Our primary criteria in determining our work must be: care for the Earth and its people, and how our work will leave both better for what we have done. We live in a culture that doesn’t see Earth as valuable in itself, but only as it can be manipulated to serve our individual needs and wants.
In 1ight of our “upbringing”, this value permeates our whole society. It is hard to know what work cares for the Earth and what hurts it. There are a few jobs that humans do that are obvious to me to be one or the other. Examples of destructive work, I see as building implements of war, clear cutting of forests, indiscriminate building, making chemicals we cannot neutralize. Examples of positive work; planting trees, organic growing of food with a sensitivity to the care of the Earth, shelters that are energy-efficient and least destructive of the Earth, developing renewable energy sources, conservation, as well as Earth Celebrations, poetry and art.
What of the millions of other things there are to do? Just knowing what things do no harm to the Earth is difficult enough, much less knowing what might enrich it. Everything is so human-oriented. One of the more Earth-oriented jobs, environmentalism, speaks of preserving the Earth for humans, not because the Earth is sacred and deserves to be cared for by us Earthlings. So often I feel the best we can do is try to do the least harm, that to enrich the Earth is almost impossibility in our culture. Each of us is participating, often involuntarily and unknowingly, in this society’s destructive actions against the sacred Earth and its people.
Now, with this negative introduction, is there a positive? Is there anything we can do? What we can do is our best.
Some possibilities:
- Fall in love with the Earth. I find this very difficult in my life. Work means productivity, love means taking time. If I take time to walk in the woods, sit under a tree, be in touch with al1 the wonder around me I am not “productive”. It is a cultural struggle within me, to see my time spent in this love affair as wonderful work. Brian Swimme speaks of the role of humans on this Earth as being the celebration of the wonders of the Earth, of the Universe; and so this time is of the most valuable I spend. But wow, it sure is hard allowing myself to do it.
- See work as our total life activity and not just in terms of a job. Many cultures do not have a word for work, for they live and do what they need to do. This is a difficult task. I have repeatedly been asked what I do and have a hard time answering. I have not had a formal job that others have defined for me or that I have defined well for myself. I have only begun to learn how to answer the question, but must admit I find it easiest to answer in terms of working for IMAGO. Two people I care for and who care for me confronted me recently with the question, “What do you do?” Do I make a list of all the things I do in a day? Do I write up a job description for my life? I rise about 6 am and am actively alive till around 9 pm. (After 9 pm, my family and friends say I’m not much alive.)
It is a challenge to tell someone what one does in other terms than in job lingo. It is even a greater challenge to truly value our activities outside those 40 hours.
- Look at work in terms of creativity and joy and not in terms of money. Our family has approached work in many different ways, and I must admit, that in the end have been much influenced by monetary concerns.
Many things happen when we are able to look at work in creative and joyful terms. In most cases what we do will not be destructive. We also have less of a need for “things”. Happiness comes from living rather than from possessing and consuming. We can begin to enjoy the simple rather than need the things that are suppose to make life simpler. Could this mean cutting my food with a knife rather than using my food processor? I guess we all have our 1imits.
Look at our life goals in terms of all the above. In light of our life goals, how does our work: celebrate the Earth, reflect our total life activities, and express our creative, joyful self? When we ask ourselves what we plan to do next year, in five years, in ten years, we need to answer it in terms of caring for the Earth and its people. By our lives we are writing our own epitaph. For myself, I’d 1ike it to read in terms of my love and care for the Earth and its people.
It’s all so easy to say.
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