A New Year - A time for change

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And, with that said…let me state right away that this is not going to be a post about “New Year- New You”, “How to Get Fit in the New Year”, “How to Eat Right- All Year”. Although, those are some great headlines…perhaps my next post will follow one of those leads. I’ve been thinking about the new year in a new light, especially with all the misconception around the idea of the end of time, or the Apocalypse.

Do you know that “apocalypse” translated literally from Greek, means a “disclosure of knowledge, hidden from humanity in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e., a lifting of the veil or revelation”? I would certainly say that we have been living in an era dominated by falsehood, and I can certainly abide by the idea that it is time for full disclosure. I’m saying- to hell with your smart phone, your wardrobe, your car and everything that is all about you, you, you. Yeah. Really. Get over yourself.

Let’s make this new year about US. We are a GLOBAL COMMUNITY, but we are not acting like one. How can any one of us truly succeed in a world where so many are being left behind? How can any society or community truly thrive if some are left to suffer in poverty, disease, and lack of support and education? So many people- all around us- don’t have what they need to thrive. Not only is this terribly sad, but it is a direct link to the things that we fear in life- crime, war. People who are constantly robbed of their human and civil rights will lash out.

For instance- I don’t want to bomb the shit out of the Middle East anymore. You know why? Not just because it isn’t right and it’s hurting people, and because there are BETTER and more human ways to solve conflicts. No- also because they want to bomb the shit out of us right back!!!! Can we really blame them?

I love the show Homeland for this reason (http://www.sho.com/sho/homeland/home). It gives you a sympathetic look at BOTH sides of that issue- the terrorists versus the Americans. And you literally find yourself feeling slightly sympathetic to both sides. Who’s right? Wait- I am right. Or- maybe you are right. Or, wait…we’re both right? Nobody’s right…

I feel the very fiber of our existence imploding, and I’d like to be able to do something about it. I would like us all to do something about it. I was so affected, as all of us were, by the news in December- not just the elementary school shooting, but another bit of news from around the world around the same time. There was a horrific rape in India, and the young lady ultimately died of her wounds. What struck me about these two heinous, inconceivable crimes was the two very different reactions to them.

Here, in the United States…there was a lot of internet chatting. We all posted about it, prayed about it, wrote letters about it, cried about it…and it is mostly gone from the news now. I am not even sure what is being done about it, really, to be honest with you. But- I do know what has been done in India. People physically reacted! They were angry! They stormed their government building by the thousands in protest of such a horrific crime- demanding for laws to change, demanding for justice! Their government had no choice but to listen. While cases like this are normally tied up in India for years—the perpetrators of this crime are going on trial now, because of the people. I know you may say that we have no perpetrator, in the case of the school shooting…but I beg to differ.

We are the perpetrators. Our society- our lack of community- our complacency. Why aren’t we storming the capitol…demanding better health care, demanding better resources for the poor, demanding better education for our children, demanding gun control laws….demanding a stronger and happier society for all?? The issues are so much deeper than one guy with a gun, and the problems take a lot of forethought. It will take years and years of policy change to affect the kind of change we need. To date- we haven’t had anyone in government able to work towards the future…because the people won’t let it. No one wants to take actions now that won’t result in visible change for 30 years. We are the now, now, now culture….what is good for ME- now.

What is not good for me now is ignoring our collective well-being. Because it won’t be good for my future, and it won’t be good for my child’s future.

I hope- with this new year…we can start to change. My hope for all people is that they start to seek enlightenment- that the veil will be lifted, that people will start to understand that your actions today will affect many tomorrows. The air is already bad, the food is already damaged, the earth is already too hot… It has to start changing today.

Gilberto Gil, in the movie Time For Change 2012 (http://www.2012timeforchange.com/)- which I find so inspiring, says that “you can affect social change by making personal change”. So, even if the issues seem too overwhelming to do anything about- I ask you to keep that thought in mind, for this new year. It starts with you and me. We have to be the change that we want to see.

I am hoping to affect people by teaching them how to be healthier. This is a bigger task than just helping one person fit in to their skinny jeans. The ramifications of a person switching to a healthier diet and lifestyle are a thousandfold…it will be better for agriculture, the land, the environment, as well as the social environment. There has been actual proven research that the Standard American Diet (SAD) is causing depression (among a millionty other things), and that switching to a largely plant based and organic way of eating improves mental function and behavior! This is a big deal.

A highschool for kids with behavioral problems decided to overhaul their cafeteria and see what happens! (http://www.feingold.org/PF/wisconsin1.html) What happened was the violent outburst amongst students dramatically decreased, dropout rates dramatically decreased, and academic performance….DRAMATICALLY INCREASED! Just by feeding these kids real, nourishing food! Imagine the possibility. A similar study was done in a prison population with the exact same results- giant reduction in number of violent outburst, down to almost none. The new diet made people- dismissed by society as flawed and irreparable- HAPPY!

If everyone in the country had access to fresh, whole food that was not full of hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified DNA…it is clear our society at large would improve. We could reduce crime—by eating vegetables! We could make our land healthier. We could give farmers a decent living- and a reason to keep farming…which is sort of in our best interest that we have farmers farming food, and not only government subsidized crops of wheat, corn and soy! (Did you know that food allergies have more than doubled between the years 1997 and 2002…1996 being the year the GMOs were introduced to the marketplace. http://visual.ly/gmo-genetically-modified-organism You don’t know because “they” work hard for you not to know.)

I, for one, am amazed at the possibility…and I will not think myself small for making efforts at changing one person’s diet and lifestyle at a time. One pebble can still make a mighty ripple. It is time for change. This is a time for the apocalypse…or a lifting of the veil of deception that has come over us all. It is time to be working towards the future that we all want to see. Start small, start big…just start. It does matter. It will make a difference.

I challenge you all to add one thing to your list of New Year’s Resolutions:

#1. BE THE CHANGE

Love and light to everyone in my global community- near and far,

April