This week is the meeting of COP 27. As the planet continues to warm and we continue to see the effects of global climate disruption, fires, floods, hurricanes, melting ice caps, and species extinction, global leaders are meeting to address these concerns.
This week also marks the 5th anniversary of Bruce’s passing. I offer his words, excerpts from an article that he wrote for Communities Magazine. I think that they speak directly to the change of consciousness that is needed for humanity to address the root causes of this crisis .
May we continue to be part of the solution,
Linda
(Bruce and Linda are part of the founding family of Sirius, an ecovillage and spiritual community started in 1978 in Western Massachusetts)
SUSTAINABILITY: REFLECTIONS FROM AN ECO-WARRIOR
By: Bruce Davidson
The thrill and the wonder of opening one’s heart to the complexity and beauty of all life can be both terrifying and exhilarating. Letting go into this wonder is really what sustainability is about. Joy and fulfillment come into your life when you consciously act to enhance your own and others well-being. That joy far exceeds any satisfaction that might come from the accumulation of wealth or power.
Society has created a system of value not tied to the good of all beings. The dilemma is how to emerge from the delusions of what constitutes happiness or a good life, i.e.. consumption and consumerism, and recognize that happiness and fulfillment occur through serving the well-being of all. Having worked on this for 36-plus years, I’m greatly encouraged to see the stranglehold of materialism on humanity’s consciousness now loosening its grip and giving way to sincere interest and movement towards sustainability.
Our local town reflects this shift in consciousness. When Sirius Community first decided to put up a wind generator for electricity, in 1999, the town balked at the idea. After countless meetings with the board of health and a very long process, we received provisional permission to go ahead. Six years later, the town invited me to join their energy committee because they wanted to put up a wind generator behind the town hall.
People have come to Sirius with the idea of learning the nuts and bolts of green building, alternative energy and permaculture. More often than not, they are confronted with the limitations in their attitudes toward life that create their road blocks to living sustainably. What they learn- and what helps them most- is to take responsibility for their experience and to open to what truly constitutes a joyful, satisfying life: simple living; positive, heartfelt human connections; and service.
In order to live sustainably, one must do more than teach or learn skills. One must embody the principles and values that lead to a sustainable life: love, compassion, and a commitment to the highest good for all beings. Without embodiment, skill learning becomes another theoretical or intellectual exercise. The most successful educational experiences are simultaneously intellectual, spiritual, and practical; they come through the combination of the head, the heart and the hands, and through living the principles and values that create an environment where everyday life is a sustainable statement.
For many years, some of our visitors expressed the attitude that our sustainable practices seemed appealing, but not necessarily applicable to their lives. Now they say “please tell us how to do that” or “we need your help.” I now notice that a lot of our practices and those of other sustainable communities, including conflict resolution, green building and technologies, permaculture, consensus decision making, even composting toilets, have found their way into the mainstream.
I have learned that to effectively catalyze change, an attitude of absolute non-judgment and acceptance is essential. The opening of hearts and minds to new ideas does not happen in an atmosphere of criticism. For example, a group of corporate CEOs interested in developing more sustainable practices within their companies visited us. By putting aside our preconceived ideas and judgments and embracing them wherever they were in their process, we were able to engage in meaningful dialogues about the best ways forward, and received an invitation for future collaboration.
My most important lesson from living in community all these years is this: change that will last, that is truly sustainable comes from changing consciousness. A new paradigm for a sustainable future grows naturally from connection with our deeper nature—call it what you like, “the force,” Buddha nature, Christ, Jehovah, Allah, it makes no difference. Once someone has experienced the sacred in themselves and in all life, a commitment to harmony and sustainability follows, and the entire earth and all beings become the community we choose to serve wherever we are.