In many ways, community and family have been replaced by the individual.  “Every man/woman for him/herself!”  Somewhere along the line, “he would give you the coat off his back” became “he will take the coat off your back if you let him”.  Never satisfied, we justify “more is better, it’s mine, and I earned it or at least figured out a way to take it from you”.  I find it interesting that, in a nation where we profess to be serious about our spirituality, and most religions and spiritual paths emphasize treating others at least as well as you treat yourself, we have become so possessive, greedy and competitive.  Do we even read our spiritual guidebooks?

It is said “we create what we defend against”.  In defending against scarcity, we have indeed created a sense of scarcity in our minds.  And in the current economy, apparently.  Hence, the lack of sharing and the unwillingness to support others to thrive along with your own efforts to thrive.  We politely ignore appeals to give voluntarily of our time, talent and money.  We adamantly oppose any formal legislation that would require us to do so involuntarily.   What is the answer then?

Yes, it is important to take care of myself.  I am responsible for my life.  But I don’t think that means “look out for number one” only.  Far more can be accomplished when we move from an independent to an interdependent mind set.  Collaboration and cooperation allow for great results, and, I say, more fun and enjoyment.  Creating an economy that meets the needs of all, including animals and the planet, is not beyond the capacity of our collective intellects.  We just have to be committed to doing so.

It is time to say goodbye to the “great depression” of our hearts and minds.  It is time to recognize that it is not things, and the acquiring of more of those things, that will bring us true joy.  It is through loving ourselves and others, and accessing the abundance within us, that we will finally feel satisfied.  I extend an invitation to you: join me in ushering in a new era, one of Great Generosity; of Great Enjoyment; and of Great Contentment.

Equine enterprises were among the early leaders in sustainability in the world.  Each sustainable equine place developed practices that worked best for their situation.  Yet all are based on similar principles, which are just as valid today as they were years ago.  And, of course, these principles also apply beyond the equine world.

The deepest foundation principle of all is love.  Loving kindness, respect, compassion, consideration, a sense of oneness.  Arising from this foundation, every thought and action is infused with a powerful energy.  Another related principle is wholeness.  Whole system thinking; everything is connected.  Awareness of the effects of choices on the whole, not merely on the direct line of action.  “Relatedness is the organizing principle of the universe.”  Concepts such as interdependence, integration, cooperation, collaboration and dialogue live in whole systems design.

Whole system thinking includes life-cycle thinking.  Everything in the natural world is part of a cycle.  Day and night, moon phases, seasons, birth and death, carbon and other nutrients, water, tides, and so on.  Grandmother’s generation saw the transformation from the unintelligent “take-make-waste” practices, which had become the norm, to the “life-cycle design” systems for production of goods.  Today’s common phrases, such as “cradle to cradle” and “waste equals food”, were born back then.

Principles based on the wisdom of the natural world began to inform all aspects of living.  Resources started to be used only at the same rate as they were renewed.  The impact of harvesting or mining was studied on a comprehensive level before any action was taken.   Biodiversity became recognized, appreciated and encouraged.  The sun became the basis for supplying most energy needs.  As the toxic effects of many man-made chemicals became unmistakable and deadly, people reacted swiftly to block their production and to replace them with naturally-occurring alternatives or found ways to live without them.  Needless to say, the earth and our equines also benefitted from this change.

Though by Grandmother’s time overt slavery was illegal and considered immoral, there was a hidden “slavery” which no one thought much about.  These practices included underpaying workers directly and also indirectly by doing business with companies that underpaid their employees.  These greed-based practices also included questionable, and outright cruel, treatment of horses and other equines, in the name of profit for the owners.  I am happy to say that, today, equines are considered beings of value in their own right.  While some still help generate income, they are viewed as more as companions than commodities.  People and equines learn from each other.  All equines live fulfilling lives, and are treated with dignity from birth through death.  Unwanted horses are, thankfully, a disgrace of the past.

People have learned to embrace their own innate value and take responsibility for their own lives.  We access an internal source of joy and peace, and focus more on the content of our lives rather than the form our lives take.  Who a person is inside outshines his or her appearance or possessions.  We reach out to each other, sharing a sense of belonging with family, community, and the wider world.  Service, not authority, has become the highest form of leadership.

The economy is now based on sound principles, which include full-cycle factors and the environmental costs of all products and activities.  We value a culture and economy that is designed to allow everyone to meet their basic needs. The vision and practices of a business are more highly regarded than its financial bottom line.  A business person’s ability to create meaningful employment for others, or guide young entrepreneurs, is honored far above any personal or business net worth.  A culture of giving and sharing has replaced the culture of taking and hoarding.  A sense of abundance permeates life.

When principles of design and creation are based on consideration for all life on our planet, the products and services work so well that there is little need for government regulation.  Competition serves only to encourage improvement and innovation.  Knowledge is shared and imagination is supported.

All these ways of being and acting were modeled by the past generations, and gradually became the common practices of today.  I live in gratitude for the deep thinking and conviction of my predecessors.  I am committed to continuing to provide a profound and awesome future for my descendants and their animal partners, generation after generation.

