by Astara
In honor of Earth Day, I invite you to think a little differently about this day and about your relationship to the planet and to nature. Here are a few questions to build a better world for us, our planet and future generations.
What if you started your next idea, task or project from a place of wonder and connection?
And this is where meditation enters. It is in our most meditative wordless states that wonder and true connection begin. If you look at our relationship to nature today, we have created a polluting culture obsessed with convenience and profit. Despite our shiniest toys and technical advances, we have (so far) failed in the realm of global environmental health. Our current chaos reflects scarcity, separation, and competition. We have lost our connection to wonder.
What if you first entered a state of wordlessness before you began creating what you want in your life? There are so many ways to get to wordlessness. You could meditate, listen to great music, attend a sound meditation, play an instrument, draw or sculpt or paint, play a sport, play with your dog or cat, or play a game with your child. When you meditate or play you drop words, thoughts, and the split and divisive nature of the mind. And then something magical happens. Runners call it the zone. Dancers know it well. Artists who are creating enter a time of no-time. It is in this wordlessness, you begin to connect to everything. Some call it oneness. Some call it joy. Some call it happiness. In that state, you get your best ideas! And the earth is hiring visionaries now, it needs all of us creating from THAT connected joyful place.
Imagine you put a new requirement on your next work meeting or family time, and made everyone play something or do something they enjoyed deeply before you started. That would make for a great meeting and even greater solutions.
What if the nature you see around you was considered your wisest elder?
After you enter that wondrous wordlessness that dominoes you to your best imagination, you can create products, services, projects, buildings, and new systems that are connected to nature. And we need a new relationship to nature. Even in 2018, most of us still think we are separate from nature. We see nature as something to control, dominate, or harvest for profit.
Nature is our best ally. And we ARE nature. We were never separate. And the time has come to design a world that not only looks to nature as a part of us, as us, but also to look to it with respect. We not only ARE nature, we need nature. Stop closing the door on nature, we need to open up our doors and windows of perception. We need to bring nature indoors. Ninety percent of our time is spent indoors. Usually in sick buildings that are sealed off from nature. If you want to learn more about the art of bringing nature indoors, you can read here about Biophilic Design.
Learn from nature and you will discover the best wisdom out there. And the bonus is that nature helps you listen to your own wisdom within. It is time to bring nature inside our hearts. It is time to bring nature indoors within our homes and businesses.
According to the Biomimicry Institute “A sustainable world already exists.” Janine Benyus the founder of Biomimicry shares, “Nature has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. After billions of years of research and development, failures are fossils, and what surrounds us is the secret to survival.” Enjoy this film from the Biomimicry Institute as an invitation to a new way of thinking about your world. What if you look to nature as your best resource to fuel ideas, designs and solutions?
What if what we once thought was competition in nature, is actually cooperation?
Biomimicry invites us to a new paradigm. Despite what we view at the surface, nature is not in direct competition. Relationships we once thought were predatory or competitive are actually mutually beneficial in some way. Competition takes too much energy.
Symbiotic relationships or mutualistic relationships are most powerful when they include unusual allies. The more different the parties are, the more likely the mutualism will be successful. Something to consider in your world. How can nature teach you to invite in more cooperation, mutualism, and collaboration?
Enjoy every Earth Year!
