"There are enough brilliant people on this earth to do everything that
needs to be done".
Hello everyone,
I hope you are well.
I've just listened to Peter Sellars' lecture, Social Practice, for the Edible
Education course. http://edibleschoolyard.org/resource/edible-education-103-social-practice-peter-sellars
His wide-ranging talk answers the question of why an artist
and theatre person should come and lecture on food and food systems, and I
recommend listening to his entire talk.
He offers some light, to contrast with the darkness and
depressing things that will be explored in the series (and he gives examples of
some serious issues). He assures those
in the class or listening to the tape that through sharing what we do, and by being
mindful of the sentience of ... well, everything ... that we have power. We can act in ways that are apart from the
belittling, industrial system that has developed, and that he says is
collapsing like a defeated dragon (slowly and with a lot of noise and display).
Sellars points out that we are here now to prepare for what
comes next. We have an opportunity to be
ready, and an obligation to others to do what we can (because we are all
connected).
I appreciate his bravery in using the word "evil"
to describe the behaviours of big corporations ... and his assertion that evil
is not sustainable. Evil always fails.
He states that food justice is important because food is mind and that every child has a right
to healthy, organic food; it is not an option.
With conviction and enthusiasm his talk combines spiritual
philosophy from several traditions with practicality, something I've been trying
to do for a long time ... not always successfully, clearly or without the
trying adding its own stress. I
appreciate his reassurance to start small, and with other people.
He mentions the 4 imeasurables of Buddhism: love,
compassion, right effort and courage.
He reminds that "democracy" is not static.
He notes that Indigenous peoples recognize that everything
is alive: human, animal, plants, water, rock.
He quotes from the Indian Upanishads (and I may be mixing
its text with his own words):
... the finest quality of the food we swallow
rises up as mind.
The finest quality of the water
that we swallow rises up as life itself.
The finest quality of the light
we swallow rises up as speeech.
We are beings of light.
The more light you take in the
more powerfully and beautifully you speak.
Food and sharing food is central over cultures. Growing food small scale is going to be
essential and a saving grace on the path forward.
There's a lot in this talk.
The older you are and the more you've been to workshops that combine
spirit and practical, or the more you've tried to reconcile the diverse aspects
of your complicated life, the more you'll sit -head in hands - nodding. You'll think.
And that's important.
I hope you'll listen through. It's a good start for the New Year.
Best regards, as always.
Why's Woman
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