The 3 E's of Action
Years ago in 2006 I wrote an article Responsible Actions. At that time I was discovering the joys of vegan lifestyle coupled with HathaYoga and was also discovering passage meditation. Dr. Vijaya Venkat my nutrition guide, BKS Iyengar Yogacharya and Eknath Easwaran were the names that seemed to my mind ultimate teachers, worth following. A quick fix solution to my health, weight issues and spiritual needs were within grasping distance. All I needed to do was to act and imbibe these habits in my life and fulfill the purpose of my existence.
It takes 21 days of consistent action to make a habit is a well known saying. To make it more strict even if you miss one day say the 21st you need to start over again. I think that that this was a reasonably certain way to ensure that we kept at something for months to ensure a reasonable consistency. However, it is equally true that stopping something for 21 days can break a habit.
Seventeen years later has my perception changed? The answer in broad terms is no but the consistency with which I do these has not been the same. Veganism to a large extent has persisted, but the fanatic zeal to promote the same is no longer present. My Yoga journey has waned to an extent as for some reason I have not seen in BKS Iyengar qualities of humility which I consider the hall mark of a Yogi. Hatha Yoga has not remained the same drawing force after Covid pandemic because of the stoppage of physical classes. Passage meditation is growing and is now far more consistent in my life.
All the three threads were tools to create actions on a daily basis which were considered by me to be Ethical, Ecological and Empowering. Living in harmony with mother earth, eating natural food, reducing the carbon footprint by consuming plant based nutrition, adding super foods to the diet, avoiding products made from animal origin all lead to an ethical basis of life which meant respect for creation and life in general. At the hospital where the mission statement reflects a safe clean environment with emphasis on green eco friendly practices many green initiatives have seen varying degrees of success. Bio gas plant, Solar panels, LED lights, 5 star rated AC's and use of well water for non potable use along with use of Sewage treatment Plant and Dialysis RO plant for watering garden and recharging well respectively are in vogue. All these occurred step by step in an incremental manner which meant that if ethical thoughts led to action which was ecological, success in each of these led to the my empowerment and confidence in taking the next more difficult positive step.
Save water, Save Electricity, Walk and use steps rather than lift, Avoid using plastics or bottled water are all known small steps to mitigate or at least delay the impending climate change effects. A doubt which creeps in my mind is unintended consequences. The ban on say cow slaughter a seemingly ethical, ecological and empowering action has the unintended consequence of casting a burden on the poor farmer to feed an unproductive animal and loos of livelihood for the butcher, leather factory. Banning of child labor in Bangladesh resulted in starvation of many families. So, actions and their consequences are not simply good or bad but they can have mixed results for different stakeholders.
Knowledge based on Ethical and Ecological principles, leads to wisdom which in term lead to empowered actions, This is what inspires me to action. Like everything in life I do not claim that I have all it takes to ensure all my acts are consistent with the three E's, but I claim that I try as hard as I can. Can my single contribution make a difference?
Comments