By Chris Sheehan
In today’s world it’s almost hard not to hear or see the word green. We see it used in advertising and marketing mostly. It’s used everywhere, green this and green that. In looking closer though, the popularity of this catch phrase seems to be expressing the dawning of a new awareness, at least for the industrialized world. So what is the essence of this seemingly new trend anyway?
Beyond recycling, or reusing, or riding a bike, or alternative energy there seems to be an underlying consciousness striving to be born. The funny thing is that this consciousness doesn’t appear to be anything new, perhaps only to the more industrialized world. To more indigenous cultures it is a sacred way of life, described as oneness, an understanding that all life is interconnected and therefore sacred. This realization that we are all part of one organism, on one planet where the health of the whole is intimately dependent upon the mutually beneficial cooperation of all of its seemingly separate parts is definitely “green consciousness.”
This being said, what then does this realization imply? Well for this we look to the wisdom of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who often speaks of individual responsibility for the greater good of humanity, finding the good for not just ourselves, but also others. Questions may then arise regarding sustainability that includes a bigger picture than perhaps what we have previously considered. The apparent crisis spoken of so often in the media regarding rising gas prices, global warming and the like can then be seen in a new light.
It has been said that the problems we face today cannot be solved with the same consciousness that created them. So, by thinking more about the sustainability of the whole of humanity rather than just the parts we are familiar with, new ways of life can be born. New ways that express the new consciousness, utilizing both ancient and modern resources. We can begin to use the power we have accessed through technologies gained in the industrial age for the goodness of all concerned.
As mentioned, breakdown of old structures often signals a call for transformation. This became evident during the winter of 2006-2007 when much of the mid-western United States experienced an ice storm that left many homes, businesses and schools without power. At the College of Metaphysics in Windyville, Missouri, the power was out for a period of almost two weeks. Fortunately there was help and due to the generosity of many people working together life endured until the power was restored.
Since the campus of the College of Metaphysics is in a rural location in southwestern Missouri, the need for alternatives other than grid power arose quite clearly. In researching these alternatives one evening, after hearing of the news of the power outage, we came across a website called Creative Science and Research. We were exploring the familiar options of wind and solar energy systems to possibly replace or add to the campus resources for generating electricity.
What we came across in Creative Science and Research was a whole new perspective. Their work is based on the technologies and ideas of Nikola Tesla and others like him who have innovated and engineered many forms of utilizing electro-magnetic and earth energies, just to name a few. So in the spirit of evolution we ordered the plans needed for creating prototypes for the alternative energy devices. So far, we have two devices on their way to completion, both in the form of a fueless heater.
In February of 2008 we began this journey, consolidating a team of students to focus on ways to research and implement new expressions of more sustainable living. Each of us is learning about this as we go, and so far the journey of gaining experience has taken us to visit off-the-grid homes and schools in rural Arkansas and to begin investigating the resources many of us have right in our own backyards in the cities we live in.
This kind of transformation requires many people working together, each developing an individual sense of responsibility for the greater good of life as a whole. We encourage you to be a part of this great transformation wherever you live. If you would like to help aid in the transformation of the College of Metaphysics into a green campus, financial donations are greatly appreciated and welcomed.
Many thanks to Dr. Daniel Condron, Jonathan Duerbeck, Natalie Axeberg, Jesse Reece, Nicholas Zajac and to all those who support this transformation.•