we are earth

I just read something really beautiful from this book 'The Atlas of Body Mind & Spirit' by Paul Hougham:

"Our bones are rocks, calcium and phosphorus, chalk cliffs of our internal scaffolding. Our body fluids are 70 percent of our weight, just as the oceans cover 70 percent of the planet's surface. Our breath is matched with incredicly accuracy to the specific compositions of the planet's atmosphere. Yet we rarely stop to think of the sheer strangeness of physical existence. The focus of our concen often ranges from everyday issues to ongoing dilemmas and challenges. In order to appreciate the human form, it is useful to contemplate its wonder and absurdity."

Basically what it says to me is reiterating what all the yoga/meditation/earth books/Avartar film and learnings are also saying. Which is... we are not apart from nature. We are part of it. And that everything that surrounds us is just an extension of ourselves, and we are an extension of the universe. Its as if the liver thinks its independant from the rest of the organs, not realising that its needs all the other organs, as well as the cells, the fluids, the bones and every other part for it to survive. Seperation between things is just a notion we learnt from childhood. An illusion. And if we are able to be awake and see past this illusion, if we are able to let go of attachments, desires etc, we will be able to face life fearlessly.

Our journey since we left our jobs about a year ago now, has just been about putting together little pieces of a big jigsaw puzzle. And frighteningly, they are all fitting together somehow. From our initial discovery of the beauty, sublime of nature in the english country side. To living side by side with nature in growing organic food. To learning how to tread more softly on this earth by watching what we consume. To realising the pleasure of living frugally and simply. To awakening our inner selves through meditation and yoga. And to realise the lightness of one's heart through helping others in need.

I find it incredible that all these experiences are culminating into one truth. Which is we are not separate from the rest of the world. We are part of it. Part of the earth, the weather, the animals, and so intrinsicly connected to one another.

Some people found Avartar's plotline predictable. I'm not sure what else was there to expect really. The message is and was clear. And yes it may have been said before in other stories and films, but it's one that requires reiterating over and over until we all get it. One should know that the film isnt really about some far away planet named Pandora. But it's about the last precious nature we have left on earth. James Cameron deliberately made Pandora daytime an unmistakable resemblence to a rainforest. Probably the Amazon as thats one of our biggest 'lungs' of our planet right now. And at the Oscars, the visua effects people who won the Oscar for visual effects said in his thank you speech which I say to everyone as well 'The beauty you see in Pandora is actually here on Earth!'. And when I watch Jake Sully fall in love with the magic of the forest, I remember how we fell love as well with the forest back in England. Its almost primal, comes right from within. With every breath you take of that fresh air, to the range of sounds you get closing your eyes and listening to the creatures. We are all just energy. Flowing from here to there. We are all really one.

And yeah, lots of people go - Aw thats nice. But how do I apply that to my 'normal' everyday life?. That's the problem isnt it? 'Normal' everyday life is actually quite distorted. Normal to us because thats all we know. But not normal at all. Take travel for example. Sitting in a metal box, going 60km per hour while you yourself only need to gently step on a paddle, while the machine is burning liquid fuel extracted unbashedly from this earth (depleting fast too) is erm... not normal. The result is a nation grossly overweight from not walking anywhere, ailments all over, legs the size of tree trunks from no movement. So my advice... do the 'normal' thing and walk. Or cycle. When we walk or cycle. We experience the natural air around us. We are not separated from the outside world. We are reminded how much we are connected to one another. Also, we have the freedom and flexibility to stop, go, turn around, wait almost anywhere want. And that's life. We have the ability to change our lives and we need to remind ourselves of that. In cars, we follow stricts codes of conduct, rules, traffic. All required of course but when we are stuck in a jam, cant go forward, too late to turn around, hitting an ERP gantry that will make we pay more money, we feel like we're stuck. Unable to have any control. No flexibility to go sideways or do something different. We conform. We become robots. And we die slowly. Either of fumes, stress, obesity or just emotionally.

So yes, thats one example of 'normal' life where most of us deem as normal is the very thing that will kill us.

But can we all go back and live in trees like the N'avi people? Absurd question? Perhaps not because I wont be surprise if one day, whoever's left here on Earth would have no other choice anyway.