Wednesday, February 10, 2010

To Choose or Not to Choose?

For a long time I felt I had to choose—because of time constraints—between all my passions in life. Wasn’t I really diluting my time and energy by working for both peaceful and environmentally sustainable communities? But I could never choose one over the other. Both issues have existed in some form or another over my entire life, even as the specific groups I worked with have changed.

I also have two careers, writing (now) and teaching (before). I wished there was some way I could do it all. Or better yet, combine them all.

Now that is my current plan—to merge them all! I want to let the vision of peaceful and sustainable communities both ground and inspire my writing and teaching. I want my recognition of the power of story to enrich my volunteer work in the fields of peace-building and environmental activism.

Will it work? That is the question.

2 comments:

  1. my vote is a big YES! :)
    i've always thought of sustainability and peace as deeply intertwined. there is that saying along the lines that 'there will be peace when everyone is fed,' and i think that idea extends to a premise that when we are connected to the needs of life, the source of those needs and work together to meet those needs, there will be less violence. i believe that violence comes from the fear of not having enough, so as we become more sustainable and more aware of what we truly need to survive, i hope we will become a more peaceful human race.
    if you're interested, check out my blog: http://asustainablehumanrace.blogspot.com/

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  2. Good point--sustainability and peace are deeply intertwined. But most organizations focus on one or the other, so it's hard to divide your time between both.

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