Rachel Freeman - Outside Reading Reflection 1

    Recently I've been reading a book about the Buddhist view on environmental conservation called "Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World."  It is by the author Franz Alt and includes an interview with the current Dalai Lama. Although I am not religious and don't practice, I relate a lot to the beliefs and structure of Buddhism, so reading this book has been especially interesting. I grew up Christian and we didn't talk much at all about the environment and respecting it as "holy land" as Buddhists do in daily practice. This is one of the reasons why I really respect Buddhism as a religion and a culture because of how grounding it is to your relationship with the environment, and how it emphasizes that we are inherently what we surround ourselves with. The Dalai Lama speaks a lot about humans' connectedness with nature and our responsibility to protect nature, which relates a lot to what we're talking about in class. He also touches on human activity "carried out with short-sidedness and...gains of money and power" (p. 51) that negatively affect your attentiveness to the environment. He says that "Unless we all work together, so solutions can be found," (p. 53) because we all have a responsibility to solve problems that we have created. I also really like that even though he is a religious leader, he emphasizes that "ethical action is more important than prayers," which stuck out to me because it seems like a lot of other religions rely on their god to solve problems when it is really up to every individual to make a difference. Since I was young praying never really made sense to me, so it's refreshing to hear a prominent leader agree with that narrative. 

    Apart from just recognizing that the environment is in a state of crisis and being actionable to reverse it, Dalai Lama also talks about "...educating the heart and training the mind," (70) to be leaders in the modern age of industrialization and technology. He describes how a curriculum should be created centered around compassion for others that will enforce a more holistic view of improving/sustaining the environment for the future. One point about this that he makes is working and living with nature and not against it, living a more simple, contented life (p. 94), because we know nature doesn't need humans, but humans need it (p. 101). This simplicity is what he describes as letting go of surplus, which will allow for an awakening of spiritual growth and an abundance of money to spend on alternative energy; "Economizing with nature, not against it," (p. 143). 

    Overall, it's a really good, easy read that gives you a little bit of a new perspective on how to respect the environment. Definitely recommend!