should not conclude that since God will in time restore the earth, our actions now do not matter. They do! How can we demonstrate that we share God’s view of our planet and support his will for it to be a paradise? Contributing to a Clean Earth Normal human activities produce a measure of waste. Jehovah wisely designed earth’s natural cycles to process such waste, cleaning the air. the water, and the ground. (Proverbs 3:19) Our actions should be in harmony with those processes. Thus, we need to be careful not to contribute unneccessarily to earth’s environmental woes. Such care shows that we love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:31) Consider an interesting example from Bible times. God instructed the nation of Israel to bury human waste “outside the camp” (Deuteronomy 23:12,13) This kept the camp sanitary and sped up the process of decomposition. Similarily today, true Christians strive to dispose of garbage and other waste quickly and properly. Special care should be taken when disposing of toxic materials. Many waste products can be reused or recycled. If recycling is mandated by local laws, then obeying such laws is part of rendering “Caesar’s things to Caesar.” (Matthews 22:21) Recycling may require extra effort, but it demonstrates a desire for a clean earth. Conserving Earth’s Resources In order to fill our needs for food, shelter, and fuel and thus sustain our lives, we must consume natural resources. How we use those resources reveals whether we recognize that they are gifts from God. WHen the Israelites desired meat to eat in the wilderness, Jehovah provided an abundance of quail. Greed caused them to selfishly abuse that gift, greatly angering Jehovah God (Numbers 11:31-33) God has not changed since then. Accordingly, responsible Christians avoid needless waste, which could be a sign of greed. Some may view the unlimited consumption of energy or other resources as their right. But natural resources should not be squandered simply because we can afford them or there is an abundance. After Jesus miraculously fed a large crowd, he directed that the remaining fish and bread be gathered (John 6:12) He was careful not to waste what his Father had provided. Being Balanced in Our Efforts Every day we make choices that affect the environment. Must we take an extreme approach, withdrawing from human society to avoid any negative impat on the earth? Nowhere does the Bible recommend such a course. Consider Jesus’ example. While on earth, he led a normal life, which allowed him to accomplie his God assigned preaching work. (Luke 4:43) Furthermore, Jesus refused to get involved in politics as a means of solving the social problems of his day. He clearly stated: “My kingdom is no part of this world.” – John 18:36 It is proper, though, for us to consider the environmental impact of our choices in such areas as household purchases, transportation, and recreation. For example, some choose to purchase products that have been produced or operate in ways that minimize damage to the environment. Others strive to reduce their share in activities that create pollution or unduly consume natural resources. There is no need for one person to enforce his environmental decision on others. Personal and local circumstances vary. Still, we remain individually accountable for our decisions. As the bible states, “each one will carry his own load.” – Galatians 6:5 The Creator placed upon humans the responsibility to care for the earth. Appreciation for this assingment and humble respect for God and his creative works should motivate us to make thoughtful, conscientious decisions regarding how we treat the earth. AWAKE! DEC 2007

I, personally, do not live by the bible, though I will concede that it has a lot to offer. I hold that one can live honorably without necessarily living religiously. I also believe that one can live green without necessarily being religious, or left, or standing on one’s head. I do, in addition, readily accept wisdom and knowledge from various religions and spiritual paths as they offer them. Food for thought, and living, is not restricted to members only. I don’t believe that it should be.

Anyway….

Speaking of food for thought… I have to wonder why the majority of bible followers do not address what it has to say on matters of the planet. I find it very honorable of the Witnesses step up to the plate with this article.

From Trash to Dirt – Do’s and Dont’s of Composting November 19, 2008

Banana peels, coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, plant matter, tea bags, vegetable scraps … all of these go back to nature easily (thank god) but they can serve you by becoming soil if you compost them. Even if you don’t garden, composting is better than sending stuff to the landfill.

Basically, this is how it works: keep a bucket in the kitchen to collect the waste, before it gets rank put the stuff into a container outside, add moisture, mix it up, and let nature do its work. Sooner or later it all turns into dirt.

There are containers ready made with cranks on the side so they are easy to turn, or you can rough it and use a bed and a shovel. One way is to have a plastic barrel with holes drilled into it. Kick the barrel around the yard to mix up the contents. You do not necessarily have to touch the stuff if you don’t want to. At least not until it is finished. It should not smell bad either, if it does, you need to add more leaves or shredded paper. (see below)

The point in composting is for the stuff to decompose. So what you want is 3 basic things:

1. Moisture

2. Heat

3. Mixing or turning

There are a few things not to do, so here is a list of do’s and dont’s:

DO:

Do put your composting a distance from your doors and windows

Do put natural stuff that will break down like food and small amounts of non glossy pulpy paper (coffee filters, shredded newspaper, shredded sales fliers, etc)

Do keep the stuff heated (such as in the sun, not the shade)

Do keep the stuff aerated (let it breathe, keep it mixed up)

Do keep the stuff moist but not soaking wet – like a run out sponge

Do shred newspaper if you are going to compost it.

