Mike: There's a big difference between religion and spirituality. I tend to frown upon religion, with its attendant man-made rules and obeisance to a man-imagined God(s) -- apparentely you feel likewise.SDF: But aren't religious people spiritual? Specifically, aren't those Iranian Ayatollahs, Israeli Likud Party members, Algerian fundamentalists, and others who believe that God is on their side first and everyone else's side second, don't they believe in the Great Spirit?
Mike: Spirituality, however, involves seeing beyond oneself, getting beyond materialism, and acknowledging the fact that we all -- people, animals, plants, everything -- are all wrapped up in the same big enchilada (or food metaphor of your choice).
SDF: Isn't the above description of what "spirituality involves" really enacted, more specifically, through the practice of agroecology, the science of true stewardship of the Earth? Seeing, believing, ethics, and acknowledgment only count for so much -- doesn't action to change the human relationship to the planet count for even more?
What I'd like to do in this vein, after clearing away the business on my calendar, is seriously get to work on this notion of Citizens for Mustard Greens, of an organization dedicated to reworking the land, reforming social/ political relationships, rebuilding the house. Kind of like the Green Party without the bickering...
