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I’ve wanted for the longest time to write about the connection between our health as individuals and the health of the whole world. Now that I’ve seen The Story of Stuff, I don’t have to try to write about this complex and important question. I can just urge you to watch this 20 minute video (free at this link) and see the essence of how our consumer culture works and the impact of its unsustainable and toxic practices. Not only does it affect individual health (though environment toxins, for example), it puts the health of the entire planet in a very precarious state.

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When I first heard about The Story of Stuff, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it. I didn’t want to see a doom and gloom video that would only serve to depress me. But The Story of Stuff is not at all depressing — alarming, yes, but not depressing. It’s worth seeing for so many reasons. It presents facts and information in such clear terms. It ingeniously summarizes the history and current state of our consumer culture in such a clear, compelling way. It is clever, creative and actually entertaining to watch. After watching the video, you can click through to 10 steps you can take. It’s energizing and inspiring to see what we can actually do to change this situation. And my sense is that taking these steps will be an essential part of a true and lasting economic recovery.

I saw a tee shirt once that summed up this shift in perspective so perfectly. It depicted someone in a crowd of people who was obviously startled by the revolutionary thought — “What if I’m not the main character?” When we become aware of how our entire understanding of life and its meaning revolves around the sense that we are the main character and it really dawns on us that obviously we are not, it can create a radical shift in our perspective.

What if, instead of being the owner of planet earth, we are owned by her. What if we are simply cells in the larger organism of the planet? What if my individual preferences are actually draining the energy and vitality of the whole? Certainly the phenomena of global warming is challenging us to look at the impact our individual choices are having on the life of the planet. Hopefully it is causing us to recognize that our own individual well-being is dependent on the health of the whole.

It’s become obvious to me that to be truly holistic, holistic healing needs to expand to include the consideration of the health of humanity and the planet as a whole. In the more narrow consideration of upgrading our health care system, the addition of the holistic approach is an important step, but it doesn’t go far enough. To lead truly healthy lives, we need to experience see own well-being as inextricably bound up with the well-being of others. It can’t just be a concept, it has to be something we feel. It’s something that goes far beyond just what happens in the offices of doctors and holistic practitioners. It involves our choices and strategies on all levels — politics, economics. It’s about our choices in every aspect of our lives in every moment.

I wonder how well we will be able to thrive, or even survive, without an evolutionary leap in consciousness and perspective. Some feel this is happening. I hope so. I don’t really know. I do, however, find some peace in the realization that my one life and even the life of this planet is a tiny blip in space and time. I can’t pretend to understand how my life and that of this planet fits into the whole. It’s a mystery and surrendering to that brings peace. Nevertheless, my passion for healing will undoubtedly continue and so will the prayer in my heart that this wonderful planet will grow and thrive.