Mahatma (the Great Soul) Gandhi summarized his 3-point beliefs, “that the good of the individual is contained in the good of all; that all persons have the same right of earning their livelihood from their work; and that a life of labor that is of tilling the soil and being a handicraftsman is the life worth living” (Yancey, P. Soul Survivor. p. 156). I believe that “I am created in God’s image and likeness”; “I am a spiritual being who is exposed to earthly or human conditions”; “everything is connected”; “there is unity in diversity” etc. These belief systems influence how we live our lives.
Dissecting myself from inside out, am I in perfect health? Accordingly, “perfect health refers to an able body, an open mind and a sanctified spirit”. Given a minimum criteria of wholeness or holistic being, I regard myself as physically fit, with an open mind full of radical thinking and struggling to be “virtuous”. I understand and aim to attain the purpose for which God has created me.
Being enlightened, I formulated my personal mission statement, “to see more clearly, to follow more closely and to love more dearly the Lord, my fellowmen and myself. Be reminded to deny myself and take up my cross daily (Lk 9:23). Be actively involved and strive to be a part of the solution to social and environmental problems.”
In my more than 5 decades of living, being reared in a farming family, educated and employed in an agricultural state college then involved in a USAID-funded project on farming systems, I have enough idea and experiences about “holistic or integrated approach to farming”. Then, “permaculture” came. It is permanent culture and permanent agriculture. I readily embrace its 3 ethics: care for the people, care for the earth and care for the future. There are 7 application areas or domains resembling a “flower with 7 petals” or “wheel with 7 spokes”. The permaculture designs evolve from these domains.
It is imperative to evaluate my relationship with mother earth, my fellowmen and my contribution to the next generation. A lifestyle change to fit into its ideology is a worthwhile resolution. There is a call for attitudinal change. Indeed, “we must be the change we wish to see” (Mahatma Gandhi).
Like the sun and the moon, the earth is a huge sphere composed of the lithosphere or geosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), biosphere (living things) and the atmosphere (air). Man is a very insignificant or microscopic part of the biosphere. However, human beings are the crown of God’s creation endowed with talents and abilities and freedom to “use and develop, to rule and control” the abundant resources made available. However, he can be destructive or creative.
Today, we face a convergence of crises: global warming, peak oil, economic recession, environmental pollution, food shortage, etc. We are experiencing their effects in our respective lives.
The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 marked the U.S.
We are introduced to Permaculture as an effective solution taking into account the Gaia Theory. Gaia being an ancient Greek divinity of the earth who is full of energy and beauty must be nurtured and taken cared of to sustain life. This is basically done through the Gospel of love, the 2 greatest Commandments (Mt 22:37-39).
Holistic living is the integration of moral, ethical, and professional life of each holistic being. Basically, we value and practice cooperation not competition in the whole living system. nmg
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