The current state of our environment is a HUGE factor in the development of cancer in people. The connection is impossible to ignore. This is not to say that the environment is this big, bad and ugly monster that is out to destroy us. That is what some industries might have us believe so they can continue using the earth as a resource and giving nothing back. It's as if we are the abusive one in a very bad relationship. We take and take and take and rarely give anything back. Selfish interests and greed are dominating the way we live and we follow like happy and fat little babies who are being given all the candy they can stuff into their mouths. But are we really happy?
Considering the rise in depression and sickness, with cancer and heart disease being out of control along with many other degenerative diseases and allergies, I have to ask: are we fat and happy, or are we desperate for something better? If we are the latter, then it is high time we give respect to the earth, including the animals and plants that live on it with us. What happened to the truth of living with synergy? Is there any chance of balancing the equation again? Whether there is or is not we have to do it. There is no trying. We have to do it. Not just for ourselves, but if that is your only motivation, then I guess that will work. Just do something. Do not sit back and let yourself and the ones you love get sicker. If you ever go to bat for anything in your life, this is the big league here. Get motivated and learn. Then do. It is a challenge, but what choice do we have?
Food is, of course, the ultimate portal to healing and prevention. It is very important to eat organic. Unfortunately, mass produced is so chemically treated, toxic and depleted of nutrition that it is a waste of your time. Do not bother with all the packaged products, especially all of the soy and fake meat or cheese products. It's junk. Organic fruits and vegetables, preferably stuff you grow yourself or purchase from a non GMO certified company is the foundation for human and planetary health. Support your local organic farmers, they need it.
The products we buy for our bodies are also very important. First of all, we do not need all that stuff. When you feed your body right and move it around a little bit your skin and hair glow. Your fingernails take on a beautiful light pink color that Revlon could not match. You do not accumulate excess weight, so all the diet junk becomes a distant, and even embarrassing, memory. All the moisturizing, primping and spraying is a waste of your time and your life. Cut as much of this stuff out as you can. If you need to keep a couple of things, go ahead, once you begin to detox all the other junk out of your body it will recognize all of it as the junk it is and then let you know when you need to let go of it all. There are some nice options for holistic and natural products but still keep it minimal, you do not need it when you are living clean and beautifully! Then, all of the waste products and oil required for all the shipping and manufacturing of these things reduces. You are healing yourself and the earth. You will feel so good that you will probably want to go hug a tree! Ha ha. But you will feel good and you’ll start thinking more about the things you can do to be a better steward for the earth and its creatures. We scratch each others backs, you know.
I will not go into all of the things one can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Those things are discussed regularly here at Focus Organic and also on my blog, www.sustainablehalo.wordpress.com, and range several topics concerning sustainability as a contemporary lifestyle. Just keep it simple for now and work on yourself. Think about your environment a little bit more.
Try a little visualization. Imagine a halo over your head. What does yours look like right now? Is it dim? Maybe a little droopy? Average? Now sit up straight, pull your shoulders back and lift your chin. Imagine it growing and glowing brighter and think about what it would take to sustain that. Try to think of this visual during your daily activities. Especially before bed, focus on your halo and let your mind just go. The good ideas and inspirations will come and the things you need to release will present themselves. Then you can let them go.
I leave you today with a Buddhist parable: Releasing the Cows
Releasing the Cows
(Told by Master Thich Nhat Hanh)
One day the Buddha was sitting in the woods with thirty or forty monks. They had an excellent lunch and they were enjoying the company of each other. There was a farmer passing by and the farmer was very unhappy. He asked the Buddha and the monks whether they had seen his cows passing by. The Buddha said they had not seen any cows passing by.
The farmer said, “Monks, I’m so unhappy. I have twelve cows and I don’t know why they all ran away. I have also a few acres of a sesame seed plantation and the insects have eaten up everything. I suffer so much I think I am going to kill myself."
The Buddha said, “My friend, we have not seen any cows passing by here. You might like to look for them in the other direction.”
So the farmer thanked him and ran away, and the Buddha turned to his monks and said, “My dear friends, you are the happiest people in the world. You don’t have any cows to lose. If you have too many cows to take care of, you will be very busy.
“That is why, in order to be happy, you have to learn the art of cow releasing (laughter). You release the cows one by one. In the beginning you thought that those cows were essential to your happiness, and you tried to get more and more cows. But now you realize that cows are not really conditions for your happiness; they constitute an obstacle for your happiness. That is why you are determined to release your cows.”
Source: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/clubs/buddhism/story/index.html
With Love, light and freedom of cows 
,
Jess
August 26th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
An intense post for sure and goes to the heart of what this blog is all about.
August 26th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
This is such great advice. I totally agree we need to look for more natural ways to do things. My mom is diabetic and I insisted we take natural steps to improve her condition. I wasn't even a fan of all the pills her doctor prescribed. Be eating natural low glycemic foods and keeping a natural mindset we have had significant improvement, and weight loss.
August 30th, 2009 at 12:16 am
With all the lifestyle diseases waiting for ambush us, such as the A H1N1 and much more, it's better to stop eating the animals and choose to become a vegetarian, Jess!
September 1st, 2009 at 8:39 am
Eating a healthy diet that is full of organic and locally grown foods can make a world of a difference. Since I switched to a diet that contains healthier foods, I feel healthier and more energetic than I ever did.
September 3rd, 2009 at 12:51 pm
We've been doing our own garden and raising chickens (for eggs). This year is the first year the chickens will product eggs, and it's the second year for our garden.
I like it, because it means we control what goes into the chickens and the garden.
September 4th, 2009 at 8:25 am
This post went into a totally different direction from one I thought it would go. And I liked it, since I have high respect for wisdom of Buddha and other eastern wisdom.