Your Life is Your Message
January 8, 2008
Recently, I learned about John Edwards’ new house. House isn’t quite the right word to describe the 28,000+ square foot estate he has built. The “house” portion is over 10,000 square feet and is attached to an 18,000 square foot recreational building with a swimming pool, basketball court, bedrooms, study, bathrooms, and more.
If John were a libertarian, I don’t think I’d be dwelling on his house, but he claims to be a populist supporting the working and middle classes. He says he supports environmental initiatives. I’m just stymied that someone who supports the “little guy,” who says we have to address climate change and environmental degradation, could choose to build a 28,000 square foot home. It doesn’t matter that his new home gets a gold star for energy efficiency; it’s still an enormous resource and fossil fuel guzzler that, if emulated by the masses he hopes to lift up, is entirely unsustainable. It doesn’t matter if he buys carbon offsets. I’m glad he does, but the extravagance of his estate lies in stark contrast to his daily populist speeches.
As William Elery Channing said, “May your life preach more loudly than your lips.” In the case of political leaders, I like to hope that their personal lives are aligned with what they preach, profess, and promote. I don’t mean to pick on John Edwards. I feel the same way about all political leaders.
May each of us strive to model our message.
~ Zoe
Entry Filed under: MOGO (Most Good). Tags: Environmental Preservation, John Edwards, Most Good, political leaders.
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Mayim | January 9, 2008 at 3:09 pm
It is frustrating to watch deforestation. It’s frustrating to watch as people purchase plastic bottles and things packaged in Styrofoam, but then I remember that I was lucky. My Mother taught me the basics of recycling and environmental awareness before she taught me how to tie my shoes, and many of the most “well educated” people do not really understand that they are harming themselves by building big homes or taking plastic bags at the check out line. They know it distantly, vaguely, but not deeply, and my job is to calm myself down and educate myself so that I can educate others.
I need to start inside of me, deep inside of me, because healing and peace start inside of me. I start by clearing my own mind with some kind of meditation (like yoga, tai chi or qigong) or listening to soothing music, and once I am calm, as result of meditating or listening to soothing new age music (and once I am well educated, as result of reading a great number of books or magazines on environmental preservation - like Zoe Weil’s books or E-magazine - or books by Debra Dadd and Annie Bond) then I must calmly, quietly, respectfully, carefully and clearly explain how everything that I do to the Earth will come back to me, and I must carefully, calmly and respectfully explain precise steps I can take to keep to preserve the Earth - like Zoe Weil’s kids who suggested wearing a sweater in the winter instead of turning on the heat, or waiting until a garment is truly soiled before washing it.
I will not fight fire with fire because fighting fire with fire will make the situation worse in the long run. Throwing fuel on a fire only makes it burn faster.
So I will search DharmaCrafts.com, Gaiam.com or IsabellaCatalog.com for DVDs, CDs, books or equipment which will calm me down and awaken my spirit. I will listen to new age music like Yanni, Enya, Deuter (from New Earth Records at newearthrecords.com) or Peter Davison (from Gaiam.com). I will study yoga, tai chi or qigong, in a classroom or from DVDs like the ones offered at Gaiam.com - Francesco Garripoli, Rodney Yee and David-Dorian Ross are all wondreful teachers, as are many of gaiam.com’s other DVD instructors.
I will refine my character and regain an accurate sense of self by reading Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, Thich Nhat Hanh’s no death, no fear, John Marks Templeton’s Worldwide Laws of Life and listening to Pema Chödrön’s Getting Unstuck from Sounds True at soundstrue.com or Michael Stillwater’s Graceful Passages. I will find love deep in my heart by listening to Whispers of Love from Don Miguel Ruiz and I will remind myself of the Oneness of life by reading Rumi. There is only one, everything starts inside of me, so I create peace in myself with mind soothing meditation, peace inducing new age music, or the words of wise authors like the ones listed above, and that peace will ripple out into the world, because all is one, and all that I do to myself will ripple out into eternity, because separation does not exist.