Natural Living Tips

The term Eco-conscious has become quite popular now. And so there is a growing risk that it will be misused and become another marketing success.

There should be no problem with an ethical use of the term “Eco-conscious” but the probabilities are that many non-green products will try to benefit from it. In other words it can be used to manipulate people into buying things under false pretenses.

There is a growing awareness that we have to start changing the way we treat ourselves and the environment.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with material things, at the end of the day they are developed, produced and used to make our lives better. The point is that they are all tools to be used for something, and not an end in itself.

Some natural resources are non-renewable, but we keep on wasting them as if tomorrow never comes. The waste and disposal attitude of our society complicates matters and is usually based on cost, profit and comfort levels.

Attitudes are difficult thing to change, but they do. Sometimes what is needed is a crisis to force the change. But the best way of changing attitudes is to open our minds and break away from reacting in the form of habits.

A natural life is possible once we change our attitudes.

If you look back forty or fifty years ago, the ordinary household did not have all the conveniences we have today, and the idea is not to turn back the clock, but perhaps we can learn form them.

Fifty years ago the term Eco-conscious, or green, hadn’t been coined, but in general terms (there are always exceptions to every rule) life was lived in greater balance with nature, basically because there weren’t as many options as today.

Old clothes were reused as cleaning cloths instead of paper towels. When cold, people put on another layer of clothing. The house was lit at night with the right amount of light, and bulbs were turned off when not needed.

The food was fresh and varied. Cooking was an event in itself and mealtimes were family times with less stress and more bonding opportunities. This had the added benefit of strengthening the family and providing a healthy environment - which has now been shown to reduce health issues, such as heart disease and so on.

If you look at some of the benefits of eating healthy and varied food, companionship, family relations and community spirit, you may notice that the levels of diabetes, heart disease and stress, was much lower than today.

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Modern medicine has shown enormous development but somewhere along the line it has lost touched with the human being. The bedside manner, the holistic view of the patient appears to be a thing of the past in scientific medicine. I am definitely not against modern medicine. I wouldn’t have survived if I was, but then I wouldn’t be here either if I hadn’t combined the two. (Its a long story to do with an accident and a head on crash with someone driving on the wrong side of the road).

As an amateur student of history I have always been fascinated by Renaissance and the period following the end of the Middle Ages. Apart from the wars and power struggles, the idea of “universal” men like Leonardo Da Vinci and Roger Bacon has always struck a chord in me. Today we have experts in everything. People specialize in their subjects but for the most part are ignorant of anything else. This way of looking at things tends to be simplistic. (This is a good place to state that I am not an expert - or want to be).

I suppose it is easier to look at an organ, and not at the person. Easier to treat, study and develop practices or medication for the symptom and not the person. In previous times, in all societies, health was seen and treated as an integral part of the person and not as a damaged part.

The good news is that there is a growing tendency to return to the wisdom of those who came before us. I am seeing members of the medical profession studying modern medicine and alternative medicine. I am sure the results, including preventive medicine, will be reflected in greater natural health.

Any type of extreme is self defeating, be it religious, scientific, ideological, medical or whatever, as it pre-judges and limits any real growth.

Change is always with us and it looks as if the pendulum is swinging back. What I like is that it is carrying the benefits of modern medicine with it.

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