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Driving back with my husband from Cleveland after a funeral and the Phil Collins song, Land of Confusion is on the radio. I’m a child of the 70’s and 80’s but listening to the song today felt like I was listening to it for the first time. The song talks about how we can leave a better world for the future generations. Read the lyrics below. Why are we not doing this?
Too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can’t you see
This is a land of confusion.
This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we’re given
Use them and let’s start trying
To make it a place worth living in.
For me, it has always been about leaving the world a better place. Unfortunately, I don’t think we are doing enough. Each person has the responsibility to work to make the changes happen – not just talk about it. We need to walk the walk not talk the talk. So how do we make this happen?
First we need to be conscious of the natural resources we are using as many of these resources are not renewable. Minimalists do this already because we only use what we need to use. As a matter of fact, many minimalists no longer own cars and have opted to live in cities where they can bike or walk to work and for shopping. Petroleum is not only a non-renewable resource it is the base source for many world conflicts and USA is heavily reliant on imported oil. I personally am not looking to purchase a car, however, if I were I would look for a hybrid that would reduce my dependence on oil. May sound like a simple response to a difficult problem but if millions of us did this one thing, oil companies, automotive companies and our governments would be forced to take a look at how we can improve our vehicles and that is a step in the right direction.
Feeding the world’s hungry is another topic I am passionate about and this is not a problem that only 3rd world countries face – it is a problem we face right here in the USA. Charities that I support directly address this world wide problem. In addition, teaching people how to provide healthy nutritious foods for their families goes a long way in fixing the problem. Many urban neighborhoods now have localized garden plots where families can plant and maintain their own vegetable gardens. Unfortunately, most large cities do not have this available. We need to target these cities and help people to help themselves by growing their own produce.
Kindness to each other is another large problem and one that effects not only humans but animals too. The number of animals that need rescued from bad environments where abuse and starvation is rising daily. I walk the walk in this particular area as I have 4 rescue horses and 5 rescue dogs but that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. Then take it further and look at the farming of animals. There are cows kept confined in a small area. There are chickens that are stacked on top of each other, layer upon layer, row upon row in small, confined cages. At dairy farms, newborn calves are removed immediately from their mothers. Why? So that the mother’s milk can be used for human consumption. Many calves die.
Not such an easy subject but we can make a difference just by choosing organic and free range animals. It may cost a little bit at the grocery store but if you purchase locally from an organic farmer, the price difference isn’t very much and not only is it humane, it’s healthier also. Do we need to be drinking cows milk? What other animal drinks another animal’s milk besides humans? There are other options and many taste better and provide more calcium than cow’s milk does. Take a look at almond milk – that is what I drink.
Yes these are very difficult topics but these exact topics are the top reasons that I have chosen the minimalistic lifestyle. You may have heard this before but together and by telling others about what we have chosen and why we have chosen it, will make a difference.
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