Imagining
A New Model of Justice
Denise Breton, Christopher Largent & Stephen Lehman
Breaking
the Bank: The Economic Heresy of Herman Daly
Lissa Harris
A
New Vision of Development
Roar Bjonnes
Sustainable
Businesses Combine Ideals and Vision
Debi Smith
The
Politics of Water in the Middle East
Leah C. Wells
Making
Media Monopoly Part of the Constitution
Robert W. McChesney
Why
People Don't Heal: A Homeopathic Perspective
Douglas Falkner, MD, M.Hom
A
Change of Heart: The Sacred Journey of Relationship
Sri Estes
In
Search of Enlightened Relationships
John Darling
Ten
Things Couples Can Do to Enhance Their Relationship
John Eisman
Witnessing
Peter Moore, MFCC, CGP
The
Movie Mystic: Matrix Reloaded
Stephen Simon
The
Urban Permaculture Homestead
Jude Hobbs
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
Deborah
Mokma, Editor
“The earth provides for every man’s need but not for every man’s greed.” - Mahatma Gandhi
The dictionary definition for the word sustain is: “To keep in existence; to maintain. To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for.” Whether we are discussing economies, the environment, relationships, cultures, or even democracy, consciously approaching what our responsibilities are with sustainability in mind is essential for health and longevity. Taking too much from any of the above, without sufficiently providing for, ensures that we will eventually face conditions which will bring about an otherwise avoidable end. By accepting the importance of all the choices we make in our daily lives, by being fully present and realizing that what we think, do and say has an effect—on others, on the environment, on future generations—we can make a difference in the outcome.
Sitting back and expecting others to “take care of business” guarantees difficulties ahead. Whether in our personal relationships, our communities, or our nation, our efforts do count. When we see injustice, we must speak. When we understand that our vehicles are senselessly polluting the air we breathe and driving our country to dominate the world’s oil resources to fuel them, we must actively seek to change the way the automobile industry views our “needs” as consumers. We must believe that what we choose to do—or not do—does matter.
Although many of us feel a deep sense of disappointment that our efforts did not prevent the recent invasion of Iraq, those efforts were not futile. Author Paul Rogat Loeb cautions “This response risks creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where a movement that may still be our best hope to transform America dissipates in resignation. To move past the despair many of us are feeling, we’re going to need to look at its roots. And then gain enough long-term perspective to remind us why our actions still matter … Arrogant men of power will always deny that those who challenge them are affecting their actions. But when Bush dismissed the massive protests as no more consequential than a poll-manipulated focus group, it was a calculated attempt to make people feel powerless.”
David Krieger, president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (www.wagingpeace.org), also adresses the situation we face in our nation today:
“Our failure to make a serious effort to stem poverty and injustice in the world is leading to resentment, anger and aggression toward America and innocent Americans … we are going to have to change our direction. We are going to have to share the resources of the country with its people, not only the wealthy few, and also be more generous abroad. The United States is not meant to be a country “of the rich, by the rich and for the rich.” It is a country, we are taught, “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We are the People and, for the good of ourselves and the world, we had better reclaim our country and reallocate our resources.
This means a far greater involvement of the people in our democratic processes. It means throwing out the politicians of both political parties who serve the interests of the corporations over the interests of the People. It means reallocating resources away from the militarization of America toward meeting the social needs of the poorest among us … Let us strive to be a great country because we care for each other, particularly the least among us, and for the world in which we live. The implications of restoring economic justice are profound. They lie at the heart of environmental devastation of our planet and the suffering of large portions of humanity. Economic justice may prove to be a far more important factor in quelling terrorism than military force.”
It is up to those of us who are blessed to live in a nation of abundance, whose daily routine is not defined by survival issues, to make the effort to make a difference. Eleanor Roosevelt once said “For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work for it.”
Let’s
roll up our sleeves and get down to business. Along the way we can experience
the joy of community and share the beauty and bounty of this magnificent
planet. Together.
