Our Environment, Our Well Being
August 18, 2014
Our Environment, Our Well Being
by Laughlin Artz
If you don’t have a vital, healthy,
sustainable environment in which to dwell, nothing else really matters.
by Laughlin Artz
If you don’t have a vital, healthy,
sustainable environment in which to dwell, nothing else really matters.
That goes for both your planet and your body. I campaign on these issues in tandem. They are intrinsically connected and as such,
hitting them as distinct yet
mirrored entities will maximize the power we can gain in both arenas.
hitting them as distinct yet
mirrored entities will maximize the power we can gain in both arenas.
You see, there is a direct connection between our
relationship to the well-being of the planet and our relationship to the
well-being of our bodies. Beat the crap
out of it, fill it with junk food and poisons over long periods of time,
poo-poo advice to alter detrimental behavior, and then finally – only when our
bodies/planet start to break down and revolt – only then do we begrudgingly
attend to it.
relationship to the well-being of the planet and our relationship to the
well-being of our bodies. Beat the crap
out of it, fill it with junk food and poisons over long periods of time,
poo-poo advice to alter detrimental behavior, and then finally – only when our
bodies/planet start to break down and revolt – only then do we begrudgingly
attend to it.
And even then only long enough to arrest the immediate crisis, which once
abated, we go back to doing whatever we can get away with.
abated, we go back to doing whatever we can get away with.
Now let’s consider what might be the context
of all this. The whole arena of
well-being – our own and that of the environment – is viewed as feminine,
“girly,” not manly, not macho, and for sure not the rough and tumble
invincibility that we so proudly, as Americans, claim to be. Even the language is crafted within that
construct. We name our planet Mother
Earth and we frame our tending to our personal heath in the context of “care,”
a traditionally feminine trait.
Environmentalists are themselves characterized in this same vein of
feminized ridicule as “tree-huggers.”
of all this. The whole arena of
well-being – our own and that of the environment – is viewed as feminine,
“girly,” not manly, not macho, and for sure not the rough and tumble
invincibility that we so proudly, as Americans, claim to be. Even the language is crafted within that
construct. We name our planet Mother
Earth and we frame our tending to our personal heath in the context of “care,”
a traditionally feminine trait.
Environmentalists are themselves characterized in this same vein of
feminized ridicule as “tree-huggers.”
This should in no way to be construed as any agreement
with, or validation of, these historic and misogynistic perspectives of women
as the “weaker” sex. This is simply an investigation
into the condition. The fact is that men
run the vast majority of nations, and as such, much of the current polices and
behaviors in the arena of well-being are born of these antiquated “masculine”
views. Me Tarzan. You Body/Earth.
with, or validation of, these historic and misogynistic perspectives of women
as the “weaker” sex. This is simply an investigation
into the condition. The fact is that men
run the vast majority of nations, and as such, much of the current polices and
behaviors in the arena of well-being are born of these antiquated “masculine”
views. Me Tarzan. You Body/Earth.
The planet, our celestial body, and the bodies we
inhabit are viewed as “ours”; they exist separate from ourselves, we own them,
they work for us, they exist for our own use and pleasure. Even the notion that we can “own” property,
that we can actually make claim to a piece of Earth, all comes from the
perspective that the planet is ours to have our way with, to do with what we
will. Earth is our bitch.
inhabit are viewed as “ours”; they exist separate from ourselves, we own them,
they work for us, they exist for our own use and pleasure. Even the notion that we can “own” property,
that we can actually make claim to a piece of Earth, all comes from the
perspective that the planet is ours to have our way with, to do with what we
will. Earth is our bitch.
Capitalism gives us economics as the context through
which to view and interact with the planet.
Given that the game of capitalism is growth, growth, growth,
it pits our thinking and actions in direct violation of the natural order of
life, which exists in a context of balance, wholeness, interconnectedness, and oneness.
which to view and interact with the planet.
Given that the game of capitalism is growth, growth, growth,
it pits our thinking and actions in direct violation of the natural order of
life, which exists in a context of balance, wholeness, interconnectedness, and oneness.
The capitalists are constantly scheming for how to
increase profit, market share and the like.
Any talk of limitation on that pursuit is viewed as constrictive – an
attack on the very nature of the game.
increase profit, market share and the like.
Any talk of limitation on that pursuit is viewed as constrictive – an
attack on the very nature of the game.
The earth is a limited resource, a finely crafted
ecosystem that exists and flourishes in a natural condition of balance. Everything on the planet came into existence
in relation to everything else, and to not have an awareness of and operate
consistent with that condition of balance is to violate the natural order and
systematically extinguish the life force, which is what gives us all life. We must move the environment into its own context and
begin to remodel our economic models to co-exist within that natural balance.
ecosystem that exists and flourishes in a natural condition of balance. Everything on the planet came into existence
in relation to everything else, and to not have an awareness of and operate
consistent with that condition of balance is to violate the natural order and
systematically extinguish the life force, which is what gives us all life. We must move the environment into its own context and
begin to remodel our economic models to co-exist within that natural balance.
The planet’s health
is our health.
is our health.
We are the planet, and the planet is us.