In mainstream Western culture 'spirituality' has generally been separated from the material world. They are two orders of existence, one higher than the other. Radical secularists just chop off the higher level, and voila! We are in the midst of a world of things, valuable only for our subjective utility. We are radically alone in the universe, but in consolation, we have lots of stuff. Economists are the new high priests, and when the God fo the Market is happy with us, we are awash in stuff.
Hunting and gathering peoples, and the Pagan traditions that grew from them blend these levels of spirit and the world about us. They do so in different ways, but all believe the world of spirit is not radically separate from our day to day existence. NeoPagans generally share this outlook.
From a NeoPagan perspective we do not live in a world of things valued only for their utility. We live in a world of relationships, and from those relationships comes utility, among much else. If you are not sure what I mean, think of friendship to get my point. Friends are useful, but if I value someone for their usefulness, I am not their friend. In this sense Holly is spot on in noticing I connect spirituality with community, but in her more critical remarks I suspect still assumes our culture's division between spirit and the world.
American society values nothing for itself. For me that is its major shortcoming. For many Americans not even human beings matter much, given their support of torture and bland acceptance of children's deaths as "collateral damage" in wartime. In such a place getting into a frame of mind where we are aware of immersion in a world of relationships is difficult. If we think of ourselves as 'consumers,' it is impossible.
Treating buying locally as an important principle is a first practical step into this wider sense of relatedness with all around us. It need not mean I only buy locally. As one of my commenters in my previous blog pointed out, even local merchants sell things made far away, and for most of us that is a good thing. Few are rich and prices do matter. My argument is not to ignore these things, but not to let them slweays override the less obvious relationships we have with our community, a community that properly understood extends in concentric rings to encompass ever the universe.
Hunting and gathering peoples, and the Pagan traditions that grew from them blend these levels of spirit and the world about us. They do so in different ways, but all believe the world of spirit is not radically separate from our day to day existence. NeoPagans generally share this outlook.
From a NeoPagan perspective we do not live in a world of things valued only for their utility. We live in a world of relationships, and from those relationships comes utility, among much else. If you are not sure what I mean, think of friendship to get my point. Friends are useful, but if I value someone for their usefulness, I am not their friend. In this sense Holly is spot on in noticing I connect spirituality with community, but in her more critical remarks I suspect still assumes our culture's division between spirit and the world.
American society values nothing for itself. For me that is its major shortcoming. For many Americans not even human beings matter much, given their support of torture and bland acceptance of children's deaths as "collateral damage" in wartime. In such a place getting into a frame of mind where we are aware of immersion in a world of relationships is difficult. If we think of ourselves as 'consumers,' it is impossible.
Treating buying locally as an important principle is a first practical step into this wider sense of relatedness with all around us. It need not mean I only buy locally. As one of my commenters in my previous blog pointed out, even local merchants sell things made far away, and for most of us that is a good thing. Few are rich and prices do matter. My argument is not to ignore these things, but not to let them slweays override the less obvious relationships we have with our community, a community that properly understood extends in concentric rings to encompass ever the universe.
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
Neighborhoods that have actual locally operated shops--where the owner lives in the neighborhood, (sometimes over the store), have personalities and their own energy fields. It's a palpable character. you feel comfortable there. The pace of life slows down a little. The people don't all look the same anymore. They have bright shining eyes and when they smile at you they mean it. You have to slow down to see all these things, but they are there if you can remember to look with the right kind of eyes.
Respectful Christian visitor weighing in here: Over the past couple years our household has made a concerted effort to, whenever possible, buy locally, especially food. (We live in a rural area which admittedly makes this easier than it might be for any city-dwellers reading.) I cannot tell you how enriching this ongoing experience has been. We have cultivated wonderful relationships with local farmers and other "locovores" -- an amazing group that encompasses everyone from Amish families who sell us produce and chickens to a local businessperson who sells his grass-fed, homegrown meat and poultry on the side to a friend from church who trades us home-canned green beans or our home-canned salsa. We also find ourselves feeling more gratitude and respect for the things we eat and the steps that bring them from field to table. And we also find ourselves sharing the joys and struggles of our neighbors -- the joy of a family beginning a CSA flower-share business, or the funky, relaxed ambience of a mom-and-pop hardware establishment; the sorrow of the family who provides us with lamb and herbs, when disappearing hive disease emptied its new beehives overnight. Of course we can't, nor would we want to, eschew supermarkets and imported foods/goods entirely; but we now purchase all of our meat, and most of our seasonal vegetables and fruit, from local/regional sources. My partner and I were talking about this the other day; we would never go back to our old way of purchasing.
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.