The Green Path

Green is a hot topic at the moment yet the actual real life tendency among most people to embrace green living remains somewhat neutral There is a lot of talk among consumers, but a lack of walking the talk. The whole idea of going green sounds good, grounded and righteous for the planet, but mnost of us are just not taking a stand for making the needed changes to be living green.

There are, perchance, justifiable reasons for many of us rejecting action and pursuing a allegiance to going green. I think it is time we stop, take a good look at why we are not choosing to go green and why we desperately need to make this decision As in all decisions we make in life, we are motivated by the benefits that we will reap from having chosen well. If, however, we find that the choice we make requires more time and effort than we are willing, or comfortable, to give it, we will lose interest. We are all pressed for more time in this modern day, seeking the easy path and instant gratification for both our efforts and longings

We are all reaping the benefits on various levels of a materially affluent and abundant culture. We have the freedom to move from this to that, and back again, in search of the big easy and the next perfect, sure thing. Now I am a lover of simplicity and the next perfect wave. But I think we are throwing all our shells into one basket instead of carefully separating out the real gems we have found. The real gems in life are worth preserving: they are worth changing for, working for, fighting for, sacrificing for. They are our relationships, our families, our dreams, our wellness, our happiness, our freedom, our faith, our planet, our future. Things are changing on this planet, and the ease with which we have lived our daily lives is also changing. It is getting harder for many of us to preserve and support our materially abundant lifestyles. The green dollar is getting harder to make. As times get harder, we realize those things that really give meaning to out lives.

President Eisenhower alerted us as a nation over fifty years ago of the complacency and dangers that would ultimately result with the industrial revolution. And here we are. We are pleased with all the benefits of our modern day creature comforts, but perhaps blinded by the dangers they also pose to our true well being and our planet. I think we all know, whether we will admit it or not, that we have arrived at a material tipping point. If we are truthful there are so many material posessions we just do not need, but have been manipulated to believe we do. We spend the first half of our lives accumulating, and the second half desperately attempting to get rid of and simplify. We are all entitled to a rich and meaningful life. But I think the day has come to realize that we can still have that while living with less, and rebuilding what we do have to be in harmony with the well being of our planet and all people.

So are we destroying our planet with our dependence on overabundance material gain There are some who believe without question that man and the affect of the industrial revolution are solely responsible for global warming. But history has shown us that radical climate change has happened numerous times in the past, well before the industrial revolution. So are we really playing a part in all this, or is nature just repeating past patterns? If we all agreed to take responsibility for being part of the cause we see in the earth's changes, then we would all be part of the solution and perhaps begin to see a real difference. And this would be a good thing. We can debate until the cows come home as to whether or not we humans are in fact the real culprits of climate change. I think the significant question we need to consider is only this: Are we existing in harmony with nature? If each person, each family, each company and business, each country took the time to answer this question honestly as it pertained to them directly, and made the changes needed to be in harmony, we might all begin to make a difference.

It is too late for us to question and debate whether humanity is the cause of the earth's tipping point. The reality cannot be denied that likely irreversible changes are upon us. If our blueprint here on earth is to live in harmony with nature, as it is with one another, then our decision to fulfill that purpose, that destiny is the best choice we can make. It reflects a choice towards green living, and altering our modern lifestyles to fit our main focus and objective to go green. It means taking the time in our stressed lives to visualise about all the ways we can start going green. It means renovating our current home to utilize sustainable energy, requesting that new homes are built to be energy efficient, demanding that big business pioneer the green path and consider starting a green business over just any business. All the green we need is out there: green technology, green opportunities, green businesses, green homes, green products and plenty of green innovation and invention still to come.

It all comes down to you, and your choice. We all need to be the change we see is needed. In the end, Mother Nature will have the last word. Perhaps She will allow us to continue the conversation if we do our part in caring for the delicate balance of life here on our remarkable green planet.