Conscious Kata

They say Costa Rica is a great place to go if you want to learn about conservation of the Earth. Whoever they are, they are right. What does any of the learning mean if we don't do anything with it though? If we do not allow the faces, the way of life, or the differences we encounter to change us then have we gained anything from our experiences?

Since I have been in Costa Rica I have learned so much. At times I can feel my heart beating faster with the emotion of potential. This potential makes me feel like I have power in my choices, that the way I choose to live votes for how I want others to live and how I want the Earth to flourish. In my time here I have visited a Banana plantation that sells to Dole, a permaculture farm in the middle of the rainforest, a self sustaining organic farm in Heredia, a coffee plantation that sells to Starbucks, I have heard Starbucks representatives talk about C.A.F.E. practice, I have helped release baby sea turtles into the ocean, fished with a fishing co-op, visited a taro plantation, walked through a dump city, taken the bus or walked everywhere, thrown my bathroom garbage in a trashcan rather than the toilet, taken cold showers and shopped at farmer's markets. Through all of this I have had to ask myself some very difficult question: Is a bright yellow banana worth the pesticides falling onto the playground of a nearby school? When I buy a vegetable at a cheaper price does someone not have a job in a country which couldn't compete with the market? Does organic mean it was produced justly? Does free trade mean it wasn't produced justly? How many sea turtles have eaten my trash? Can I do anything to change the life of a child in la Chureca?  

The thing is, rather than feeling overwhelmed with helplessness by all of the problems I have faced since being here I feel powerful to make a difference. It is incredible. As I live in a country that exports to the U.S., a country which I have received many benefits from in the past without knowing it, I am confronted with the hands and faces of those who provide me with those benefits, and I am seeing their cost. More than anything I am convinced that my decision to purchase locally is voting against companies that use harmful pesticides on their goods. I am convinced that by composting I am being a steward of the resources God has given me and caring for his world. It doesn't mean I will be perfect, but my experiences have taught me that its worth it to be a conscious consumer and waster.

I have realized for the first time in my life how entitled I feel to things in life. I deserve to take a 30 minute hot shower because its freezing outside. I deserve a college education because I worked hard in high school. I deserve dinner because I am hungry. I deserve for you to show up to our meeting on time because my time is valuable. Here's the thing: I don't deserve any of this. I and others do deserve basic human rights, such as the right to life. Living in a new culture and being exposed to new issues has shown me that my way of living is not the only way of living, but that more importantly is certainly not the best way of living. Most of all though, it is all the Lord's. There is no reason why I get to study abroad in Costa Rica and someone else will only get to the 8th grade. Putting the enviro twist on it, there is no reason why I get clean water when I put on the tap and the squatters next to our campus have to drink from the creek. It's all God's, and instead of being so selfish with what "I deserve" I am being challenged to manage it as if it were God's. I have not been a good caretaker of my resources and the Earth in the past, but I never had to deal with the consequences so it didn't matter to me. Now however, I see just a little bit more how our world was not created for just my wants. It's for all of us, so it's time I started treating it like it was.

Okay, so now that I want to make a difference, how exactly can I do this? Well this is where all of you, my travelling companions, teammates, friends and family come in. It's called accountability and that's what it's all about! When I get home I want to start a small garden for my family and begin a compost pile. In my daily life I want to re-use all plastic bags and plastic containers I purchase things in. And I am going to start growing some of my own herbs. These are my short term goals and I need your help to get them done. I also want to try a lot harder to purchase organic fruits and vegetables. I am a frugal person, so cheaper is always better, but a question I am grappling with is, is 30 cents less on a banana worth a human life?

Long term goals: well, one day I hope to invite you to my farm.

Sustainability has also challenged me to think about my mission as a Christian and what God is calling me to specifically do in this world. Learning about sustainability fills me with such excitement because it is so simple, so creative and so possible. I am fulfilled when I participate in caring for God's creation, but  it is not enough for me. The world needs Jesus, but what if by bringing those in need physical food and water, God could bring them his living water. I want to be used by God in a world with physical needs so that he can heal our spiritual needs. There are gardening and irrigation methods that could save the lives of millions of people on our planet and it would give me so much joy to help teach these people these methods. This cannot be the full picture though because filling stomach, even if its for life, will not give them eternal life. Helping solve the physical needs of others can foster an environment for service, questions, and most importantly it can be used by the Holy Spirit as a bridge to the salvation found in Jesus who is the only way to the Father.

The eyes of awareness have been opened and they are seeing truth for the first time. Will the arms, legs and heart respond? Will awareness breed action?