Treading Lightly on the Earth

Here’s the first of three Substack posts I’m now reposting here. Here’s the link for this one and the recording

At the end of this I invite you to set an intention to tread lightly on the earth, and you could express that intention in the comments if you wish.

I’ve also been trying out some haiku poetry which is traditionally 17 syllables, divided into 5-7-5, and focussing on a specific, brief moment in nature or a poignant observation. Perhaps you’d like to create some haiku and share in the comments? Here are two from me…

This intention speaks

Treading lightly on the earth

I will try my best

*

World affairs worry

Nature shows me how to be

Treading lightly here

***

The wood presents a place of peace. The trees are still, the birds are singing. All is well.

I arrive listening to a podcast about killing in Minnesota after another podcast about Davos and everything that was said and done and might result from Davos. Talk of World War III and breakdown of international law and order and all of that.

What a contrast.

And we know that the wood here is not as placid and peaceful as it presents. We know that there’s a whole predatory ecosystem going on in its way. And we know that a picture of world peace is pretty unlikely to happen. Well, that’s what I’m judging.

So it’s not as simple and straightforward as comparing the two. However, as ever, nature has a particular way of doing its predatory business that is measured. It goes wrong sometimes, a lot, of course it does, but it’s measured on the whole, and doesn’t go around killing thousands of other things, it kills what it needs to kill to eat and survive; that’s part of the natural order. That’s different to how we go about things, and how we have a capacity now to kill on a major scale.

It’s not as simple as this or that. Nothing ever is, I don’t believe. However, those of you who are listening to me, you’re likely to be open to a story or a message that’s about doing our best to live the natural way.

Do I do that? What do I mean by that? Well, I’ve just got a new television. I’ve just got a new piece of kit that allows me to watch silly stuff and serious stuff. That’s an example that shows I don’t mean some sort of retreat. Good for you if you’ve done that. Good for those people who live a green life and separate themselves.

I can’t do that. I’m not asking anybody here to do that. Though there’s something about intention here, isn’t there? Something about the intention of living with a value. Something about the intention of living with a value. The way I’d like to put it today is living with a value of treading lightly on the earth, that’s what it is treading lightly on the earth. I don’t know where that phrase came from but it’s a nice one isn’t it? Living with the intention of treading lightly on the earth. I need to remember that myself, to apply it a bit more than I sometimes remember to apply it. And I’m still going to enjoy my my new television as well!

So there we are today, living with that intention of treading lightly on the earth.

Sounds good. To me it does. Maybe it does to you.

Thanks for reading.