May 29

INTEGRITY MONTH: DAY 29: “We need to embrace the truth of the One Idea. We are all brothers and sisters. That is always worthy of respect at the deepest core of our humanity. Holding onto that truth is where integrity lives.”― Laurence Overmire

The most important change, for me, to this quote is the part of One Idea. We are also family to every living thing on this very alive and damaged planet. What we do in this world is going to show everyone who we are when we claim spiritual connection to anything.

I am very disturbed by poison. Very disturbed. It killed my husband and so many thousands of lovely people…this can be in the form of tainted foods we eat, pesticides we use to make our gardens look like they are more alive than they truly are, or chemical enhancements that do the same.

I cannot justify using these things if they harm a bug or an eagle or a cow or a bear or a human. We all have choices to make, big choices, when it comes to what we support with our money and our way of life.

If we are killing things that are God’s other kids by overconsumption, just because we can, then we have an ethical and moral obligation to look at that practice. Do we believe our consumption is more important than clean air or water? That sounds crazy, yet millions justify it all day long. We live in homes that are far bigger than we need to justify housing things that do not help others in any way.

Every one of us is guilty of this in some ways, and some are guilty in all ways.

What is the real reason we don’t eat healthy foods, sustainably created? Too much money? Really? What price is your health worth? And why would we not do better for our own health? Is it just because it is easier to take pills to fix the things our poor lifestyle choices have broken? For many people, this is exactly how they do it. Always looking for drugs to fix problems that their lack of attention or just plain laziness have created. It is the American way. I find this just as reprehensible as smacking someone in the face because we are upset by them. Integrity has no loopholes, excuses, or justification I can see.