Do add composting agents which are available at gardening centers. Fresh cow manure works as well.

Do chop or break up stuff into pieces or parts

For best results, do turn it every few days. Burying it will do the trick, just at a much slower rate

Do add farm animal manure if you can get it

Do add cut grasss but be sure to mix it

Do let worms live in the compost – they help aerate the compost and they eat it which speeds up the process.

Do protect it from heavy wind and rain

Do add leaves, straw, or shredded newspaper and turn it. Especially if it starts to stink.

DON’T:

Don’t put in things with protein, such as meat or dairy – it will take a long time to break down and attract pests.

Don’t put in bones – they will definitely take forever to break down (seems silly to say this but I actually know someone that tried )

Don’t put in plant matter that is diseased or treated with herbicides, such as lawn clippings from parks.

Do NOT try to compost poop. Feces comosting should be done separately since the soil cannot be used for gardening. It also requires slightly different instructions.  However, poop from herbivores is different, that is fertilizer, and is ok to compost. But don’t go overboard. Cat and dog (and human) poop is definitely a don’t.

Don’t toss your trash in the compost. This defeats the purpose of composting.

Don’t put in a lot of newspaper with a lot of shiny paper and colored ink (coupon pages for example)

Don’t put in ashes from coal. Wood ash is not recommended either.

Don’t put in diseased plants or weeds gone to seed (if you plan to garden with the resulting soil)

Don’t add dairy products (this will attract pests and make it stink)

Don’t add fatty stuff like salad dressing – fats take too long to break down.

Happy Rotting…..

Control Dramas: How we negatively handle each other, and how we can stop. November 17, 2008

The Celestine Prophecy, a book by James Redfield, addresses the issue of negative ways people handle each other. In order to fill what we feel as a loss of energy or a loss of power, we subconsciously attempt to take energy from others. Which then drains them and causes them to seek power back, or from another person. Which triggers them to seek energy back from us, or from someone else – so on and so forth – round and round we go.

According to this book, there are 4 ways we do this – 2 that are aggressive and 2 that are passive. The aggressive methods are ways that are outward and active efforts, though usually unintentional. The passive methods are methods that are far more subtle, and also unintentional. Both of the methods are called “Control Dramas.” Control Dramas are roles we play when we feel a lack of power, or a lack of personal energy.

AGGRESSIVE CONTROL DRAMAS:

1. INTIMIDATOR

2. INTERROGATOR

The first aggressive control drama is called the Intimidator. Those of us that do this, quite simply, intimidate others to get our way. These people are the bullies, and the bosses that push everyone around. They get power from others by scaring it out of them. I have found that Intimidators are often in positions of authority, and tend to abuse it. Yelling at their victims, while common, is not the only method they use. Sometimes covert methods are used. Such as threats of having you fired, or ruining you. They enjoy the thrill of the power trip, which is the depletion of your energy.

The second aggressive control drama is called the Interrogator. Those of us that do this question the victim incessantly, often to corner them into a position they cannot possibly get out of. Frequently they are trying to set you up and get energy out of you by flustering and exhausting you. I have heard of Interrogators referred to as nitpickers. I always think of lawyers and how Interrogators make you feel as if you are on trial and being judged. The power trip, the rush of ’stolen’ energy, is what they are after.

PASSIVE CONTROL DRAMAS:

1. ALOOF

2. POOR ME

The first passive control drama is called Aloof. Those of us that are Aloof cause others to pry and frustrate energy out of people. Being indifferent and unavailable triggers a reaction in others and makes them try to get the Aloof person to participate. Thereby, causing an energy transfer. Often the Aloof person will make you “jump through hoops” to get what you want from them. By making you work so hard, they get your energy. This method works especially with the Interrogator – the questioner needs someone to question, while the Aloof person needs someone to dodge. They tend to attract each other.

The second passive control drama is called Poor Me. Those of us that are in this drama are involved in the victim role. These people guilt everyone into doing what they want and are often accused of whining. Everyone feels sorry for the person doing this role, and often the person has not made their best effort to get out of (or stay out of) their unfortunate situation. People fall over themselves and keep giving and giving to the Poor Me. This method works with the Intimdator; the victim needs an abuser, and the abuser needs a victim. Those in these roles tend to attract each other. (By no means am I placing any fault on those that are abused or are in extreme situations outside their control. It is, however, worth mentioning that when the abused refuses to be a victim any longer, or Poor Me, the dynamic tends to change.)

Note that all of these unhealthy games we play may anger us, or embarrass us, but we must remember that we are evolving. No one is perfect. No one should be blamed (unless doing the drama is intentional) and no one should feel ashamed.

Having said that……….. moving on

The way these control dramas work, as mentioned above, is each one has a marriage partner, so to speak. See the chart below.

Intimidator < > Poor Me

Interrogator < > Aloof

When one goes into Intimidator mode, he or she triggers a Poor Me reaction, and vice versa. As with the Interrogator and Aloof. For example, when an Aloof person feels cornered, he or she becomes “unavailable”, causing the Interrogator to fire more questions at him or her, which gives the Aloof person power.

