Be the change you wish to see in the world

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From a letter written June 1st

It's been about a week since I left San Diego, where I culminated the end of my Pacific coast portion by visiting two good friends, Ryan and Barbara, and their dog Moonshine. Ryan is a fellow student who I met through an experiential retreat hosted by the students of Bastyr of San Diego--the "Restore the Vis" retreat. It's similar to the Revitalization retreat. * I was very exited to make the stop and we had so much fun and further solidified a life-long friendship.

I got to sit in on a homeopathy class one day and we went surfing with the dolphins another day! Ryan and Barbara are amazing, and our numerous dinner conversations proved very thought provoking and a nice break from road silence hour after hour, day after day. I was a little sad to leave, but grateful to have another example of friendship to enrich and support my life. The types of people whom I've chosen to keep in touch with, and seem to attract, are simply beautiful individuals, wise in their years, and open to the responsibility of being the change we all wish to see in our world.

And, it's this last idea I would like to expand on. Something that Mahatma Ghandi said nearly 100 years ago, "be the change you wish to see in the world." Many of us know it; I have it hanging in a frame in my office (well, when it's not in storage). Since leaving San Diego, I've run into a handful of people who have been rather pessimistic about the likelihood of positive change. You probably know the type: those who stick mostly to themselves, not very social, but do just enough to look good, the "green" and sustainable things, just waiting for the entire world to miraculously turn into a Utopian paradise. I see a lot of tension in these individuals.

"The change is already happening" is my response. "We're in it." And all the "green" marketing and sustainability industry is a perfect example that there is a shift in how people are thinking about the environment and their relationship to it. Thirty years ago, the idea of "green" was hardly a common consideration and there was no industry surrounding it. The follow-up question and the real conversation I'd like to start having with these pessimists is: " how do we spread ideas such as sustainability, eco-responsibility, organic, and different perspectives and needs versus desires, economics, and social justice, to our friends, family members, coworkers, and acquaintances who have not yet "bought in" to this shift?" It is no longer enough, if it ever was, to simply "do our part" if that simply means existing as an island unto ourselves. "Our part" is in every interaction in every relationship.

Kenny Ausubel, founder of the Bioneers, (www.bioneers.org) said that the new alternative medicine will be an ecological medicine. I think that this is true, however, I would add that it will be a "humanitarian medicine", it will address the manner in which we interact with one another, collaborate and come together as communities to solve problems and overcome obstacles. The importance of interacting with one another in a constructive manner is intuitive for many of us, especially those reading this blog, but as with any community it has the tendency to hold onto ideas which define the community and find it difficult to project these ideas to groups outside. And we are referring to the "progressive" community which is growing to include many different sub-groups which are more than ever sharing and swapping ideas so that ideas such as conscious manifestation, affirmative prayer (not necessarily affiliated with a religion), social responsibility, and ecological responsibility are becoming more acceptable ideas within a more focused sub-culture. But we are still a sub-culture and though we may scream for more wide spread change, we exist in a paradox where we simultaneously falter when it comes to spreading these ideas outside the safety of our peer group or those we know are "of the same mind."

What makes this so difficult? Why are we so stingy with our ideas? We may all relate to this on different levels and to different degrees but I know that it's difficult for me to risk losing validation by going against the "social norm" with individuals who are more conventionally minded. But, if the new alternative medicine is to be a "humanitarian medicine" the new physician will be one who can help facilitate perceptual changes in how and what it means to be human in this time. And there is an answer to this dilemma , this fear to step out of the comfort of my community and a lot of these "progressives" will cringe when I say that it's the underlying message of all Western Christianity and, Jesus' primary teaching (and let the first test be to witness how our reaction to Gandhi differs from Jesus...hmmmm..interesting). Having love for the other will give us the courage to apostalize , which is basically what we're talking about. Evangelism is not only for the conservative, it's a powerful tool to voice our convictions. And of course it will look different when we use it, as we are giving a different message. We see some of this used on a large scale with advertising, but very little on the individual level at our work places. We do have the ability to enact great change and it's paramount.

So as I'm travelling , I am "walking the talk." You bet your ass I'm reusing all my plastic bags and carrying my trash until I find a recycling bin and using my travel mug!

So today, let me love RV drivers and desert dwellers, as we sit in the same restaurant and drink the same water in Ash Forks, Arizona!



* I wrote an article for NDNR magazine about "Restore the Vis" and the retreat I started in Oregon, "Revitalization". The on-line article includes great videos, as well. www.ndnr.com/naturopathic-news/the-nature-in-naturopathy-finding-it-through-experiential-nature-cure-retreats/

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Photos

My favorite cup
Sustainability is using the same coffee cup for years and taking it with you wherever you go!