December 11, 2007

[Editor's note: When most people think of sustainability, they often limit themselves to the environmental and corporate concepts, neglecting the social and personal aspects of such an important idea. Josh Newman is a very thoughtful counselor in Northwest Arkansas that has done a good job of articulating the relationship between our mental health and the sustainability of our society.]

The earth is a beehive; we all enter by the same door.
African Proverb

It was the redwood trees of Northern California in concert with my fellow pilgrim who helped me to realize that my purpose in life is to be a mental health counselor.

By my twenty-fourth summer, I had become seduced by the illusion of choice; I imagined myself doing something other than psychotherapy. Then, as my friend and I, awestruck with reverie, walked among the giant Sequoyah trees, it became clear to both of us what my calling is. I have often experienced such clarity of insight while in the midst of the wilderness. My love of wild and natural beauty, on both land and sea, has supported me throughout my life. My connection to the Earth and sky has always been a solid, fundamental, and reliable source of my own mental health.

As a counselor and a meditation instructor, I constantly search for metaphors that are helpful to others. I am hunting for energy and gathering tools that I might share with my clients to offer strength and comfort in difficult times. One of the most common suggestions that I make to my clients is to spend more time outside. In my own life, I have seen the difference that a direct connection with nature can make. Animals, plants, minerals, and elements all have so much to teach us humans about harmony, strength, resilience, and beauty. Whether we are coping with adversity and loss, or are in search of joy and deeper meaning, we can all benefit from a deeper, more mindful relationship with our natural environment.

When Matthew Petty asked me to share my thoughts on sustainability, my internal compass pointed towards the Buddhist tradition of service to others and the psychological theory of archetypes. Buddhist teachings emphasize the inter-connectedness of all beings, a concept which the Vietnamese monk, Thich Nhat Hahn, has named interbeing. Simply put, interbeing is the perception that all things are actually not separate, but facets of a greater whole. For example, a flower is made up of non-flower elements: sun, rain, seed, and compost. This is true also of humans, who are made up of non-human elements. Followed to its logical conclusion, this is a radical notion, with powerful ethical implications. The concept of interbeing can guide a person to value the well-being of others as much as their own. Carl Jung, the founder of Analytical Psychology was heavily influenced by world religions in the development of his theories. Much like the Buddhist concept of interbeing, Jung’s work with archetypes and the collective unconscious also suggests a vast and mysterious web of meaningful connections among all sentient life.

Furthermore, Jung’s ideas about the Self suggest that within each person, there exists a dynamic balance of forces that seek homeostasis, much like an ecosystem does. Personality traits, behaviors, and psychiatric symptoms are at some level efforts made by the psyche to achieve balance. If the Buddhist concept of interbeing is blended with Carl Jung’s depth psychology, one could argue that the environmental and political crises observed in our world are reflections of the psychic imbalance that so many people feel. In other words, our global and social environments reflect our internal environments, as a collective species. If one wishes to work toward balance and harmony in the natural world, they would do well to focus on their own mental and social health in between errands to the recycle bin and sustainability conferences.

These two frameworks have shaped my worldview, my life-patterns, and my approach to the practice of psychological counseling. They also shape my values and my actions as a member of my community and of the global village. I believe that one of the keys to transforming our current environmental crisis involves an equal distribution of psychic capital between action in the world and concentration upon the inner life. Our relationships with our own Selves, our families, neighbors, and co-workers require the same level of attention and conservation that we demand of our relationship to the animals and the Earth.

The African proverb above is a concrete, organic reminder of our fundamental relationship to our home and to each other. May we each remember to see ourselves and others clearly: as members of a global family, children of one mother, Earth and one father, sky.