The ego is a tricky thing and in lots of ways our society has been catering to our insatiable ego. One main entity the ego craves is rightness. In Buddhist tradition, right and wrongness are the paths to suffering so when we lead with our assumptions or our attachment to our ideas of being right, we are creating suffering for ourselves and others. Its not your fault and I’m by no means exempt from growing this seed of suffering. The first step is realization, acknowledgement and then right action to grow something more powerful than right and wrongness; understanding.
Ok, I know, I know. What does this have to do with developing a life that is “green” “zero waste” or “sustainable”? Well because its entirely about our thinking. Our ego having to be right, or being more virtuous can lead us down the path of getting more stuff which inherently got us here in the first place.
Here goes the ego again. Excuse you lady, but I’m conscious about what I buy and I only get green products. Thats great but your not there yet! Keep going! Keep diving deeper. Its not that we have to buy things to live in a way thats going to heal our planet, its that we have to think and act in ways that will make our earth and soul regenerate.
How? Imagine for a second that everything you have, have bought for yourself and others is in the room with you. Now imagine all the unseen materials and people that had a hand in creating all of those items that you have or have purchased. WOW! Thats a lot of people and a lot of stuff! Yikes get me out of here!
Well hold on. Sit there and notice.
What do you see? Are the materials from your environment? Do they have a way of restoring your environment or do they take away from it? How would those materials look and develop untouched, without human intervention? Do the people look familiar to you? What do their lives look like? Are they able to support their families based on the product you use of theirs?
Now imagine where those materials go when your gone. Who is responsible for dispersing them, discarding them, reusing them? What impact do those materials have when you are gone?
This is the deep thinking we need to do.
In the Hindu tradition, gift giving has a spiritual nature that has guidelines wherein karma, good or bad, can be attached. “It is not so much wealth that brings happiness and peace but our attitude to possessions.” And I dare say our relationship with that, that which we possess. The inherent merit of this object that we’ve removed our connection to has also removed our connection from the places, faces and beings that it affects either by the process of making it, using it or removing it. Our intention to purchase or possess has separated us from our relationship with tangible material in the world and how we use it.
You’re not wrong that we should move toward sustainable practices but you have to see that sustainable practices are not going to shift our thinking toward healing our planet, re-establishing meaningful connections with each other, using without consuming, regaining connections with the land, and beings on it. We have to think deeply and not let “our ego affect our eco” as my friend Tim Convoy says.
You’re not wrong but we’re not there yet.
