By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.

Just Breathe

In a way I know my heart is waking up
As all the walls come tumblin’ down
Closer than I’ve ever felt before and I know and you know
There’s no need for words right now.
-- Holly Lamar/Stephanie Bentley from the song “Breathe,” performed by Faith Hill

"When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one
and you reach that deep well where passion lives,
nothing is impossible."
-- Nancy Coey

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
-- Margaret Mead

I felt dizzy as I scanned the newspaper headlines this morning. Everywhere you look, pesticide poisoning, deadly prescription drugs, mindless extraction of resources, and violence of all kinds against the Earth and its inhabitants abound. There seems to be such a profound disconnection from the seasonal cycles, the web of life, and the rhythms of nature that, at times, I can see no way back.

Boston Public Garden, Boston, Massachusetts (Photos by Ian Britton courtesy Freefoto.com)

The Earth does a grand dance around the Sun each year that gives us seasons across the face of our planet. All life on Earth has evolved to the rhythm of these miraculous cycles, and they are imbedded in the fabric of our being and our culture.

In the Spring, life blossoms from the Earth, from the tiniest crack in the sidewalk to vast hillsides of wildflowers. Even in poisoned neighborhoods destroyed by toxic contamination, tiny shoots of plants reach for the sunlight. In the Summer, life flourishes in some regions and is challenged in others. In the Fall, the fruits of the Earth are harvested and in Winter, the increasing darkness gives us time to reflect on the gifts in our lives during this time of rest. Then the cycle begins again.

Autumn touches the trees in Quechee Gorge, Vermont

Our shelters have grown grander and grander with the ultimate goal being to completely shut out all evidence of the natural world. Not surprisingly, this isolation has come with a price. For example, particle board furniture is made with many glues and chemicals, including formaldehyde. These chemicals are released into the surrounding air and as insulation for homes grows in efficiency, many people are exposed to the effects of indoor air pollution. Carpets, computers, televisions, and many other household products release such chemicals.

We call the Earth "dirt" and try hard to stay away from it. We call any life forms that finds its way into our homes "pests" and reach for chemicals to kill them.

It is not unusual for a city dweller to leave for work before the Sun rises in the morning and to return home from work after the Sun sets. If such a person enters his or her car from the garage and returns that way at night, it is quite possible to not be exposed to the natural world at all.

The rhythms of the universe above our heads are all but obscured by our bright city lights.

Slowly but surely, modern society and its quest for labor saving devices deepens our disconnection from the natural world and increases our isolation. With our climate controlled homes, it is difficult to even know what season it is sometimes. Yet the seasons can provide us with the awareness of cycles and the importance of our connection to that which is not human. Celebrating the Earth's seasons brings us into awareness of the cycles and seasons of our own lives.

What are basic human needs? What do we really need to be happy, healthy, and productive? How would our lives be different if we took a long, deep breath between each of our daily activities instead of conducting our affairs in one long endless intense stream of busyness? Does this endless stream of activities contribute further to our disconnection from the natural world and prevent us from accessing the power we have within to heal?

New Yorkers on the move

Maybe environmental abuse, classism and racism are just symptoms of our longing to be in community with each other.

It feels so hard to decide what is right and what is wrong, what is death and what is life and whether or not to worry about global warming or food irradiation. It may feel so difficult because for generations, we have been taught not to feel, taught instead to feel apart from the cycles of the Earth. We have to strip away the barriers that seem to keep us from reconnecting with the natural world and with ourselves and reintegrate ourselves with the cycles of life.

Do not fear the price that must be paid for opening your mind and heart. Once you are open, you cannot turn away from suffering ever again. Resist the messages all around you to isolate yourselves from the world, to be independent and self sufficient. In our consumer-based culture, to be strong, powerful and successful requires that someone else go without and fail. Take success and strength from helping others to succeed.

It is easy to get discouraged, to feel overwhelmed. But if you realize how easy it can be to smile at someone or to help a person or animal in need, you will start to see that the answers to our dilemmas lie not just in legislation or politics, but in our hearts. Just figure out what you want to be remembered for and what is important to you. Look at every day as a wonderful opportunity to examine our values and what we have placed value on.

Make each day a time of house cleaning and soul cleaning, a time when we embrace nature’s limits and see value in unexpected places. And feel that your day is unfinished unless you have helped reduce the suffering of someone or some creature.

Just breathe.

RESOURCES

1. To get help redesigning your concept of the American Dream, visit: http://www.islandpress.com/ecocompass/dream.html

2. Help reduce animal suffering, especially that caused by human greed, by visiting:

• Northwest Animal Rights Network at: http://www.narn.org/
  
• Humane Farming Association at: http://www.hfa.org/about/index.html
  
• Pasado’s Safe Haven at: http://www.pasadosafehaven.org

3. Explore other ways of thinking that include the Earth at the Green Earth Foundation at: http://www.rmetzner-greenearth.org/index.html

4. Turn off your TV and take back your life with the help of the TV Turnoff Network at: http://www.tvturnoff.org/

5. Corporations are not people! Follow the efforts of the Corporate Accountability Project at: http://www.corporations.org/

6. Find out who your Congressional representatives are and e-mail them. Demand that they stay strong and work harder to protect our health, the environment and animal rights. If you know your Zip code, you can find them at: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ziptoit.html

{Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by ENS on July 12, 2003.}

{Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D. is a writer and teacher in Seattle and the author of ""Healing Our World", A Journey from the Darkness Into the Light," available at: http://www.xlibris.com/HealingOurWorld.html or your local bookstore. Please send your thoughts, comments, and visions to him at: jackie@healingourworld.com and visit his website at: http://www.healingourworld.com}