“The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them.” – Paul Hawken
As we have cultivated the industrialization of our society over the years, we have, in many ways gotten further and further away from the natural process. Our materialism has guided us into regarding most everything that can’t be packaged and sold as waste, an attitude that is never found in nature. And to look at our methods of monoculture farming in the American Midwest and the devastation it is producing to what was once some of the most fertile soil in the world, it is apparent that we have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
However, it is not industry itself that is unnatural. After all, look at the beaver building his dam, the spider weaving her web, or the sparrow assembling its nest. Industry is incredibly natural. So how are we mucking it up so badly and separating ourselves so greatly from the natural world?
Two things that are missing from our mindset are diversity and understanding value. For example, as we industrialized our agriculture, we focused most of our energies on one plant, corn. Because we underestimated the value of the diversity of a fertile garden, the soil has not been cultivated as nature would do it, and is therefore losing its richness. Nature never singles out one species, eradicating all others in the hope of furthering life. The diversity of nature is what creates life.
Regarding our concept of waste, is anything in nature ever wasted? No. Everything has value, and every part of it plays a role in the circle of life. As we continuously recreate our society, we must look at the example of nature, which has thrived since long before we discovered tools, realizing that diversity is the true key to plentitude and that true sustainability means that there is no such thing as waste.
In addition to serving as Managing Editor and contributor to Modern Hippie Mag, Steve McAllister is an actor, musician, accomplished author, filmmaker, and the man behind Your Daily Groove. His most recent novel, The McAllister Code is available as an e-book at www.themcallistercode.com. Find Steve on Twitter, @InkenSoul. Read his reviews and articles here.
Steve McAllister, Modern Hippie Mag's resident Lifestyle Guru, describes himself as a Renaissance Man. An author, filmmaker, songwriter, and perpetual artistic experimenter, he has recently re-released his second book The Rucksack Letters into paperback to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the journey. His latest book, a comical foray into philosophical science fiction, is How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld. His latest artistic project is The Labyrinth of the Unbroken Path. .
