This orchid was a stubborn one. I had to patiently learn what it likes. It likes the sun, but doesn´t need to see it all day. It likes water, but it also likes to fully dry out and have some days of dryness.
It likes to be propped up with sticks when it starts to lean one direction or another.
It likes it when i add organic items to the soil.
And so it is with finding new and sometimes radical thinkers.
Some of them really rub me the wrong way. They do not speak the way I do. They use language and take actions that I really would not consider. BUT, yet they qualify for a spot on my shelf, to live and learn from....to sift through their ideas with my soul and my spirit and my heart.
Wangari Maathai was a legendary ambassador of ¨all things tree related¨ and she founded a tree planting movement that has planted so so so many trees.... that the global ¨green effect¨ may be viewed from space! Yes, the green space on earth has been improved by global tree planting efforts. Yes, you can make a difference.
Yes, admittedly, Wangari was not the only eco warrior planting trees and inspiring others to do so....but still, she played a key role not only in Kenya, but on the world wide stage.
Then there is the even more controversial Indian environmental activist by the name of Vandana Shiva.
She does not apologize for her ¨anti-corporate¨ teachings. As for myself, who enjoys the stock market, it is difficult to hear her rage on about corporations and the power of shareholders. But, again, speaking for myself, as someone who connects so deeply with nature, with trees and seeds and gardens and the soil itself..., I find myself listening quietly....trying to learn more from Vandana .....more than what my upbringing can bear. I am learning to stretch. I must stretch.
I must admit that Vandana Shiva has done an incredible thing by empowering small farmers and regular citizens to fight back against genetically modified seed monopolies. She and her organization have empowered many thousands and thousands of people to build seed banks and acknowledge their quiet grassroots power. She is the embodiment of food sovereignty. She empowered the humble small plot Indian farmers who felt bullied by the GMO seed corporations that were trying to take over the agricultural industry in India. She made them feel heard and recognized the legitimacy and power of small plot local farms. She defended the rights of those who pressed their own seed oils in small scale local oil production shops. She fought against media that was skewed in favour of large corporations and sought to defend the rights of the humble farmers. She made subsistence farming seem cool again and important and nurturing.
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The notion of food sovereignty was probably first introduced to me through another radical thinker by the name of Robin Greenfield. (he has gotten rid of all his government ID) and most modern ways of living. Although some of his choices quite annoy me, to be frank......his lifestyle is so focused and simplified, to the point where you know, he can only go ¨up¨ from such a radically intentionally impoverished position in society. When someone refuses modern distraction and allows himself to become intentional in almost everything they do, from the homemade shoes he wears to the way he has created a community of like minded supporters who follow all his radical life experiments.
I began to see, through Robin Greenfield´s videos of homegrown veggie gardens and free seed banks and local foraging, that by encouraging one another to be able to grow their own food, or at least a significant portion of their own foods, they were taking some of their own personal sovereignty back from the corporate ¨overlords¨. By refusing to spend money on sugary processed junk foods, and learning to grow and forage for natural fresh foods, one can feel more truly welcome in one´s own land and connect more deeply to the earth. The vigorous health he seems to enjoy further promotes his teachings to levels of reasonable legitimacy.
Well, that concludes my sharing of 3 names of some of the most radical thinkers I am personally and currently aware of. I know that Wangari Maathai is no longer with us, but her books and organizations and ideals live on. Vandana Shiva is very much alive and one can find her speaking engagements and writings easily on the public web. Robin Greenfield is currently on a walking tour from Canada to somewhere in the USA and he has been making youtube videos about his somewhat spiritual quest.
My point is this. If you take the safe route and only read books and watch videos that are deemed ¨safe¨ or politically correct.... you are not necessarily going to find anything really interesting to study and sift through. I am not endorsing radical living for the sake of just being radical. I am, though, endorsing the pursuit of knowledge and learning, as the God of the bible, through our lord Jesus, endorses.
Jesus was not known for hating on scholars and those with higher learning. He did however, learn to have informed and healthy discussions on all the current social questions of His day. He demanded we be gracious. He demanded that we learn to forgive. He expects us to prepare ourselves for whatever is around the bend. He is wise.
In all your learning....seek truth. In all your walking, seek grace.
Peace, my friends,
Carla.
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