If you do not understand racism (white supremacy) and how it works, everything else you understand will only confuse you. - Neely Fuller

We need something to clarify everything for us, because we get confused...but if we use the concept of Asili, we will understand that whatever it is they are doing, whatever terms they use, however they come at you, you need to be thinking about what? How is this going to facilitate their power and help them to dominate me? -Marimba Ani

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Veggie Fest 2010

For anyone within driving distance of Naperville, Illinois, consider attending Veggie Fest 2010.

If unable to attend, a visit to the website might reveal a sponsor or link useful to your journey.

Click Here For Veggie Fest 2010. or cut/paste, http://www.veggiefestchicago.org/

Monday, July 19, 2010

Individual Responsibility of Oil Spills

Oil spills are the result of just one of the practices harmful to the natural world. Whether we live near other waters or inland, we are not out of the reach of Prince William Sound or the Gulf of Mexico. Neither can we escape individual responsibility.

Businesses and governments are not the cause of environmental problems, they are merely reflections of the majority of individuals. Society reflects the beliefs of its individuals. These beliefs accumulate and spillover into larger society as the policies and practices of its institutions. When enough individuals change their beliefs, society automatically changes. Business will stop going anywhere for anything and using any method to get it. Governments will stop allowing it. Governments will also stop using common monies for its preferences. Individuals will conduct personal private boycotts which will automatically put offending businesses and politicians out of business.

Yes, individuals can reduce the negative effects of large scale disasters such as oil spills by changing their small scale, individual approaches to the natural world. Once enough individuals demand better of themselves, they will not accept excuses from companies and public agencies. There'd be a sincere focus on avoiding man-made disasters.

For instance, we require flood insurance for those living in areas that nature might flood. We should also require environmental damage insurance if any aspect of a business might harm nature. These insurance premiums would be collected by the industry and in case of damage, the entire industry would pay. You gotta pay to play and put in to get in. Although there would still be outside monitoring, this could make each industry mostly self-policing in terms of always being proactive about environmental damage.

Consider the following 12 quotes, proverbs, musings & reflections.

1. Take what's natural, take a part of me.
2. A civilized society does not bite the land that feeds it.
3. Smart people do not leave nature smarting.
4. A man not informed by nature can be many things except wise.
5. People that exhibit intelligence do not inhibit nature.
6. A high regard for technology shouldn't cause a low regard for nature.
7. Parents who mistreat nature want their kids to have a badder life than them.
8. Quality of life is in the ecology of life.
9. Loving gardening and loving nature are not the same things.
10. If grass grows in the garden does it become a weed?
11. There is no personal relationship with God without also having one with nature.
12. If not mindful of nature we are out of our natural mind.

Related: President Obama, I Am Responsible For The Economy

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Gardening: Plants Minister By Example

The more time I spend amongst nature, the more merrier I become. This is all due to their life examples.

No matter which plant ministers, a common theme is that gardening is not a matter of expertise. Expertise has a tendency of getting in the way of progress. It is a supposed lack of expertise that fuels a fear of failure that keeps a lot of people from returning to being friends with nature. Gardening is simply placing plants and seeds where they have a chance to grow and trusting nature to do most, if not all, of the rest.

Life Example 1: Two sunflowers arose after sleeping in layers of soil since Fall 2008. Two things:

(a) Some seeds do emerge. Keep placing 'em on soil and amazing things will happen.

(b) The petals of one sunflower is all yellow as commonly thought. The petals on the other plant are mostly red with streaks and tips of yellow. This same variance has also occurred on the same plant. These seeds came from the same seed head, the same mother. This is the story of human diversity, esp. the varying trait of skin tones.

Life Example 2: A rose bush I considered dead and tried to completely remove three years ago has steadily come back strong. From just a pinky-sized, dried out looking, scrub of a stalk, it produced several crimson roses this Spring. It has the same irrepressible spirit as the peach tree. Patient willingness for inner growth during a transition period leads to the outward revealing of already present success. Strong roots prevail.

Related Posts:
Gardening – The Hardest Part
Spiritual Forgetfulness, Afrikan Amnesia
Growing Food: Green Thumb Not Required But Three Things Are. Food Fight #51 – Another Grown-Folks Misconception