The notion of conservation is not a new one, in Japan there has been a tradition of not wasting resources known as ‘mottainai’ which has become the catch cry for a campaign in Japan to reduce waste. Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, environmentalist, activist and parliamentarian, has brought this concept to the rest of the world. We need to become more responsive to our environment and prepared to dive deeper into our inner resources if the world is to continue with humans upon it.
In order to do this it is helpful to do with less, doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable materially but you put thought into using your resources as efficiently as you can. I have become accustomed now to having some kind of compost operating wherever I go, that and recycling mean that I often only create one small bag of rubbish for the week, and that is often the case even with two of us! This is a relatively recent change for me, in the last five years, now it seems like the norm to me, all the house sits I do have some kind of arrangement to compost and pretty much everyone recycles these days.
This is all really important stuff but it’s important to remember the implications of mottainai when considering what you want to be doing in the world, what is your purpose and how you can bring your particular gifts into expression. Being inspired and passionate about things and then not following through is almost a bit arrogant to be honest even though it doesn’t feel like it at the time. Who am I to refuse the flow of spirit through me? The more of us who step into our larger selves and recognise the interconnectedness of all things, the more the world can be tipped towards massive change for the better.
Here is a song that I’m learning with my choir at the moment called “Mottainai”, the words have been going round and round in my head as I sit in front of the fire and has produced this bit of reflection on my part, I hope you enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrMLqbxL0E0&sns=em
Through the Vortex 