This manual is an offering. An offering to the world with the prayer that we may be better to live in it and thereby make it better to live in.
- INTRODUCTION
- MIND
- MINDFULNESS: BREATH, BODY, MIND, SPACE AWARENESS
- POSITIVE THOUGHTS AND MENTAL RE-PROGRAMMING
- VISUALIZATION
- INTENTIONAL SINGING AND DANCING
- BODY
- ECOLOGY
- COMMUNITY
Our world is beautiful and magical, mysterious, ugly and gruesome. Most people would agree that it’s an amazingly beautiful planet and we want it to stay that way. Nonetheless we as humans are living in a way that is fast destroying the foundation for our experience. Human civilization seems out of control in a frenzy of production and consumerism. This creates a stressful life experience for many people and is stressing the planetary ecosystem out of which we evolved, on which we depend for life support and of which we are an integrated part. We are at the moment facing the very real effects of global warming caused by human activity. If we want to counteract that, we have to change our basic values and habits, from one of rampant desire and consumption to one of preservation and stewardship of the natural world. We have to develop a set of new values that put respect for nature and other human beings above our own self-centered desires, if we wish a to co-exist as healthy individuals in a healthy world.
We cannot wait for the power holders of the world, the multi-national corporations, or their puppets, the politicians, to make any change in their activities. That would be against their nature, which is to make as much profit as fast as possible at any environmental cost. That won’t happen.We have to initiate the change, on a very personal and individual level. We have to be the change we want to see in the world, as Gandhi said.
I present in this manual a few simple guidelines for how to live a mentally and physically healthy life that has less environmental impact on the planet. These guidelines are mainly reminders for myself on how to work with my mind and body to facilitate a lifestyle that is less environmentally taxing, and addresses spiritual, physical and creative aspects of life that are conducive for a fuller and healthier experience.
The altruistic attitude, which is conducive for environmental responsibility, also extends to other aspects of life. To develop this attitude we must first look at our own mind to observe what kind of attitude that is the basis of our actions. With the realization that we are in part responsible for our own welfare and thus on a larger scale the welfare of the planet, comes a sense of empowerment that we have the power to positively direct the experience of our own life and the evolution of our species and how we interact with each other and the environment.
Ultimately it’s a win-win situation where what truly benefits us, also benefits the greater good, since everything is intricately connected in one large web of life. So from that consciousness comes the wish to be of true benefit to the world and thus of true benefit to ourselves. Instead thinking what the world has to offer us, we can turn it around and ask what we can offer the world. Don’t ask what the planet can do for you, but what you can do for the planet.
The main purpose of this manuel is to motivate and guide into being a positive force in the world. This is mainly just a crystallization of my own thoughts on how to live a beneficial life, and a call for myself to actually live by these principles. If these thoughts are of any benefit to any other person and thus the world at large this will only be an added blessing.
We currently face an unprecedented scenario as a human race. Intelligence and technology has made us an extremely powerful species. We have fast created the means to live long luxurious lives, though the vast majority does not enjoy access to those resources. At the same time it has created a momentous impact on our natural resources, which are fast being destroyed for short-term profit. It doesn’t take much calculation to come to the conclusion that this is a very shortsighted way of living. If we use all our resources and pollute the ones that remain, the quality of life for future generations will rather deteriorate that improve. Is that really what we want for generations to come? Is that the legacy that we want to leave behind us?
One may argue, that we are just a drop in the ocean and that as individuals we can’t do much, except flow with the collective impulse. Even though these impulses are very strong in us, we have the capacity to redirect these impulses in a more constructive rather than destructive direction. To master this we must first become masters of our own mind. This is no simple task, even though the basic techniques for this are quite simple. Therefore this manual will be divided into four main sections that will deal with Mind, Body, Ecology and Community. Each section will give some directions how to nurture these aspects of our being and guide them in a positive direction, which will be of benefit to all.
Featured image by Gerd Altmann, Germany & vector by OpenClipartVectors