His little, nameless, unremembered acts of
Of kindness and of love.
--William Wordsworth
Acts of kindness and love require that we are firmly rooted in the good values of life. Randy Woodley offers these thoughts and list of values that have been essential to Indigenous wisdom:
Why would human beings promote systems, structures, ideologies, and lifestyles that work against their own survival?
Good air quality is also a medicine. So is clean water. And healthy soil. Even a stress-free life is known to prolong people’s lives. It seems to me that people in the Western world are working against their own self-interest—against their own healing—and against their own grandchildren’s well-being. What will it take to change?
The only way I see such a destructive lifestyle changing is if people begin adopting different values and then living out these values. Our Indigenous ancestors figured this out—by trial and error and through necessity—so many years ago. These are the ancient values … that help us reconnect to sacred Earth.
- Respect: Respect everyone. Everyone and everything is sacred.
- Harmony: Seek harmony and cooperation with people and nature.
- Friendship: Increase the number and depth of your close friends and family.
- Humor: Laugh at yourself; we are merely human.
- Equality: Everyone expresses their voice in decisions.
- Authenticity: Speak from your heart.
- History: Learn from the past. Live presently by looking back.
- Balance work and rest: Work hard, but rest well.
- Generosity: Share what you have with others.
- Accountability: We are all interconnected. We are all related.
If we nurture these values in our lives, we will become more rooted in the community of creation.
Practice, practice, practice.
Leta
 |
| Our Mother is magnificent! |
No comments:
Post a Comment