mindful living
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hen I was a child, one of my
favourite books was Brother
Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message
from Chief Seattle. It centres
on the belief held by the
North American indigenous people that this
Earth does not belong to us, rather we belong
to it. I would lose myself in the dreamlike
illustrations that accompanied the wisdom
shared by the respected tribal leader, Chief
Seattle. He explained: “We did not weave
the web of life, we are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to
ourselves.” More than a century and a half ago
Seattle was making an impassioned plea that
when we harm the Earth, we are also harming
the people who live on the Earth.
Today, in a world where experiencing anxiety
and depression is normal, in which loneliness
has become an epidemic, and where human-
induced climate change and environmental
degradation have resulted in, or are
threatening, the extinction of many species
(including ourselves), there are clearly some
loose strands in our web. So, how do we mend
it? Can the business of being human support
abundance for all forms of life? The good news
is that there is scientific, economic, sociological
and psychological evidence which says that we
can. So why don’t we?
Simply put, change can be tough. And the
changes required to build a better world for all
are complex. In my food workshops
(themindfulkitchen.org), almost every week
someone says something along the lines of:
‘Trying to live my values in this world is
exhausting. I want to be the change, but I feel
like I am constantly making compromises. Then
I beat myself up.’ Completely understandable.
However, beating ourselves up is not going to
get us anywhere. Movements that make the
world a fairer place are generally not built onReconnecting with the natural world is a tonic to modern
life, says environmentalist and chef Heather Thomas,
and one of the simplest ways to do this is through food
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