Dear lovely humans!
Today I want to bring up a topic I’ve been noticing is arising more and more frequently.
The other day I went on an adventure, as I often love to do. We decided to go sit by a lake and soak in the sun and the water. Blasting our music and great vibes, we reached our destination, only to discover there was no place to park, no place to sit, no place to even stand by the water. Every inch of the coastline was “Private Property”. We drove for ages until we realized the sad reality: The whole place is owned by someone or other. Who is claiming these lakes, these rivers? Who is deciding “this belongs to me now”? I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach as we left our beautiful lakeside plans and headed elsewhere.
This makes me think about the way we’re living on this land.
On the one hand, people like myself, who love nature and want to sit by the water and smell the wind are forced to search far and wide or else pay a hefty fee. One of the reasons for these fees and closed private spaces is because people want to own the lands to have to themselves and not share. Another reason, and the one I want to focus on is that so many people LITTER!
Countless times, I walked a nature path, listened to trees and birds, and enjoyed the beauty that surrounded me, only to find a beer bottle lying next to a gorgeous Willow tree. Countless times, I picked up the bottle and held it in my hand until I found a proper garbage bin. There’s no wonder these trails are now privately owned. Owned by people who want to keep them clean and safe from some inconsiderate, closed-minded, closed-hearted humans. And if I’m being honest, I understand them! If I were able to buy a piece of forest and stop polluters from destroying the nature I love so dearly, I would consider it as well.
Sadly, this decision to buy these forests and lakesides takes away from humans like me. Humans who care deeply about this planet and want to bask in its magic. People like me are forced to find another way to enjoy this great land.
It breaks my heart to know that there is not much I can do, except to try to see it from a perspective in which my beloved planet is being kept protected by being kept from other humans, including me (how twisted is that?!).
Is there another way?
Is there a way for humans to protect the land without claiming it?
Is there a way for us to share this planet and keep it safe for each other and ourselves?
What else is possible?!
I wonder…
As I’m typing this, a thought crosses my mind. A thought that may trigger some of you. Alas, I will share it nonetheless, whole-heartedly and with kindness. The more rules are imposed on someone, the more likely they are to rebel. Maybe not after the first or second rule, but after the twentieth, probably. The fewer rules at play, the more free someone feels, the more likely they are to look around and choose for themselves what the best course of action to take. When we are restricted, confined, caged in, our attention is focused on escaping captivity. And as we know, energy flows where our attention goes. Our energy is concentrated on the frequency of “I feel confined, I feel angry, I feel rebellious”. What if our energy was focused elsewhere?
If there were fewer rules, what would our attention be focused on? Perhaps we would reach the conclusion that it’s important to be decent and kind to one another. Perhaps we would begin caring for this planet because we would see more clearly how our actions directly affect our surroundings. Perhaps.
You might be reading this and think I’m naïve and know little of this world. But I ask you, where is your focus these days? Now more than ever, and understandably so, we are drowning in rules and restrictions. Rules that are presented to us to keep us safe, to keep us protected. But I’m talking about rules that have nothing to do with health and safety precautions. I’m talking about the Private Properties. Just some food for your thoughts.
As always, with love and kindness,
~L
