Seeds

Think of a tree or any organic thing that emerges from within itself. To the degree that it follows its inner commitment to unfold in love, as spirit created it, is it able to overcome all resistance and demonstrate itself as a meaningful and worthwhile part of the vast, vital and inclusive manifestation of life. A celery seed will not produce a cherry tree. So, the seed of love will not produce ignorance, hate, anger, judgment, blame and prejudice.

If we’re seeing a lot of ignorance, hate, anger, judgment, blame and prejudice it’s because the seeds of those things are planted in the hearts and minds of those manifesting the ignorance, hate, anger, judgment, blame and prejudice. If these people will plant different seeds, they will manifest different fruit.

What seeds are you and I planting right now? What seeds is our society planting right now? By their fruits you shall know them. Plant seeds of love, joy, inclusivity, compassion, sharing and peace. Please! We can’t plant for others, only ourselves, but if we plant spirit and it grows spirit, we may be an example for others. Wait, in our decision making as a society and community, we do, in a way, plant seeds for others, don’t we? What we teach in school and support with our buying power, does plant and nurture particular seeds. What seeds are we planting and nurturing as a society?

This month’s AARP magazine reported that a new federal report finds only 7% of 8th graders can describe the three branches of government. Can you believe that? Only 7%? What fruit will these seeds of ignorance bear? Will it be good for the American form of democracy? And if our democracy fades, what will replace it…?

The same report also says that only 27% of 4th graders, 22% of 8th graders and 24% of 12th graders are proficient in civics. Who benefits from the destruction of American democracy…? The Communists are gone. Who then? Could it be in the interest of the large aggregations of wealth and power to keep people fat, dumb and happy so they’ll be good docile consumers, drop out of democracy and not bother to vote?

Yet the Sierra Club reports that a Yale University poll found that 77% of teens know what the greenhouse effect is, compared with 66% of adults. And better yet, 57% of youths understand that humans are contributing to global climate change, while only 50% of adults understand this. So, seemingly, we, as members of American society are planting and nurturing seeds of civic ignorance, beside seeds of environmental awareness. I think we want to plant and nurture both - seeds of civic awareness and environmental awareness.