How environmentalist can overcome their fear of death by embracing spirituality.
Meaningful movements are usually overlooked and misrepresented to the public. Meanwhile, irrational movements are supported; why? Because the world lacks free thinkers. Our feelings are engaged, and we get caught in the optics of a cause. We associate the followers or messengers of the cause to represent that cause rather than do our own research and form our own opinions. Our previous article is a perfect example. Unabomber serial killer Ted Kyzancski led the FBI on the longest manhunt in U.S. history. Despite being an academic genius and wanting to protect the planet, this is clearly overshadowed by the fear and lives he destroyed. Ted Kyzanscki and the average environmentalists would find it advantageous to adopt and research the spirituality behind older environmentalist groups. For instance, today’s environmentalists could learn from India’s Bishnois branch of Hinduism. And as a result, they would overcome their fear of death by embracing spirituality.
Tree hugger is often used as a slight towards eco-conscious beings. Little do they know that a group of Indian villagers died hugging trees. Were these crazy irrational beings stuck in primitive mind frames? Or did their connection to nature become so intimate they were willing to die? It’s difficult to imagine, but over 200 years ago, the world was advancing in small increments. Until the 19th century, the U.S. and the world began to advance technologically. Our disconnect from nature into technology can be seen as a great divide. In other words, we have sold out as a species for the comfort and sense of enjoyment of our bodies. After all, even technology must depend on nature to operate its chips and batteries. For most of humanity, we depend on nature to operate now, we depend on technology which again depends on nature, but I digress.
Social media and the fanaticism of revolutionary fighters may make it seem appealing to fight for a cause. However, what isn’t mentioned is the lack of support often from those closest to you. Or the dangerous situations you put yourself in. Threats to your family and loved ones, the list goes on and on. What makes it easier to deal with these attacks is a spiritual foundation.
400 years before the light bulb invention, Guru Maharaji Jambaji created the Bishnoi religion. Its 29 principles included but were not limited to; no tobacco, no opium, no wine, no meat, no cutting of trees, save wild animals, crush lust, anger, greed, do not tell a lie, criticize or condemn to name a few. If Ted Kaczynski had met followers of this religion, he might have never became a serial killer. But what today’s environmentalists can learn is the value of religious principles. Principles and rituals can keep you rooted in spirituality. Due to the ideological subversion of the patriarchy, many are turning away from religion and embracing atheism or witchcraft. Neither are rooted in attachment, non-consumption of meat, or the other principles listed above. This is important because activism takes a toll on the mental and physical body.
Guru Jambaji noticed that trees were being cut during a drought to feed animals that ended up dying anyway. Jambaji wanted to stop the killing of trees and animals in his village, a desert region in India. Due to this spiritual ecosystem and his 29 principles, Guru Jambaji achieved lush vegetation in a desert region.
In 1730, almost 300 years after Guru Jambaji’s 29 principles were recorded, the maharajah (king) of Jodhpur wanted to build a new palace. He sent soldiers to gather wood from the forest region near the village of Khejarli, where Bishnoi villagers had helped foster an abundance of khejri (acacia) trees. When the king’s men began to harm the trees, the Bishnois protested in anguish but were ignored by the soldiers, who were under royal orders.
Amrita Devi was a female villager who could not bear to witness the destruction of both her faith and the village’s sacred trees. She decided to literally hug the trees, and encouraged others to do so too, proclaiming: “A chopped head is cheaper than a felled tree.” Bishnois from Khejri and nearby villages came to the forest and embraced the trees one by one to protect them from being cut down. As each villager hugged a tree, refusing to let go, they were beheaded by the soldiers. This voluntary martyrdom continued until 363 Bishnoi villagers were killed in the name of the sacred Khejarli forest.
Once word got back to the King about this activity he rushed to the village and apologized, ordering the soldiers to cease logging operations. Soon afterwards, the maharajah designated the Bishnoi state as a protected area, forbidding harm to trees and animals. This legislation still exists today in the region.
The founder of the Bishnois, Guru Jambaji is rumored to have never uttered a word until age 7. The formative years are important for children to explore their new external world. However, Guru Jambaji explored his own internal world, which led him to found a 500-year conservation religion. God speaks when were silent for sure. There is much for environmentalists to learn from the Bishnois. Their love of nature extends to all living beings. No trees were cut or animals killed. The once-endangered blackbuck commonly found in their village is protected at all costs. No animal hunting trophies will be rewarded here. Eurocentric mindset is often trying to divide things rather than view them holistically, which is eastern and Afrocentric.
After all, how could nature be separate from humans and animals? Does the average environmentalist view humans, the environment, and animals equally, or does the environment take precedence? Bishonis bury their dead in the ground to help the trees grow. On the other hand, can environmentalists get cremated?
In conclusion, America has a buffet of options for “causes” to fight for. Our comfort and luxury have afforded us the ability to voice our displeasure within the safety of the first amendment. Capitalism isn’t a double-edged sword, it’s multi-layered. As environmentalists complain about capitalist and for-profit corporations destroying the planet, it is the very same capitalist lifestyle that is the reason why they will not hug trees if their lives depended on it, as the bishois did several hundred years ago. Creating true change takes spiritual depth, integrity, and discipline. It’s not a hashtag, it’s not for likes and shares either. It’s time environmentalists think like the planet, embrace all living entities and cultivate spiritual systems to combat their attachment to first-world comfort.
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