Inner Sustainability:
Live Gently with the Earth by Living More Gently with Yourself
Many of us have taken Mahatma Gandhi’s invitation to heart: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” We understand this to mean “be the peace,” or “be the love.” We can also apply this powerful precept to the notion of “inner sustainability.” If sustainability - kind and loving management of the earth’s resources - is important to us, we must begin to cultivate our inner sustainability, the ability to live more kindly with ourselves.
As human beings, we are miniature versions of a vast, expansive universe. And because we are not simply sourced in that larger universe, but deeply intertwined, what happens to one will happen to the other. Logically, if we wish to change courses and heal our planet, we begin by healing ourselves. Actions of inner sustainability offer a profound path for creating the change we wish to see in our outer world. If we desire to be better stewards of the environment, let us be conscious stewards of our inner life. Consider these kind choices to create personal sustainability:
• Notice your internal dialogue. How do you speak to yourself? Do you berate, judge, or ridicule yourself? How we speak to ourselves is either an act of self-care or an act of hostility. Speak as kindly to yourself as if you were your own precious child.
• Observe the orientation of your thoughts. Are you lost in thoughts of the future, caught up in worry or fear? Bring your awareness back to the present moment where inner peace resides.
• When a choice needs to be made, opt for the kindest approach. Ask yourself, ‘How will this choice hurt or heal - myself or others?’
• Notice how you speak to and about others. Do you engage in gossip, idle chatter, slander, or lies? Our speech can cause harm to others without us even being aware of it.
• Stop pushing yourself so hard, putting pressure on yourself to achieve, accomplish, to “Do.” Inner pressure creates body/mind dis-ease. It also causes us to age more quickly.
• Stop rushing. Hurrying increases our inner time clock and elevates stress levels. Move more deliberately through your day. Ease your pace. Walk more slowly.
• Get more rest. Researchers tell us that Americans, more than any others, are sleep deprived. Rest is sacred. Take “Sabbath time.”
• Monitor your input. Vast amounts of negative media, television, video games, and abusive language, weaken the mind’s resilience and desensitizes us.
• Reduce the noise level in your life. Turn off the television and talk radio. Allow yourself more quiet time. Periods of stillness and solitude enliven and restore us.
• Eat as low as possible on the food chain to avoid ingesting emotional toxins (not to mention harmful chemicals). A healthy diet begets healthy thoughts. Eat food that is produced through non-violent means.
• Exercise. Care for your body so it takes good care of you. We are body, mind, spirit organisms, so a “whole system” approach to life is needed. Give as much attention to your body as you do your mind and spirit.
• Simplify your life. Use less, purchase less. Use more of what you do have. Simplifying eases stress, brings greater peace of mind.
• Refocus your personal energy from things to people. When we focus on others, on their needs and well-being, our priorities magically shift. We move from self-orientation to other-orientation, which naturally serves the greater good.
• Give yourself “Peaceful Pauses” throughout the day: times of stopping to access your Sacred Center. There is comfort and security to be found there. Our Center is our Source, and our Source is peace.
• Spend more time in nature. Get in touch with its seasons and rhythms, its power and majesty. Become conscious of its consciousness and its ability to affect you, to inspire and energize you.
• Offer gratitude for what is, for what you do have, for the people, things, and beauty all around you. Gratitude may be the highest state of being. It not only puts your body/mind at ease, but opens the doorway of possibility for greater good to come.
• Give back. Extend kindness to those around you, to your community, to the world at large, to Mother Nature herself. Give, rather than take, and notice how much better your life feels.
In truth, we are what we eat, what we think, and what friends we keep. We are our choices and our actions. To re-create a vibrant and flourishing earth, we must begin where we are - one thought, one word, one expression at a time. Each one, carefully tended, will usher in a new era of sustainability from which we can all benefit.
To learn more about a sustainable world watch this 2-part, You Tube video on The Venus Project: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf1gZxmIDKw
Brad and Jan Lundy are the authors of Perfect Love: How To Find Yours and Make It Last Forever. Jan is an inspirational speaker, Interfaith Spiritual Director, and the author of Your Truest Self: Embracing the Woman You Are Meant to Be (Sorin Books). Brad Lundy is a publisher and spiritual counselor. Both offer in-person and long distance spiritual mentoring. Learn more about the Lundys on their website www.awakenedliving.com, or at Jan's blog: www.awakeisgood.blogspot.com