Even though there is still much need and poverty in the world, there is enough for all of us – to survive, to live with dignity, and even to thrive. We just have to use what our Planet has bequeathed to us wisely.
Our ancient societies lived balanced lives. Our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives were in balance. And we understood the Concept of Enough.
Most native people worldwide, and other groups like the Mennonites, live off the land, free of most unnecessary material possessions.
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The Indigenous peoples believe the earth will provide them with the basic necessities, and they take only what they really need to survive. Most still adhere to the concept of enough.
They love and revere the Planet and understand our deep connection to it. They appreciate that it nourishes us with water, air, and food: it supports us, and they understand that maintaining the purity of these is crucial.
The Indigenous people around the world recognize the Planet as a gift from our Creator and that every molecule on it lives and breathes. Embedded in their histories is the belief that we are all its stewards.
Throughout the world, most native peoples understand and maintain a reciprocal connection with Gaia. This connection is their spirituality.
What is enough? Enough is different for everyone. Most of us in the Western world do want some luxuries and modern commodities and some of these can be supported by Mother Nature (if we are wise about it), but many of us have gone overboard.
In The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight Thom Hartmann reminds us that our current society lives under the myth that “if some stuff will make you happy, then twice as much stuff will make you twice as happy, and ten times as much will make you ten times as happy, and so on, into infinity.” (1)
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And although greed has been around for eons, it has only recently extended to such abusive actions towards our Planet as to threaten her (and thereby our) very survival. Where did this current greed come from?
In his essay, “The World of Wonder” in Spiritual Ecology, Thomas Berry explains that in North America this attitude of acquiring grew as a result of our lack of embracing or understanding the concept of “Earth-based spirituality” when we first came here from Europe.
Barry reminds us that not only did the Indigenous people understand the relationship between heaven, earth, and its people, evidenced by their rituals and ceremonies to evoke the powers of the Universe/Mother Nature, most ancient cultures did as well.
He also tells us that the pillars in India, China, Greece, Egypt, and Rome “were established to delineate a sacred center which provided a point of reference for human affairs and bound Heaven and Earth together.” (2)
Today, much of Western society is focused on acquiring far more than what we really need. This focus causes us to rarely move beyond physical concerns into our emotional or spiritual needs, which are necessary to keep us balanced.
Appreciating what we have ensures our Planet’s continuation. If we could really put more focus on respecting and making proper use of all that Mother Earth offers us – clean water, fresh air, and bountiful land we would make wise decisions so that they continue to support us.
And if we commune more often with nature we would be less inclined to focus on the material aspects of life. Nature’s energy connects us to our hearts and true self. It holds a healing quality that helps us settle our emotional worlds.
When our emotional world is settled and we are connected to our true self we are less inclined to focus on unnecessarily acquiring. We are more inclined to embrace the concept of enough.
– Rosemary McCarthy©, February 2018, updated June 2023.
Read Part 2: “The Secret of Enough “Part 2/2, Another associated article/blog post: “We Are at the Pinnacle of Our Personal, Collective, and Planetary Evolution”
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Notations:
(1) Thom Hartmann, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Waking Up to Personal and Global Transformation (Northfield, VT: Mythical Books, 1998), 235.
(2) Thomas Berry, “The World of Wonder” in Spiritual Ecology, The Cry of the Earth, a collection of essays edited by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, (Pointe Reyes, CA: The Golden Sufi Center), 15-17.
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Original copyright © 2018 by Rosemary McCarthy updated July 2021, May, 2022. All rights Reserved. To copy, share, or distribute this post simply ensure the content is copied in its entirety, is unaltered, and is distributed freely and for no monetary or personal gain, and that this copyright notice and the link for the article and the website: www.spiritedfawnpublications.com/ are included. You can contact me at: rosemary@yourjourneytopeace.com. Blessings and thank you kindly. Rosemary🦋