(NaturalNews) Mauna Kea, the highest mountain peak on the island of Hawaii, is a place of struggle between two paradigms of current thought. One paradigm - the dominant one - emphasizes efficiency and short-term profit and growth at the potential (and probable) expense of quality, respect, or care. The other, newly re-emerging school of thought prioritizes holistic sustainability as well as ecological and even spiritual respect and care more highly than it prioritizes obsessive profit and growth. The myopic profit-and-growth mentality has led to harm done to every ecosystem and perhaps every species on earth, including and especially our own.
Mauna Kea is considered one of the most sacred places for native Hawaiian people. In Hawaiian a sacred place is called a "wahi pana" (1). To the native people, Mauna Kea represents the sacred temple of Akua, the Creator. The most sacred ancestors are also buried on Mauna Kea. In addition, the sacred waters of Kanekawaiola originate and flow outward from it. These waters are said to restore life and heal the sick and injured. This peak is considered the origin place of both land and space and represents the meeting place of earth and sky. It is also a very unique ecosystem that is home to endangered species that need and deserve protection.
Today, Mauna Kea is also home to twelve of the world's most sophisticated observatories. Some of the most brilliant scientists on earth conduct deep space research. People from all over the world come to visit and learn more about the studies that they conduct.
A new telescope, the Thirty Meter Telescope (2), has just been selected to also be constructed on Mauna Kea. There are mixed feelings about this. Environmentalists and native Hawaiians oppose this new telescope being built on sacred, fragile lands without proper and sufficient respect and careful steps being taken to protect and respect the lands. The problem is not the telescope's potential presence there. The problem is that in order to save time, cut corners, or save money, there is extremely high potential for the people making these decisions to not take care of the land or respect it in their choice-making process.
This situation reflects a larger, world-wide crisis that we face in our world today. Our corporations and businesses tend to make self-centered choices that reflect only their own potential for profit and growth (3). They do not consider long-term environmental or especially spiritual aspects in their decision-making. Also, please keep in mind that they also tend not to consider consumer health and wellness in that same decision-making process. As a result, we are destroying the entire planet - species by species, field by field, forest by forest, ocean by ocean, person by person. The lack of care and respect in the decision-making process of those with greatest power harms us all on a massive, indescribable, truly incomprehensible scale.
The power to change this begins with our own choices. It is VITALLY important that we choose to buy things that were created or grown with humane methods, with respect and honor for the land and people. Consumer choices create demand for products, and as demand increases, healthy options increase. If we continue to demand low quality, harmful products, then this is what businesses will continue to produce for us. Take the power back! Choose local, choose organic, choose humane, choose care.(4)
Sources:
1.
http://www.hawaii.edu/environment/ainakumuwai/html/ainakumuwaitour2.htm2.
http://www.tmt.org/3. This is well explained by Jerry Mander in
In The Absense of the Sacred.
4. To see videos with leading Hawaiian voices about the current Mauna Kea issue, please see
http://www.youtube.com/user/jsefick. These include
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j19gc_txoLw, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQdTBSIZEqM, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u49yzhb6jU, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSFq85xc4a0, and so on.
About the author
Heather Havey, M.A., is a naturalist, organic farmer, & holistic health practitioner. She is the author of many books, including
Reflections for Radiant Living
,
The Craving Book, and others. Her websites, found at
www.peacethroughkindness.com, offer recipes, ecards, books/gifts, & diy/giy meant to inspire your peace, health, & joy. Since 1998, she has helped thousands of people around the world. She offers spiritual, nutrition, fitness, farming, or personal guidance. You can reach her at
info@peacethroughkindness.com.
Heather Havey invites you: love Earth, grow your own food, heal the soil, and plant trees. Make your yard a wildlife habitat and organic garden rather than a mower-dependent, chemically-maintained lawn. The world is enhanced by your care and beauty.
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