Conscious Living Is Our Ecological Duty
There is an interesting correlation to the ecological duty we owe our planet and how we interact with our economy.
Practicing Our Ecological Duty through the Lens of Conscious Living – How Savings can Help us Understand our Economy and our Ecology
By Liane Buck
What do savings have to do with ecology you might ask? At first glance numbers and respect for nature are not immediately connected, but in truth they are.
“The Holy Land is everywhere.” ~ Black Elk
Turning Earth into a Sacred Place: ” Thou Sall Not Kill a Living Planet”
It is our ecological duty to start using practices such as savings because we should start realizing that our earth’s resources are in fact limited. We are not referring only to the fossil fuels underground reserves, but other resources such as minerals, clean water, food, and energy sources and animal companions.
There is no such thing as a magical font that springs money and other resources at our volition. In fact, it is a great misunderstanding and somewhat an arrogant human outlook to regard this planet with all its resources and all its inhabitants as being part of mankind’s domains. We are just one of the many species sharing the bountiful gifts given and shared by this earth. If we don’t step up as real caretakers of this planet, or part of Earth Crew, and do our ecological duty, we are going to be the witnesses of the destruction and mass extinction of many present-day species and we will be inheriting a world without weather control, a network of failing resources, and a society in complete chaos.
It is imperative that we develop a conservative “Saving Mentality” in a conscious lifestyle way of living only that way we can deaccelerate the rate of consumption of many goods and merchandise that are not vital for our existence. This simple action would create a ripple effect that would mean the difference between life and death of many species. Take as an example the insane production and usage of single-use plastic, these discarded and trashed plastics (such as straws) end up polluting our oceans, compromising the food source of many species and killing corals and other microbes. It is a karmic matter, i.e., cause and effect.
“We have become, by the power of a glorious evolutionary accident called intelligence, the stewards of life’s continuity on earth. We did not ask for this role, but we cannot abjure it. We may not be suited to it, but here we are.” ~ Stephen Jay Gould, The Flamingo’s Smile: Reflections in Natural History
When We Save Are We Also Respecting Others in Addition to Our Ecological Duty?
When we can use resources observing its limits and efficiency, we are optimizing our financial management and, at the same time, showing respect for our neighbor. Note that by consuming a pencil to the end, recycling or by taking advantage of the sheets of a notebook, or even reusing the scratch sheets for a few notes, we are making sure that we do not have to sacrifice so many trees, coal, and other organic materials. This attitude is proper for those who care about the other beings that inhabit the same planet and shows respect for those that are yet to come. The better we optimize natural resources; the more grateful future generations will be.
It is evident that the habit of saving is not just altruistic. Our well-being motivates us to be more engaged in savings and conservation efforts. Having an attainable goal is essential if we are to succeed in the purpose of saving. If we fail to have goals to achieve, we are more likely than not to get far. Giving ourselves demanding goals and auditing if we are on the right track are the necessary conditions for the dream to save, be a reality more immediate than we think.
“It shouldn’t be the consumer’s responsibility to figure out what’s cruel and what’s kind, what’s environmentally destructive and what’s sustainable. Cruel and destructive food products should be illegal. We don’t need the option of buying children’s toys made with lead paint, or aerosols with chlorofluorocarbons, or medicines with unlabeled side effects. And we don’t need the option of buying factory-farmed animals.” ~ Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals
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About the Author
Liane Buck is the co-founder of Humanity Healing International, a 501(c)3 public charity, Humanity Healing Network which teaches Ageless Wisdom for the Modern World, OMTimes Magazine, where she serves as Editor-in-Chief, and Cathedral of the Soul. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Saint Lazarus Relief Fund and the Royal Society of St. George.