I was born into a culture of individualism, but I come from a culture of collectivism. All indigenous societies operate from this understanding, only the narcissistic drug of colonization has us believing we are somehow separate from each other. There is no independence that I celebrate today…instead I cherish my interdependence with all life.
A lot of the problems we struggle with as a society including mental illness, chronic illness, relationship issues, political divisions, etc are manifestations of the collective human ego. Only if we are able to accept the harm we have done to each other, and love every member of our human family, can we move into a state of consciousness that all other beings have already achieved.
We say we are the most intelligent species, yet due to our complexity I believe we are actually far behind in terms of our self-actualization. Although we have the capacity to create more than other animals, we currently lack the humility to act upon the fact that our existence is predicated on the generous provisions of nature, including the bacteria, fungi, plants, animals, and other natural elements that comprise us. By destroying nature, we continue to destroy ourselves because we cannot be at peace. Always needing more and more toys, more and more validation. This will lead to our self-destruction which nature would accept.
Flowers pictured: Iceland poppy, wildflowers, rose feathers poppy, zeolights calendula, chocolate cherry sunflower, false spirea, red poppy, Swan’s Down poppy, leda ageratum, opium
Comments