Come with me into the field…to the bright chrome yellow of goldenrod and the deep purple of the aster – together radiant in alpine meadows.
Why do asters and goldenrod grow and look so beautiful together?
It turns out that not only is this pairing a matter of aesthetics, but also because of ecology. Purple and gold are complementary colours and opposites on the colour wheel, and because they are so vivid together, they grow together in order to attract more pollinators.
Beauty has a purpose.Beauty is our opportunity to relish life. How often do you stop to appreciate beauty?
Attention, says Mary Oliver, is the rarest form of generousity. If we are at all paying attention to the living world, we cannot help falling in love with it over and over again.
(Although I keep thinking about Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias saying,“There is no such thing as natural beauty.”)
There is also beauty in imperfection; of things that show their age and use. Scratches, chips, cracks. Bowls. Chairs. Us.
Reciprocity broadens the notion of what it is to be human, not just a consumer. Now, and more than ever, this is what we need to attend to.
The kind of deep attention that we pay as children is something that I cherish, that I think we all can cherish and reclaim — because attention is the doorway to gratitude, the doorway to wonder, the doorway to reciprocity. It worries me greatly that today’s children can recognize 100 corporate logos and fewer than ten plants. It means they’re not paying attention. – Dr. Robin Walls Kinnere
Reciprocity is different than sustainability.We can no longer think regarding this planet that we live on only in terms of sustainability. We can no longer think we have ownership over what we call resources, continuing to take and consume without returning anything back. We need to recognize that we humans have gifts that we can give in return for all that has been given to us. It is a way to exhibit our humanity. It is such joy, and our ultimate responsibility to have this mutual flourishing, instead of being satisfied with the narrow definition of sustainability.
Pathological consumption has become so normalized that we scarcely notice it. – George Monbiot
We continue to trash our living world through pointless consumption and commodification. While researching her film, The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard discovered that of the materials flowing through the consumer economy, only 1% of it remains in use six months after purchasing. Even goods expected to be held onto are condemned to destruction through either planned obsolescence (breaking quickly) or perceived obsolescence (becoming unfashionable). http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/ So much now is comparatively inexpensive and easily accessible, that we almost condemn anything that is a bit worn. We see something that we want and instantly put it on our credit card, go in debt for it, dissing the idea of living without it. Instead of purchasing a sofa that should last decades, we buy one at a big box store, where not only are the materials substandard, but it is often uncomfortable, poorly designed, soon to be replaced and sent to the landfill.Instead of purchasing quality bedding and towels, we buy the cheapest of materials, piling the multitudes in our closet. Instead of buying art from a local artist, we purchase cheaply framed posters. Instead of growing our own flowers and plants, we buy plastic or silk. Instead of using our special things everyday, we save them for special occasions, without realizing that being alive is a special occasion.
So many of us spend the first two-thirds of our lives accumulating stuff, only to spend the last one-third of our life trying to get rid of it.
So just how many towels per bathroom, bedsheets per bedroom, bathrobes, slippers, sets of dishes and placemats…does one need to successfully run a household?
For the most part, the answer is two. And two corkscrews. In case one ever breaks.
Once appreciating beauty and it’s nurturing abundance, we have a deep responsibility to share this with others and to treat it with reverence and reciprocity.Vanity is the bane of us humans. Humility is the prize.
It’s what’s on the inside that counts.
We don’t know when and how we are leaving the greatest marks on the world. It all matters.
Everything belongs.
What I guessed when I loafed on the grass,
What I guessed while I lay alone in my bed…
and again as I walked the beach under the
paling stars of the morning.
This is one of your best writings! It needs to be sent around the world.
xoxo ALISON
Karyn,
You do such a beautiful job of saying things that resonate with me. Thank you!
Alice