Complex is beautiful
Our nervous system craves connection to the complex ballet of the natural world
Perhaps humanity has forgotten that nothing in nature is linear or exists in isolation. Maybe in grade school you were taught we were at the top of the “food chain”, when in reality it’s an interconnected food web. A complex set of connections and relationships that shift with the seasons, the moon, and the sun, create the beautiful ballet that is life on this planet.
Our minds are wired so we can understand this ballet and navigate our world, successfully tapping into the abundant resources available for us. We are wired to recognize patterns and understand relationships, to remember stories as learning tools, and to foster connection between all beings (humans, animals, plants, the earth, stars, etc).
I recently read an excellent book called “Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World” by Dr. Tyson Yunkaporta, an Aboriginal Australian that so refreshingly articulated a lot of what I am challenged to put into words. And, even better, he does it with a lot of wit, authenticity, and integrity. He poses thought-experiments in the book to get the reader to reexamine how they perceive the world and our role in it.
Which is exactly what we’re called to do right now, if we’re brave enough to look.
It’s time to reexamine our thoughts to uncover whether the complicated societal systems we live within really serve our greatest good and that of the very world that supports our life. What does systemic change look like that is for the greatest good of people AND Mother Earth?
It’s also time to acknowledge we don’t live in isolation from each other, or the natural world. We need Mother Earth to survive and thrive, way more than she needs us. We are meant to be respectful, grateful custodians of the abundant world around us AND each other, and that’s gotten lost.
Without connection to each other and the land, our bodies will continue to be in a constant state of anxiety and depression, sensing the loss of higher purpose; souls that feel adrift at sea.
If we take the time to look at each other and the natural world with an open heart and clear eyes, we’ll realize they’re ready to look back, ready to reconnect in a deeper, more authentic way.
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