human’s well-being and our own
health certainly will cost more in
terms of dollars and cents. The
reality is that many people aren’t
able to buy clothes that are made
from responsibly sourced mate-
rials and well paid workers. The
prevailing fast fashion system has
squeezed the life out of this model,
and the availability of ethically
produced apparel is extremely
limited, putting the majority of
consumers in a position where
they feel they have no choice.
Yet this is the crucial point.
Anyone and everyone can become
aware that there might be another
choice, that there should be a
choice other than participating in
the prevailing paradigm. Thomas
Berry, cultural historian and twen-
tieth century visionary, sums up
what he believes to be the “Great
sumers on the realities of the sys-
tems we have been unconsciously
supporting is the path to change
and, in our way of thinking, the
heart of slow living. We can do this,
each and every one of us, in small
ways, in seemingly minuscule
decisions, in the example we set
The goal in exploring
the idea of slow living is
to identify where we have
Work” of humankind as we move
into the new century. It is “to carry
out the transition from a period of
human devastation of the Earth to
a period when humans would be
present to the planet in a mutually
beneficial manner.”
Uncovering these shadows in
our society and educating con-
become separated from
“the hand that feeds us,”
so to speak, and to find
our way back to a right
relationship with the true
source of our nurturance.
for those around us without being
loud or preachy. No single behavior
is going to be right for everyone.
We all got here together even if we
came from a thousand different
directions. The way out is with in-
dividual changes, but the ultimate
paradigm-shifting changes will be
collective.
The goal in exploring the idea
of slow living is to identify where
we have become separated from
“the hand that feeds us,” so to
speak, and to find our way back to
a right relationship with the true
source of our nurturance. We want
to see ourselves apart from mass
production and consumption, hear
our own voice inside the noisy tor-
rent of information, and seek out
the things we truly value. In that
space, perhaps, is where we reclaim
our allotted time on the planet and
create our truly authentic lives.
It’s good to be waking up.
10
PLENTY I SUMMER GROWING 2019