I commuted from Upstate New York to Manhattan to work every day in the 1990s. I was often astonished in my route to and from Grand Central Station by a landfill in the middle of NYC at the time. What happened? How could that be?
It wasn’t
tiny either. It was stacked!
It was
also near some of the most important global banks, and newspaper and fashion editorial outlets at the
time. Was it just me? Didn’t it bother anyone else?
I could have taken another route to avoid it, but the landfill just happened to be
Fortunately,
the landfill is no longer there. Today, you would never know that landfill ever
existed. When I look online, tour guides act as if it never happened.
It’s now
a top “must visit” popular rest spot for tourists and commuters alike. Bryant
Park is now surrounded by Parisian style cafes, chairs, benches, green grass,
flowers, mature trees and a book exchange.
You can
call Bryant Park the Cinderella of midtown Manhattan. It now often hosts high
profile events such as New York Fashion Week, ice skating in the winter and lots
more. It’s become the ultimate lunch
time and after workplace to “chill”, quench, rest and restore for local commuters and tourists alike.
GOD
heard and answered my prayers! Now, faith is stronger. My prayer is global. GOD can do it!
Please note that I am posting this blog just after celebrating
8 days of Passover (USA). I mention this as I just reshelved my kitchen with
the breads and cookies of which I had grown accustomed to having. However,
after eight days of matzah, fresh fruit and vegetables, I am not salivating for
these formerly processed delights as I imagined I would be.
It happens every year. But this year, I notice that
these processed foods are comparable to “landfill”. Conversely, this past week
of healthy easily digestible meals can be compared to a “zero waste” meal plan
according to my body.
Everything has its place. I don’t have brain fog. I
don’t feel sluggish though there was an interim of purging when I did. And Hashem
(Almighty God) is sharing poetic similes with me of which I greatly enjoy, appreciate,
and truly understand (eventually).
“Why go back to the filth that ‘separates us’?” Eating kosher and choosing God made foods (including daily praise and reading of the Torah/Old Testament) feeds the mind, body, and soul and helps keep me on the divine path of excellence and enlightenment.
Yes, it's true. What you eat deeply impacts your mood and the way you think.
Even a psalm or proverb a day with each meal makes a
significant difference. Try it for at least a week or 30 days and see for
yourself.
While
many people celebrate Earth Day as a one off, I see it as a new and improved lifestyle. It’s something that I have not personally mastered but I am well
on my way.
We currently live in a consumer driven society. Manufacturers use planned obsolescence to seduce consumers into continually repurchasing their products in an attempt to boost profits. This is of course at the detriment of the overall well-being of society today. There was a time when things were made to last.
Clothes, furniture, cars, and homes were formerly all made to last. There are even some original “Thomas Edison” lightbulbs still in use today one hundred years later.
How will we (humanity) survive as a people if we keep filling fertile living land with plastic and other elements that will take centuries or millennia to compost? It affects the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.
I believe there is a way. In fact, there are many ways to heal our collective (temporary) home.
First, we must decide to do so. Don’t depend on government or major corporations to do this. They are often the ones who intentionally misguided society into the very situation which I speak today. It’s a futile attempt to control the masses.
Society as a whole has become mindless mass consumers. But the masses are awakening to the truth for their very own survival.Perhaps it started during the COVID 19 pandemic. People had time to think and some people used that time well. They saw the "writing on the wall". They took action.
This has always been a God given mandate. Intuitively, we already know. However, it is a personal decision each must make.
We are
simply aligning with the original soul blueprint, (a.k.a The Golden Rule – Love
Thy Neighbor as Thyself etc.). By doing do, we can help re-route the otherwise inevitable
destruction.
“’Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but rather love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18
Let's be mindful of our choices. Let's think long term.
- Recycle. Can’t use it anymore? Give it away of sell it.
- Compost (Compost kits are available in many communities.)
- Start a Repair Café (helps retired seniors, and unemployed etc).
- Buy the best quality you can afford. It lasts longer.
- Donate and/or Purchase used clothes
- Upcycle old furniture
- Build better quality (homes, cars, clothing, etc.)
- Use glass bottles instead of Plastic
- Use paper bags and compostable bags instead of plastic
- Support public markets, farmer’s markets and co-ops.
Worried about the stock market and retail stores? Don't. It's already changing. It will balance itself out with new long term priorities. Everyone will have what they need.
Many people become more aware when they have children. We teach children values. But they mostly repeat what they see us do. So let's do and be better. Check out some of our earlier blog posts on recovering from ancestral PTSD.
(You may also wish to contact your local rabbi or pastor for spiritual advice. Your insurance carrier, social worker, or guidance counselor may also be able to help you find a good personal or family mental health care provider. Visit betterhelp.com for private online options. Call 988LifeLine in the USA for emergency suicide prevention or seek your local suicide prevention in your own country if needed.)
“Train
up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from
it.” Proverbs 22:6
Take a moment. Pause. Will this thing, idea, product, words, person or decision add value to my life?
If it’s just a short-term whim, maybe you don’t need it. If there is a way that will not only add value to your life, but to your family and community too, then perhaps that is the better choice for you.
Then I
turn off the world news showing the old system (government and
corporations) and
their deceit and tricks crumble. I also recently observed as many people questioned the future the day Pop Francis died.
Stop
regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be
esteemed? Isaiah 2:22
It all reminds me to be mindful of what truly matters. I return my attention to the Great Creator and Architect of the planet and all life forms, the cosmos, and universe.
I sometimes think of water and its cycles. It can be ice, a body of water, steam or rain. It washes, purges, births, and transforms.
That
person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in
season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:3;Jeremiah
17:7-8
Let’s remember to be considerate of our planet, each other and GOD’s great design for our lives.
It’s dependable and true.
Support the change. Click here to help remove plastic from the ocean, plant a tree or buy a Earth Peace T-shirt and we will do both and lots more! Thanks for the support.
“It
is better
to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 118:8
