walking the talk - loving one another

Spiritual resource to share: long term thinking with love

Farmer's Market in Monteverde

This question was posed to me by a friend: If there was one thing your prayers for the environment could change in people's attitude to how they lived their... lives, what would it be?

Answer: .......it would be to pray that we learn to love one another. This covers a lot of ground.

If we loved one another.....

...we would be more aware of our actions’ impact on the future.

...we would think in terms of us, not me.
...we would think in terms of what is good for the future, not immediate gratification for right now.
...we would be more thoughtful about the things we buy and how they are made, supporting fair trade practices.
...we would develop compassion as a way to see the world.
...we would be more patient with ideas and processes that take more time, but are more environmentally friendly.
...we would use kindness as a currency - perhaps buying less, saving more and sharing more frequently.
...we would understand that everyone has a backyard, and be careful where we throw our garbage.
...we would lose a sense of pride in possessions, and find more joy in teamwork.

I have seen this compassionate stewardship at work - loving one's neighbor as oneself - and it works beautifully! I have been impresed by a small mountain town in Costa Rica that attracts a surprsing number of visitors every year – Monteverde.

It was founded by Quakers in the 50s and is home to many Costa Ricans, educators and scientists, Quakers, and a steady stream of eco-tourists. The Quakers established several industries and institutions with a shared community aproach. As they developed their community, they probably asked questions like “Is this action good for the community?” “Does this enhance or detract from the natural resources already here? Are we giving credit and honor to those who have lived here before us?" The answers to those types of questions have helped to form the groups and industries that are running today.

I talked with one of the local residents who is one of the founding women of a rural women’s cooperative and there I found the same kind of spirit – putting the community’s well being above personal gain. Those who founded the cooperative started out by looking at how they could better empower women – many of whom had to stay at home.

Their leading questions may have been "How can we empower the women here – thus strengthen the famlies and the community?" "What skills do they have that can benefit them and benefit the communty?" The answers to those questions resulted in teh development of the cooperative in which making a profit is subservient to the larger goal of the community's well –being.

Loving your neighbor as yourself. It works here on a large scale. The individual is not absorbed, but is empowered. The community is strengthened by the long term commitment of caring for one another and caring for the earth.

In short, the equation is: love for one another in the short term + care and compassion = empowered people and strong communities and love in the long term.