Inquiry may be my FAVORITE Bliss Habit. I truly love each and every one of them but a great Inquiry is the foundation of everything I am doing over here. The backbone for every inquiry is a good question. Ask a rotten question and you get a rotten answer.
What are the questions I should be asking?
- I have been flitting around in the world of social media for a little more then a year now. I have tried blogging, twitter and facebook as platforms for getting my opinions out in the world but so far I realize that while fun, and I have been having a great time, I haven’t really had any impact on anything I say I care about.
- I say I am an environmentalist, or at least environmentally concerned yet I still fill a barrel weekly with bits and pieces of things that are not recyclable and are headed to a landfill near by.
- I say I am compassionate and yet I still eat meat and even started a blog devoted to Bacon.
- I say I want to make a difference and except for the difference I make to my inner circle of friends and family I have done very little of difference making value.
- I say I believe in truth and honesty yet I sensor my own expression in order to save another’s feelings, or worse, to not lose standing in communities I don’t even care about.
- I say it is important to participate in our democracy yet I leave analysis to experts and barely take the time to educate myself on issues of local concern.
- I say I want to be healthy but I am sloppy with food choices and haven’t had regular exercise for more then a decade. (I talk about my twice monthly yoga class as if it IS the regimen my body cries for.)
I could go on and on… and it occurs to me that while I think about and even chastise myself regularly on all of these topics a serious inquiry has been missing. I really have no idea what it really takes to do the things I SAY I want to be.
Again, what are the questions I should be asking?
As I consider this, I realize that what keeps me paralyzed is the fact that I don’t have any idea what would really make the difference. I have never taken the time to sort that out.
For example, I live in a state that collects recyclables every week. My recycle bin is twice as large as my regular garbage bin. When I toss my paper, plastic, metal or glass waste into the large bin I get a momentary boost of satisfaction and I feel a little less guilt about having used things that caused so much waste. “I’m recycling, this means I am NOT wasting.” rings through my head . I am doing the right thing. I feel good however, seconds later, “But it really can’t be that simple.” chimes in, competing for equal billing.
It really can not be that simple but I have never taken the time to actually understand all the impact of my recycled and landfill garbage. How much does recycling actually help? I have heard that plastic can’t be recycled very efficiently and that waste paper isn’t as easy to use as new pulp fibers but what does this actually mean? Using less appears to be a reasonable solution but then what about economic growth? If everyone halted consumption what would really happen to the world we live in? If I want to save the earth, can it be done with out entirely trashing my current way of life.
In a previous Inquiry Week I read Cradle to Cradle. In it, William McDonough and Michael Braungart introduce a new vision of sustainability that nurtures nature and allows for copious creation. I was inspired yet I did NOTHING with the information. How could an individual actually apply this concept? What would it take to make the concept a main street reality? These are the questions I never asked. I was content with knowing “someone” was on to something but I never followed up myself.
Our choices are daunting, however, it is no longer possible for me to stay in confusion. It has taken me a long time but I am finally ready to ask some good questions.
And so, this is where I begin this week’s discussion:
What questions should you be asking?
Great question!! One question you could be asking is what are you REALLY committed to? Not, “What does it sound good and right to be committed to?”. And then, be really honest with your answers.
Diane this is an excellent Question!
First of all, in reference to the photo you shared. Yes they can. You may not find the answer you are specifically looking for, but you WILL find an answer! HA! As for what you should be asking, well, for starters, I think you should give yourself more credit…I consider you a friend and you have made an impact on my life, so I can tell you quite quickly that you have, indeed, done one of the things you claim you have not. As for exercise…I highly recommend the 20-30 minute early morning yoga practice DVD’s. They make it easy because it is so quick. PLUS…I’m sure the girl keeps you QUITE active! As for the compassion, the environmentalism, ect…I struggle with those, too. Of course, I vaguely mention that there is a lot less meat in my diet (more due to taste and coincidence than any ‘action’ and my Mother lectured me on how God provided animals for food. Didn’t see THAT one coming! I guess for me, it’s less about asking ‘questions’ per say, and more about discovering what comes next. Seeking out my next opportunity to learn, to grow. Does that come with questions, yes, sometimes, but sometimes the answers come before the question and then simply lead to more discovery and more questions. I don’t want all the answers, though. Life would be boring without discovery and inquisition.
Jingle I appreciate your saying I should give myself more credit… I am clear that I make an impact within my circle of friends… It is just that I want to expand that circle. I want to figure out what actions will actually make the most difference and will influence others, including people outside my current sphere of influence. I believe we all can make an individual difference but that the planet needs something a bit more exponential at this point.
You are spot on about “What comes next” and I will be delving into that as the week goes on!
You DO make a difference, Kathy. Even if what you share touches just one person – then that is a job well done. We all try to be better but we are human and less than perfect beings. We do the best we can do – every little bit matters. Theresa