Category Archives: Life

Animals, Leadership, Life, Nature

Tofu versus Wildlife?

New work, led by Professor Ron Milo, and published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” stated that the world’s population of 7.6 billion people represents just .01% of all living things.  Plants, on the other hand, make up 82% of all living matter and bacteria makes up 13% of all living matter.

Part of the problem lies with the way we eat.  Of all the mammals on Earth, 96% are livestock and humans, only 4% are wild mammals.  That means that tropical forests and wild spaces are disappearing, at great cost to everyone.

Despite these numbers, we have had a huge impact on the natural world and have been expert at exploiting the natural resources of the planet.  Since the rise of human civilization, 83% of wild mammals have been lost, 80% of marine mammals have been lost, 50% of plants have been lost and 15% of fish have been lost.  One way you can make a difference is by eating differently.  Your dietary choices have a tremendous effect on the habitats of plants and animals.  So, choose a tofu burger instead of that hamburger.  Or try a vegan hotdog instead of a regular one.  They are better for the planet, and your health.

Animals, Children, Life, Nature

This New Year

As we enter this new year may we enter it with grace and courage.  And may we enter it in good health and with hearts full of compassion.  So much has changed and happened in these last months and years.  I see it in myself, I see it in others, I see it in the world, and I see it in nature.  This much is obvious, change spares no one or no thing.

My vision is that we come together to mend our differences and see things through another person’s eyes.  My vision is that we treat each other with kindness and without cruelty.  My vision is that we all live in peace and without violence.  Greater it is to uplift one another rather than tear one another apart.  Climate change and the destruction of nature and its precious habitat is one of our supreme challenges.  We can mitigate climate change, preserve nature and protect the amazing animal kingdom.  Yet we must come to terms with our own selfishness and greed.

Let us be better than we were.  Let us be lights for all of the children and animals of the world.  Let us go forth together, and in goodness.

Animals, Kindness, Leadership, Life, Nature

In Honor of Earth Day

seal

Tomorrow is Earth Day and I wish to share the wonderful piece of advice below.

“Treat the Earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” –American Indian Proverb

Life, Oceans, Trees

A Poem….

“I am Earth” by Sheryl Lee

I am Earth
and from my body
grow the trees
you chop down
with you careless acts

I am ocean
for from my womb
all beings are birthed

I am desert
my long, voluptuous dunes
now burnt to drought
by August sun

my blood
the dyeing rivers
you pollute
with discarded greed
and selfish denial

my breasts
are sacred mountains
climbed for your egos sake of reaching the top
your summit
my nipple
without soft, tenderness of touch
that is required for such a holy journey

you, who call me home
I am not something to be bought or sold

I am alive
and in the eyes of every living creature
you will find me
their mother
mirrored back to you

do you dare look?
can you hold my gaze?

while you run your fingers through my sunlit hair of wheat at harvest?
that same nourishing grain you paint with poison for your benefit?

and do you care?
when you stain the path of this delicate wrist as you wind your way along my enchanted forest of pine?

you, my child,
who call yourself king
have scratched my skin raw
etching your name across virgin land

dark bruises mark my thighs
as you drill into the deepest marrow of these bones
searching for more gold
more silver
more of my life giving waters
you continue to ask for more
more of my precious milk
more of my cherished stone
you always want more

and I give it
again and again and again
I give

but now, my pets
I have run dry

I crack, I moan and I quake
I break open in pain
I am rain

I burn, I flame, I heat
I erupt with the force of my grief

and then
I cry
for days and days and days
I cry

and you, my dears
still look to my husband’s heavens
asking why

Bears, Life, Oceans, Tigers, Trees

Are you Superwoman or Superman?

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Beach

Life can be so fragile and fleeting. Yet I think most of us feel we are Supermen or Superwomen. We go around with an invincible feeling and tell ourselves nothing can harm us or stand in our way. But then something happens like the death of a beloved pet or friend or parent. And we realize we cannot control or fix everything. And we realize that circumstances are not always the way we want them to be. Eventually, we come face to face with sadness and some pain in our heart.

I have found the best remedy for sadness is a walk in a forest or on the beach. I like to listen to the sway of the tree leaves and the roar of ocean waves. For me, nature is a tonic. It soothes me when I am nervous and brings me to the point where I can be my best self in difficult situations. Instead of making a poor decision out of frustration I can make a better decision from a place of center and calm.

We really do need to take very good care of our planet. It nurtures us yet we often take it for granted or do not notice it. The Earth and nature are always “there” for us. We live on a beautiful planet with magnificent oceans, rivers, and trees, and a stunning variety of tigers, lions and bears. And it is amazing that we can plant seeds in the soil and reap fruits, vegetables and all sorts of food.

I urge you to do your part; teach your children to garden and protect wild places and the animals in them. Nature nurtures us, now it is time for us nurture nature.