Quotations:

“Relatedness…” Joseph Jaworski, Synchronicity, The Inner Path to Leadership

“Cradle to cradle” Originally, Walter Stahel; McDonough and Baungart Cradle to Cradle

“Waste equals food” McDonough and Baungart Cradle to Cradle

Two other movies have caught my attention lately.  One is “UP”, the marvelous animated story of finding adventure in life, even if it isn’t how you planned it.  If you’ve seen this Disney/Pixar movie, you know about the dog collars that translate dog speak into human languages!  (“Squirrel!”)

The other movie is “Avatar” (20^th Century Fox).  I won’t even try to explain how the human-like Na’vi beings connect to the minds of various animal creations, such as the direhorses, but the resulting ability to share thoughts is way, way cool!  The movie is awesome for other reasons, too, so watch it when you get a chance.

Mythology has many examples of direct communication between humans and animals, and even some beings that were a physical combination.  Most of us are familiar with the image of the centaur: human upper torso with the body of a horse.  The human in this image is still the thinking entity.  Fewer are familiar with the mare-headed human-torso goddess form of Demeter.  Here, the horse represents the wisdom of the natural world; what a novel thought that humankind would not only partner with nature, but would even consider letting nature take the lead.  Demeter gave birth to twins, one of which – Aerion – was a horse that had the gift of human language.

Ah, don’t all of us wish our horses could talk that easily to us!  As David Walser says of Frederic Pignon and Magali Delgado, in their book Gallop to Freedom, “Roles are reversed: the horse whispers in their ears. He becomes ‘the Whisperer’.”  Frederic, Magali, and so many others of us are committed to listening to the horses we love, in hopes of elevating our level of understanding.

I have met some talented animal communicators, and I believe they have innate gifts.  I have taken classes to learn how to chat with the animals, but still feel rather inept.  Like with any other skill – keep practicing, I guess.  What I do know is that a deep love and respect for the animal is fundamental to the ability of any person to communicate with an animal.  We must believe the animal is a sentient being in its own right.  We must feel that we are all connected in some manner, all parts of the same whole.

As much as it drove us all nuts, I have to admit that he could transform these castoffs into amazing and functional items, thus granting new life, while confirming the old adage, “a penny saved…”.

Many cars today have heating and cooling vents right near each passenger.  Dad’s solution for heating the covered bed of our GMC pickup was to make a tiny wood stove (yes, out of scraps…) with a chimney poking out of the back corner of the metal shell.  I’m sure people wondered about the smoke trail as we tootled down the highway.  But I have to say, we did stay warm!

It was the mid 70’s when we moved to the ranchette.  Translated, ‘ranchette’ means can’t make any money, but get to live with our horses.  Since there was no house yet, we camped out in a trailer and tents – Mom, Dad, we five kids, several dogs, and occasional relatives and friends.  Our solar shower consisted of a black 55 gallon drum, heated by sun and wood fire, with a hose feeding cold water into it, and another hose taking the heated water to the extra-large outhouse built over the septic tank.  It worked very well, though you didn’t want to be the first or the last shower-taker.  We all learned to take quick showers!  Having a well for a water source made us conscious of our water use and we always conserved.

By winter we got to move into a 30’ by 50’ cinderblock house, set into the hillside at the back.  Yes, all 7 of us.  The doors and windows were from my high school that had been demolished.  The interior walls were old curtains from a church.  Thankfully, the shower stall moved indoors!  Pot-bellied stove for heat, with electric backup.  No TV, which wasn’t appreciated at the time.  Now I realize that forced us to play games, read, create and actually talk to and laugh with each other.

We gradually harvested logs from the surrounding forest (careful selective cutting), which we skinned and let cure in the sun.  Dad designed a jig to trim two sides of the logs flat and one to scoop out the ends where the logs overlapped at the corners.  Slowly but surely, a log wall grew on top of the cinderblocks.  Passive solar wasn’t talked about much in those days (and nobody had solar panels), but my father knew enough to have lots of south-facing windows, including on the roof.

It has taken me five decades to wake up to the fact that he had a great deal of talent and ingenuity.  Though Dad has passed on, my mother and one sibling (with her husband and twins) still live in the house.  I have lived in a variety of houses, but realize I am happiest in small, simple spaces.  I conserve water and heat, buy mostly second-hand clothes, recycle everything possible, reuse plastic and cloth bags – all ways of living I learned from Dad and Mom.  Yes, I guess they did know a thing or two!

The connection to sustainability?  I feel sustainability is less of a moral issue – doing good to planet and people – and more of an intelligence issue.  Living interdependently with nature and each other is the smart thing to do.  It works and it works well.  Nature, if you look closely, is more about cooperation than competition.  I am certain that we have the innate abilities it will take to design systems for living which are more in line with nature.  Many innovators are already on this path.  Others are leading the dialogues needed for creating respectful social systems that support our global community.  Still others are questioning traditional economic practices, especially those which do not take the cost of natural resources into account.

If each of us called forth even a fraction of our creative potential that lies ready, waiting to be summoned…  Let’s astound the future generations!

In any close relationship, it is great to hear “I love you”.  An important thing to share!  Yet I’m sure you will agree that the words are not enough.  If our interactions with another are rather non-loving, the relationship will no doubt eventually fall apart.

I feel this is every bit as true in our relationship with nature, our wonderful environment that gives so much to us.  What do we give in return?  What actions demonstrate our love for nature?   And which don’t?

Let’s love nature through word and deed!