http://www.sacredrelationship.ca/why-water/
“Interconnectedness is part of the terminology of a worldview which sees a oneness in all things.”
” The state of being connected with each other.”
Interconnection is a central belief of First Nations/Peoples, Inuit, Metis, and many others. It exists as a way of knowing and learning throughout life. Interconnection is the belief, or knowledge that everything that exists in the universe is connected to each other, that it is all a never ending cycle. That everything is important, it all deserves respect, care, and a place to belong. First Nations fully believe that everything, including them and their families, are connected to everything that has come, is, or will come in the world. This belief makes it so they treat everything with respect, including our environment, and they have a better relationship with the earth and environment than many. First Nations have existed for a millennia keeping connections between their family, friends, tribes, homes, communities, environment, and spiritual beliefs. They have, better than most others, managed to respect the earth, and keeping a near-perfect system of give and take, never utilizing the earth for greed. This way of life makes it so that they don’t get in the way of the sacred circle of life, they exist while giving and taking to the other aspects of life.
In ecology, we studied and are studying the cycles that make up our world, and they exist in a similar state to how the First Nations did and do. The water cycle, the carbon cycle, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, sulfur, rock, etc. all give and take in a way that makes it possible for all to exist, for the world, and for us to live in a safe and healthy place. They all respect each other and couldn’t exist without any of the other cycles, and we couldn’t exist without all of them. In science we are also doing a project, trying to figure out how we affect the environment and how we can try to improve it. I think this is a great example of showing how yes humans take and take from the earth, but we also give back-we understand that we need everything in the world, we respect that we only exist because the universe exists.
“From the realms of the human world, the sky dwellers, the water beings, forest creatures and all other forms of life, the beautiful Mother Earth gives birth to, nurtures and sustains all life. Mother Earth provides us with our food and clean water sources. She bestows us with materials for our homes, clothes and tools. She provides all life with raw materials for our industry, ingenuity and progress. She is the basis of who we are as “real human beings” that include our languages, our cultures, our knowledge and wisdom to know how to conduct ourselves in a good way. If we listen from the place of connection to the Spirit That Lives in All Things, Mother Earth teaches what we need to know to take care of her and all her children. All are provided by our mother, the Earth.”
This is the base of sustainability. That when we take care of the earth and life that has been given to us, that the future generations will come to have all the same type of beautiful and plentiful lifestyle that we enjoy. First peoples take into consideration that Mother Earth gave us all that we have, and that she can easily take it away. They believe that by taking care of the earth, respecting it’s gifts of water, air, fire and everything that comes from the that, that they will be treated in the same way. First peoples survive off of only what they need, and always give back from what they’ve taken. They practice reverence, humility, and reciprocity, and believe that when they hunt, gather plants and fruits, and fish, they are only securing food for self/family/the elderly/widows/community/spirits purposes. They know that everything is taken and used with the understanding that only what is needed to feed the above, and they must use, we must use, great care and awareness of how and how much we take so that future generations will only feel the benefit from us, never any negative affects. In part, we have done the opposite. We have taken so much and negatively treated the earth that now Mother Earth is reciprocating by letting us reap what we sowed. Global warming can and will continue to negatively affect the future generations in a way that no one actually knows.
In ecology, we studied the cycles of life. Humans, take from these cycles, and if we take just enough to survive, the earth rewards us with the benefits from all the other cycles, however when we take too much, the other cycles are affected too, and have nothing to give us, and then we have nothing. For example, when we use water to drink and cleanse, there is more than enough water for everyone, and the other cycles flourish under the extra water, and then plants and trees and more fruitful, and the earth easier to grow and air fresher and moist. But when we use the water for every fanciful wish and want, there isn’t enough for the plants and treees to bear frui, the soil and air dry and thé world as a whole suffers.
Sustainibility amf interconnectedness. Two things that the first peoples have utilised beautifully, and if it were just their culture and beliefs existing on the planet, it as a whole would be a much more beautiful place, so perhaps everyone else could stand to learn from this amazing culture, it could be our planet’s saviour.