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Why Do Spiritual People Drive SUVs?I continually scratch my head at the spiritual people I know who drive oversized SUVs. Now, I realize that I'm not perfect, and according to some, I'm not as spiritual as I should be because I eat meat. (I have my reasons, but at least they are well-thought-out reasons, and I don't eat meat every day.) But overall, I try to make my life the least impactful on the planet as possible. SUVs pollute the environment, guzzle gas, and are much more likely to kill other people in an accident. Basically, you are driving around a truck that doesn't just harm the environment, but actively puts other people's lives at risk every time you get behind the wheel. So how on earth can otherwise conscious, spiritual people drive these things guilt-free? How can you possibly get behind the wheel knowing that you are contributing to more pollution or that you might cause the death of another person thanks to your choice of transportation? And yet, I have otherwise kind, nice friends who drive these things! It continues to astonish me. I only have one friend with an SUV who actually has a good reason to own it: She does interior decorating and is constantly picking up furniture for her clients. But the healer I know, who is a 50+ single woman with adult children and no animals? Why does she "need" an SUV? My friend was commenting the other day about how a respected yoga teacher of hers was very dismissive of environmental issues. This yoga teacher says that he's just in the "now" and everything is as it should be. Of course, that is a nice sentiment, but it can also be a darn good excuse for selfishness. Could it be that much of new age spirituality today is really a mask for selfishness? After all, The Secret and the Law of Attraction is really all about what you want; others be damned. This really isn't spirituality to me, however. Spirituality has to go beyond us...it needs to be more about just the little "me" or the ego, as Eckhart Tolle would call it. The choices that we make every day affect not just ourselves, but other people around us. I'm not a rabid environmentalist, but I try to do my part. For example, I collect what I can to recycle and walk it down the street to the recycling center. (We do not have pick-up where I live.) I drive an older car that gets very good gas mileage considering, and my next car will be a car (not an oversized ego trip) that has even better gas mileage. More than that, I walk and bike when I can and sometimes even take the bus (almost unheard of for middle-class people in Los Angeles). To me, spirituality has to extend beyond just doing what makes you feel personally good in the moment. It also needs to extend to how you are living your life and the choices you make. The SUV issue is an obvious one, because to me, you are wearing your selfishness on your sleeve for all to see. This is not to say that SUV-drivers are all horrible jerks...the woman who goes out and spends $500 ore more per month on new clothing that she doesn't need is perhaps just as, if not more, guilty of living in waste and excess. I don't think we can separate true, deep spirituality from our major purchasing choices. I am mindful that every time I drive my car, I am polluting the air and supporting a war overseas for the "right" to have cheap gas. Certainly, there are times when we have to make a choice about our purchases, and it's hard to have definitive answers sometimes. Does buying a product from China support China's oppression of Tibet? If so, will it help or hurt to boycott Chinese products? What about the Chinese people who depend on these jobs to feed their families? Should they suffer due to the actions of their oppressive government? Thus, while forgoing the oversized SUV may be an obvious decision, there may be times when we might consciously choose an SUV (say, because we're carrying large quantities of food or supplies to the homeless) or decide to eat meat. Whatever our choices, let's make sure they are conscious ones driven by spirit and not by the latest marketing campaign from Detroit. |
SearchPollFeelosophyLife is to be lived, not controlled, and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat. Recent comments
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Stephanie, why must we judge
Stephanie, why must we judge others' spirituality based on their possessions and the things they have? As we aim toward spirituality and growth, it's important for us to not feel as we are above others and nitpick what they do. We should first and foremost concern ourselves and what we ourselves do. When we are aware of our *own* spirituality and actions, it will rub off on others, causing them look at their own areas in life. Education is key. Accusations and pointing the finger at someone's action will cancel the purpose of doing so, as the person would only become defensive and *not* learn.
For instance:
You are not vegetarian, but I am. Since I grow closer to become a raw foodist, does that make me more spiritual than you? Nope and it most certainly would never discredit you. I don't believe in a single God-like entity, but does that make you more spiritual than me? Who knows.
Your Obama article (which I enjoyed by the way!) mentioned how Obama voters blame others for what they themselves do. In this case, why must we singularly point fingers at these individuals? Would you not agree that other methods/ways of speaking are available that would provide a more positive influence?
Please do not take offense to what I say, for opinions are just words and breaths of air. It's just a response to what you put out there. :)
Don't judge the "judging" :-)
To judge someone for their so-called "judging" is still...judging. Maybe that's a lame cop-out but I personally do not see anything wrong with asking why people who are into spirituality aren't being more mindful of their automobile purchases...particularly when we have a planet in peril at the moment.
I don't have a problem with vegetarians thinking their way is better. There are a lot of good reasons to be vegetarian from an environmental perspective, if just that it takes a lot of grain to feed a cow. So I would have no problem with vegetarians encouraging vegetarianism. Personally, I think it might be more helpful to encourage people to eat meat in more moderation, as I do, than expecting people to totally quit. But I still feel that it's a positive thing when someone, who is vegetarian, and is so because they care, encourages others to do the same.
The food we eat is a highly personal issue and goes beyond just politics and delves into what we feel is best for our bodies. From an Ayurvedic perspective, for example, raw food is just not good for me because it would aggravate my dominant dosha, vata. I have had one acupuncturist specifically tell me to eat red meat after analyzing a blood sample of mine, and another one tell me I need to eat warm foods, not cold, to manage the imbalances in my body.
So food is complicated. But the SUV thing to me (to ME, mind you) is pretty much a no-brainer, so I posed the question in this blog because it actually does surprise me, to see spiritual (new age) people driving SUVs.
Much in the same way I would be surprised, for example, to see fundamentalist Christians going to heavy metal rock concerts where the bands were singing Satanic songs. It's just...not quite in line with the particular spiritual philosophy overall, I feel.
Judging brings more judging, that's just how it goes
I eat meat and I don't bother to moderate it. It's about my health and my general enjoyment of life. I wear a leather jacket too, and have been criticized for that because I'm also very spiritual and have a practice helping others with spiritual and other life matters. My partner and I own an SUV, though we'd rather not. We almost never drive it; walking nearly everywhere we go. Because of the choices we make, we likely burn less gas than the average economy car driver does, but if you saw us at the grocery store, would you be watching us getting into our Jeep and silently judging us? Still, if we sell the SUV, somebody else will be driving it, or if all the SUV's in the world were crushed, and then replaced with new hybrid Toyota's that would be a huge energy waste as well. Anyway it's a slippery slope to start analyzing the actions of others, consequently judging them, and then wishing to remain immune from judgment yourself. I had a mechanic friend of mine point out that ANY 3,000 pound car transporting a 150lb human was a ridiculous waste of energy. That's a simple point. Is it OK for "non-spiritual people" to drive an SUV? We're all living in a non-sustainable energy economy with the clock ticking down, so I guess we'll all have to decide what's important for ourselves and hopefully we can all learn greater compassion and understanding for ourselves and others, regardless of the lifestyle choices that we make in the meantime. Thanks for raising an interesting point. Sincerely, Paul Hood http://www.healingcommunication.com