As we go about our lives trying to improve ourselves and our situations, many of us have come across the suggestion to give up what no longer serves us. Sometimes this might be an addiction to something, like sugar, drugs, or alcohol. Sometimes it can be an “addiction” to a way of doing things, a worldview or a mindset. Often, the most dangerous thing that no longer serves us can’t be seen with the naked eye.
The invisible monster that holds us back the most is our way of thinking. You know, those “old tapes” we consciously and unconsciously keep telling ourselves over and over, like: “I’m not good enough,” “I’m not smart enough,” or “I don’t know how to….” All that claptrap keeps us stuck and prevents us from moving forward. If it’s true that thoughts affect behaviour, then changing our way of thinking could be the most important thing we do. Fortunately, we have found a way to move past some of our most limiting beliefs. Indeed, we’ve made some quantum leaps. Many “truths” once held sacred have not only been unceremoniously dropped from our culture, but are now no longer tolerated at all. For instance, we’ve seen the demise of slavery, residential schools, and discrimination whether due to race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. We have come to understand that all people are equal and deserving of respect, period. While a vocal minority continues to resist these more enlightened ways of thinking, there is no denying that the laws of our land totally embrace them. Those old regressive ways are simply gone with the wind.
There’s still more work to do. Now that we have a better understanding of people’s rights, our attention is turning to how we are all in this together. Not just people, but also animals, plants, waters, airs, minerals, and soils. Today, industry is being put under a microscope, especially for its “get rich quick” approach. Perhaps this mentality is a hold back to our history under early British rule, back when North America’s natural resources – from timber and precious minerals, to fish and beaver pelts – were ravenously harvested and hurriedly sent back to Mother England. “Take as much as you can as fast as you can” was simply the way things were done. That was then and this is now. Today, even our most staunch and powerful extraction industry refers to itself as the energy industry, instead of the oil and gas industry. This subtle shift reflects the modern and more inclusive way that people see things today, including their desire to move toward renewable energy sources, to be more energy efficient with non-renewables, and to be eco-friendly in all reasonably possible ways. Kudos to our energy industry for helping us see the light, both literally and figuratively.
As I write this, there is an opportunity to change our way of thinking when it comes to logging practices that no longer serve us. It’s a shift that could change how our forest-based extraction industry is carried out in sensitive wildlife corridors and in our mountain playgrounds, not to mention where, if you live in the Highwood River watershed, your drinking water comes from.
To help an important industry shift from old-fashioned short-term and quick-gain extraction practices to modern long-term and sustainable ones, consider adding your voice to the many citizens and municipalities who are already taking a stand against an imminent clear-cut logging operation at the Highway 40 gateway to Kananaskis Country. Check out “Take a Stand for the Upper Highwood” on Facebook for more information. Giving up what no longer serves us, and changing our thoughts and conversations to reflect modern-day knowledge and enlightened social standards—now that’s in our best interest.
