Hugh Mandude and Bette Erhalf strolled hand-in-hand down the path soaking in the first hints of spring. Snow banks were melting, and COVID vaccination rates were climbing. “It’s feeling like things are beginning to get back to normal,” Hugh commented.
They walked on a bit more. “Normal would be good, but…,” Bette’s voice trailed off. “Before COVID there were a lot of things about ‘normal’ that weren’t so great,” she continued. “What are you getting at?” Hugh asked.
“Well, there was too much traffic, and too many wasteful practices. People bought too much ‘stuff’ filling too many attics, garages and storage units. Too much trash crowded landfills and littered our landscapes. Too many harsh chemicals from manufacturing, fertilizing and cleaning products polluted the soil, water and air,” she concluded.
“I get it,” Hugh agreed. “And how about too much unhealthy food consumption, too little exercise for many folks, too much injustice, too little opportunity for life-sustaining employment and even too much loneliness. But COVID has given society a kind of pause. As we sort of ‘re-start’, this seems like a terrific time to make ‘normal’ even better. But how?” Hugh asked.
Just then, Bette and Hugh found themselves standing in front of a small, neat cottage. A wizened woman beckoned them to come in, so they did. A small nameplate - M. Nature – swung from the gate. They felt so at-home with the friendly figure that they were compelled to share with her all the “too-s” they’d been lamenting.
“I’ve heard this sad tale many times before. It’s what happens when people forget. They forget that the quality of life isn’t measured only by the growth of monetary wealth. They forget that social and environmental well-being are equally and perhaps even more valuable.
“But you two must be hungry; stay for dinner, won’t you? I’m having my special stew. It’s kept me in good health for longer than I can remember,” the woman smiled. Bette looked at the strange collection of canisters the woman was drawing ingredients from: Diversity, Balance, Fractal Organization, Life Cycles, Subsidiarity and Symbiosis. Bette suddenly felt famished, hungry for a fresh beginning. She wondered what she and Hugh could garner from these intriguing ingredients.
So join us for some special stew next time and learn about M. Nature’s lessons for creating a better world, right here where we’re all forever… Earthbound.
They walked on a bit more. “Normal would be good, but…,” Bette’s voice trailed off. “Before COVID there were a lot of things about ‘normal’ that weren’t so great,” she continued. “What are you getting at?” Hugh asked.
“Well, there was too much traffic, and too many wasteful practices. People bought too much ‘stuff’ filling too many attics, garages and storage units. Too much trash crowded landfills and littered our landscapes. Too many harsh chemicals from manufacturing, fertilizing and cleaning products polluted the soil, water and air,” she concluded.
“I get it,” Hugh agreed. “And how about too much unhealthy food consumption, too little exercise for many folks, too much injustice, too little opportunity for life-sustaining employment and even too much loneliness. But COVID has given society a kind of pause. As we sort of ‘re-start’, this seems like a terrific time to make ‘normal’ even better. But how?” Hugh asked.
Just then, Bette and Hugh found themselves standing in front of a small, neat cottage. A wizened woman beckoned them to come in, so they did. A small nameplate - M. Nature – swung from the gate. They felt so at-home with the friendly figure that they were compelled to share with her all the “too-s” they’d been lamenting.
“I’ve heard this sad tale many times before. It’s what happens when people forget. They forget that the quality of life isn’t measured only by the growth of monetary wealth. They forget that social and environmental well-being are equally and perhaps even more valuable.
“But you two must be hungry; stay for dinner, won’t you? I’m having my special stew. It’s kept me in good health for longer than I can remember,” the woman smiled. Bette looked at the strange collection of canisters the woman was drawing ingredients from: Diversity, Balance, Fractal Organization, Life Cycles, Subsidiarity and Symbiosis. Bette suddenly felt famished, hungry for a fresh beginning. She wondered what she and Hugh could garner from these intriguing ingredients.
So join us for some special stew next time and learn about M. Nature’s lessons for creating a better world, right here where we’re all forever… Earthbound.
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