Deborah
Mokma, Editor
In the 70’s, when beginning to live my life more simply, I was frequently asked by family and friends how I could give up so much. From their perspective, I was doing “without” many things. From my perspective, I was learning of all the riches and abundance that are offered in a world with less “stuff,” where my needs were defined not so much by desires but by the realities of life. It was during this time that the “Living simply so that others may simply live” books and bumper stickers were arriving on the scene. Many people were returning to the land, seeking the simple life and the safe haven of the countryside.
What so many of us who were sharing this experience at the time found was that try as we might we could not remove ourselves completely from the rest of the world. And while living simply was indeed an important choice, we were still affected by the choices others were making.
As the world continues to shrink around us, with PCBs showing up in the Arctic ice and instant messaging possible from the most remote regions of the planet, the fact that we are all interconnected in a great tapestry is becoming apparent to more and more people. As this understanding grows, as more of us choose to make our decisions based upon the belief that all life matters, accomplishing the many changes necessary to return our world to a healthy balance becomes more of a possibility.
As David La Chapelle points out in his latest book, Navigating the Tides of Change (excerpted on page 14), the Indian Sutras tell us that “The mind becomes that which it dwells upon.” I am encouraged by the many individuals who are dwelling on the idea that they can make a difference, and indeed are feeling compelled to do so. Personal activism comes in many forms, and each of us has the ability to effect the world in which we live. We all can assist in the shift, with the products we buy, the transportation we use, the phone calls we make and the letters we write to let our elected representatives know how we feel. It all makes a difference. Together, we can create a world in which peaceful coexistence becomes more than just a phrase. But only if we try.
