Editorial: Mind and Heart
We have chosen the yin-yang symbol for this issue of the Bhoomi Magazine because climate change seems to be an outcome of opposing principles in Nature going out of balance. Both yin and yang have the seeds of each other also – which indicate the power of nature to bring back a wholesome balance. We see the opposing principles of the part and the whole, the outer and the inner, the masculine and the feminine, the mind and the heart and so on, all at work in the world around us. The human mind has tilted the balance focusing more on the parts.
There has been too much of a focus on parts, on egos of individuals, groups and nations and today, climate change is beckoning us to look at the whole of our planet. Human beings have been enraptured by outer growth and the degradation it has brought about is making us question ourselves and focus on inner growth. The world has also been dominated by a masculine mode – of achievement, war, conquest of nature, egoistic heroism and other masculine propensities that have led to several interconnected ecological crises. The call of the yin-yang symbol is to bring in a revival of the feminine values of nurturance, acceptance, co-operation and humility.
Yet another pair of the opposing principles at work are of the mind and the heart – thinking and mind-power has been elevated and rewarded by our modern civilisation much more than physical work or the love and warmth that make our world a better place to live in. There are no Nobel Prizes for the caring and affection that people daily offer each other.
We worked on the theme of Climate Change and the Human Mind to explore the interconnections between the two. Our minds along with our amazingly capable hands with the thumb opposite the four fingers have for millions of years been in a dynamic partnership, extremely significant for the evolution of humankind. Humans have made a quantum leap beyond other beings in terms of manipulating their environment – they have created an extremely complex world of things and ideas, beliefs and cultures. I doubt if anyone would deny that the human mind is responsible for modern civilization as well as for climate change.
Yes, the human mind that contributed to climate change needs to be involved necessarily in finding solutions to reverse the self-destructive trends we are in. But surely, it would be more fruitful if we could simply involve our hearts more, and fall in love with Gaia, our living earth. In fact today, the bauls who dance with devotion, the sages living in the hills, the villagers, the tribals living in or near forests and householders who live simply, re-cycle and re-use, – all these people who are consciously or unconsciously closer to Mother Earth, are the ones who are living sustainably.
There is much we can learn from them.
Some of the articles in the issue. (Click on title to view the article)
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