Paradise Incinerated

Today we waken to news that, the Californian town of Paradise has been consumed by forest fires. At this point, nine people are known to have died. Any loss of life is a tragedy but sadly we have grown steadily accustomed, even numbed, to news of such natural disasters. But if a clarion call for change was needed, surely this is it? The sunny West Coast of America has a beauty that undoubtedly convinced many settlers that they had indeed reached Paradise. Year round they were blessed with blue skies, dense forests, high mountains, fertile soil, rich wildlife and the stunning beauty of the Pacific coastline. Over the last hundred years however, increasing levels of exploitation have squeezed the life of this planet to the point where we are now at risk of extinction and suffering on a vast scale. The WWF estimate that there has been a 60% reduction in global wildlife over the last 50 years. Not only have we lost Paradise town, one of many to fall victim to natural disasters, but we are in very real danger of incinerating this paradise on which we live. At every level of our existence we are similarly destroying this paradise. Most commonly we are both overfed and malnourished leading to ‘Globesity’ and, hot on its heels, a massive increase in Type 2 diabetes. The poisoning of our environment has led directly to soaring cancer rates and profit driven agricultural practice is causing epidemic rates of autoimmune diseases. As the absurdity of the ‘Military Industrial Complex’ becomes obvious and indefensible, the ‘Agricultural Industrial Complex’ has quietly grown to become a major threat to our existence. High stress work and domestic environments are also disrupting family life. Why is it acceptable that a blissful relationship, within which children can be welcomed into the world, can be so pressurised that it disintegrates and that increasing rates of relationship failure become society’s norm? As a coach I am a strong proponent of change; to me change is a universal constant. I do however believe that we need to have a worthy goal to strive toward and that we must observe the Hippocratic oath – ‘First Do No Harm’. We apply this thinking not just to our fellow man, but to the whole of creation. Every action we take should be for the betterment of our world, not simply the satisfaction of avarice or lust for power. We need to integrate our goals for health in Body, Mind and Spirit so that we establish sustainable ways ‘to live and have our being’. I hope mine is not just another ‘voice crying in the wilderness’, not least because I don’t want my head served up on a platter. Rather, this is a call for pause, refection and reconciliation with our planet and fellow man. It is a call for appreciation of the beauty and abundance around us and for some joined up thinking about how to protect the diversity of life for generations to come.