What a mess, huh? So, why do we keep doing these things to ourselves and each other?

Well, we are trying to get our power back. When we feel a loss of energy, of our personal power, we go a little nuts. Also, we tend to develop our control dramas as kids, and the specific ones we develop are based on our environment and the adults we are around,. Then its just a matter of old habits dying hard. Most of us aren’t aware we are doing these roles, but we can do something once we realize it the problem stems from feeling a lack of personal power.

So, now what? What do we do?

Several things….

Most importantly, we can stop the cycle by interrupting the dynamic from the get-go – at the attempt to get energy from others. We are so ingrained to believe we must get energy from people, we forget that there is an inexhaustible source available to us at all times. We keep trying to get our power from other people and are never satisfied because we are mistakenly trying to get the right vibe from the wrong source. It is much like trying to get bananas from a lemon tree. An honest mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. We need to learn how to reconnect to the divine source which has all our vibrations and is able to accommodate every one of us. Shifting our focus to a spiritual source is the key.

According to the Celestine Prophecy, you begin the process of connecting to the divine source by seeing beauty. Really seeing beauty – in nature, in people, in creation. In God – as you understand him or her. When you feel moved by a sunset, or an animal you are on the way. When you feel the charge of Mother Earth. If we maintained our connection to this source of energy we would find that we don’t need to take energy from other people. Of course we would still have some conflict, healthy conflict, but we would not feel as powerless.

Here are some more tips to change the dynamics of control dramas:

1. Change your own pattern. Stop your control drama. Notice when you do them, forgive yourself, and move on. Personally, I simply end the conversation.

2. Name the dramas when others do them, and don’t respond in the pattern. If someone is being an Interrogator (or whichever), don’t fill the Aloof (or whichever) role. If you don’t do what is expected, the game will fizz out. Find more positive ways to respond. You can’t stop others from doing their control dramas, but you don’t have to follow their dance either.

3. As stated above (it bears repeating), get your power from a healthier source to begin with. Pray, meditate, commune with nature, or spend time in solitude. Unplug from the television once in a while, and spend some time with yourself. Do whatever makes you feel in tune – art, sports, crafts, etc. Read, write, study, discover whatever makes you sing. Start connecting by finding your bliss.

4. Teach others about the control dramas. If your partners and loved ones know about them, you can discuss them and avoid power struggles.

5. Teach your children to get energy from God, or to pray, or meditate. Give them a way be healthy.

I strongly suggest reading The Celestine Prophecy for further information – it is, however, about much more than control dramas. It is a wonderful story that is fictional, spiritual, and deeply inspirational. I hope you find and read it. It is by James Redfield, and was published in 1993. The ISBN is 0-446-51862-X. The story is about an American man who has a spiritual awakening in Peru; it describes his journey, both physical and spiritual.

There is a movie based on it that was a released in 2006, and also other books that follow the book, but I have not seen the movie, or read the sequel or workbooks. I simply haven’t gotten around to it yet. However, I am sure they are just as good as the original.

Good luck!

America’s Win November 7, 2008

Barack Obama - President Elect of USA

When I try to blog about our win, about Barack Obama becoming our President elect, I simply cannot come up with any words. I well up with emotion and struggle to think of anything to say.

It is not only because he is Black. Not just because we have come this far. But also that America has surprised me. I never thought in my lifetime I would see this happen, and certainly not on the first go. I figured the first Black candidate would lose first.

America stepped up, and this has humbled me. This is so because I didn’t believe in it’s people.

While I truly believe Obama is the right person for the job, I am not one to get deep into the mix of politics. It is the social temperature that fascinates me, and he represents a new way of thinking. A more enlightened approach is why I voted for him. Because he looks forward. Because he wants to evolve to a better place, and he seems to believe we can live there. He believes in a country I have trouble believing in. This is an absolute must in a leader – the ability to inspire love of country and, dammit, he almost inspires me to believe in mine.

Quite an accomplishment.

I don’t think there will be drastic political changes overnight, of course not. Things may not even change much at all. But socially, things have already changed. At the very least, they have within me.

Rediscovered Religion – Unitarian Universalism November 1, 2008

Unitarian Universalist Symbol

I stumbled on this religion and did a little reading. I had heard of them before but it didn’t take the first time. This time though, wow. This religion fascinates me! I will be going to a service tomorrow to see how it fits me. So far, online, it fits me very well. Here is what they are about:

Unitarian Universalists place emphasis on spiritual growth and development. Unitarian Universalism is a creedless religion. The Unitarian Universalist Association affirms seven principles:

* The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
* Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
* Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
* A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
* The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
* The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
* Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

The official statement of Unitarian Universalist principles describes the “sources” upon which current practice is based:

* Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
* Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
* Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
* Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
* Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
* Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

As I continue my journey with the UU’s, I will likely provide some links here.
Until next time…

Rebkeh