A reflection on my relationship to environmentalism, and a deeper reflection on why I choose to live my life sustainably outside of politically driven reasoning.

Words by Stevie Palmer, Comment Editor

As a comment section we decided to make this edition, as you can probably tell, all about the environment. I don’t need to repeat the words of the other writers in this edition about the  importance of writing, talking, and creating a narrative within and about the environment.  

When putting this section together, I was grappling with what I could write about when a friend presented to me the idea that if part of my choice to not eat meat was environmental, maybe I should talk about that; which got me reflecting upon my own relationship to my environmental choices. In the binary sense I am a vegan and an environmentalist, however, I don’t generally term myself this way. Despite adhering to a lot of the values and practices of both these things, my relationship doesn’t neatly lend itself to being termed in this way.

For me, my choice to live in a sustainable and loving way comes out of my perception of the world. I see the world as one big collation of energy and that we, both people and nature are inextricably entwined in, and subsequently chose to live in a way that best serves that relationship. Hence why I always seek to make choices that best serve the planet and always, wherever possible, choose love and the option that best perpetuates it, as I believe in doing so, I create a positive synergistic relationship between myself and the energetic field within which I exist. The universal ecosystem within which I project and receive positive energy.

For example, I don’t eat animal products partly because I care about animals and don’t agree with their commodification; nor do I want to fund an abusive industry that benefits from suffering and death, but my choice is less so rooted in superficial political characteristics as my exhaustive understanding of the world. It’s because of my green, spiritual understanding of the world that I believe these political characteristics to be true.

More profoundly, it’s because I see these choices as variables that will negatively impact my synergistic relationship to the world that I choose not to do them. My flow state requires me to push and pull within the energetic ecosystem that transcends us, and this is just one way I find to do that. This is the same reason why I would never argue with anyone about their choice to eat meat or shop in fast fashion because for some, they don’t see these choices as negative for their symbiotic relationship to nature. For many people, it’s because they’re so detached from the natural world, that they no longer feel that energetic connection and as such, cannot comprehend why they should make material life sacrifices for a cause they don’t feel connected to. You can’t force people to find your balance, only love and support them in finding their own.

For me, it’s not about not doing these things (like eating chocolate or shopping in fast fashion) ever, it’s about mindfully choosing not to do them all the time. It’s about doing my part to keep my core connection with nature and to energetically serve the place I call home and instill positive energy into that world by choosing love and the option that most preserves it.

For me, green spirituality is less so about being a vegan and fitting into conformist political labels and more about fostering harmonious, positive energetic relations to and within the world that exists around and within me synonymously. 

Featured Image Courtesy of World Animal Foundation (https://worldanimalfoundation.org/advocate/how-to-help-animals/params/post/1275995/12-steps-to-become-an-environmentalist)

Categories: Comment Opinion

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