This blog post is part of memoirs of a permaculture yogi on an Earth Odyssey this particular episode is upon my return to the city of lights and the insights that come to me as I shift landscapes from being submerged in a paradise of pristine ecology, crystal clear rivers of peace, the gentle music of nature, the perfect permaculture environment of zero waste, community sharing, homemade, locally grown well mostly everything, homesteading lifestyles and the encounter with the matrix of global mass marketing.
A couple of weeks into my return from paradise I receive an invitation from my Mother to please accompany her with my younger sisters to their family trip to Orlando the city of great games and recreational parks.
Not my type of spot to hang out in, but for the sake of integrating rather than segregating I give it a shot. I decided to become an observer and this is what I saw.
People genuinely do embark on these trips to spend time together and to have a good time with their loved ones, some of the activities include visits to Mickey Mouse, Super Heroes, Spider Man, X-Men and other characters from classic commercial movies, that prepare people's from across the world for the big " meeting " of these personalities for lifetimes to come.
Strolls through parks with perfectly manicured gardens filled with flowers of colors and twinkling bubbles, colors of wonder, cheerful music, bedazzling sights, the appearance of a "perfect world “ it seems.
An indulgence in every themed segment of the park you can travel from an Arabic dessert to a snowy castle town of England all in one place.
State of the Art mechanical engineering and artistic creativity that brings to live virtual realities, engaging the senses to the max, creating emotions of possibilities, yes I can fly!
Myriads of matching themed shops at each ride exit, guiding the path to the promised happiness of shopping galore.
Purposely designed environments that imitate the world’s most luscious jungles in a user “ friendly” controlled environment with concrete paved walkways and recorded sounds of nature's natural music.
Coming from a real jungle just a few weeks ago I can feel the difference of the true bliss of nature that internally massages the senses and calms the mind with the symphony of living sound vibrations vs. the virtual reality excess and facades of the make believe world, my head spinning with the fake recorded sounds overlapping with the loudness of sense exploitation craving crowds.
Little children pleading for GMO foods disguised in fluorescent packages outlined with characters and brand named labels, engrained in children's mind by pre-programmed trance inducing jingles and more.
Family breakfast feasts of white refined sugars & flours, bathed in artificial syrups, egg substitute liquids, canned corn syrup soaked fruit and mono cropped cups of coffee, drenched in saturated creams, all conveniently served on disposable Styrofoam plates and cups that are tossed and forgotten at the end of the binge.
This is the norm of civilized peoples enjoying the life of the modern world. All for a break of the 9-5 scheduled unwanted routine.
The mind believes the pictures that are exposed through either sight or imagination to the unsuspected, uneducated, mind it seems like infinite growth, infinite consumption, infinite availability of un-renewable resources that power these happiness sense stimulating " machines ".
I know that people don't intentionally know the impacts of such a consumerist culture. I don’t want to get stuck in pessimism.
But have we ever stopped to ask ourselves what is the impact that we are causing?
7 billion Styrofoam cups are purchased and disposed of each year in a material that will never break down or can even be recycled.
Depressing it is seeing the amount of waste being produced without a care in the world.
People though I was weird for carrying around my own cup, plate and cutlery and NON GMO sprouts, veggies and fruits that I took out of my lunch bag at the eating table.
Funny enough being in such a wasteful place I found a very powerful quote-imprinted on one of the waste bins a quote from the Lorax:
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot nothing is going to get better is not.
I felt like it was talking to me !
Now what am I to do as I sit here in the reality of what is watching unconscious walkers of life, the definition of unconscious being: not knowing or perceiving: not being aware of the impact of our daily actions on climate change, pollution, inequality, etc.
At the end of the day I think to myself what is the meaning of all this what is the place of my perception.
I dive into a black hole of thought into the spiral path I travel through the tunnel of time space crossing directions & dimensions, my mind perceiving the velocity and the adrenaline of the intersections. I find my spirit telling me to ease into the river of life, I am protected, I am guided, I can relax and trust that I am prepared for this life, I am ready, not to confront it but to become part of the reality that I want to see.
All I can do is become the seer, do the best that I can and make a positive impact in my community how ever small that may be.
As I return to my community and to my regular lifestyle activities that include visits to the local farms, group meetings for local initiatives, and being part of a movement that is birthing the consciousness of becoming aware of these issues and expanding that awareness to others, taking an active role in positively approaching these issues, it is fulfilling to know, that there is hope, for people to awaken and to give a care in the world!
One thing I have learned is that nature’s processes are slow, very, very slow, and therefore the awakening of the masses shall also be slow.
Patience and compassion for all beings must be practiced also repetition and education.
It is my wish that one day everyone is going to care a whole lot, then everything will get much better it will!
I hope you learn to care <3
Learn more about Styrofoam and why you should not use it ever!
Carry your own reusable cups and Tupper ware for take - outs in your car if necessary. Even better get Involved in Permaculture and learn to produce less waste !
Resources of the day: http://www.green-4-u.com/2008/05/22/why-styrofoam-is-bad/
Stay posted for our next episode of memoirs as I travel back in time to unveil key lessons learned during an Earth Odyssey !
