Ian Gartshore

 “It is the theory which decides what we can observe.” ~Albert Einstein Language is powerful. Words form concepts which, in turn, determine how we view, and treat, both people and planet. We are so accustomed to thinking of one another, and Mother Earth, according to their utility or purpose that we easily fail to grasp how sacred life is. For example, when we meet someone new we are likely to ask them what they do for a living, rather than to meet someone and value them for simply being themselves. What would life be like if we instead asked who they are, what interests them, animates them, inspires them? Our language similarly turns Mother Earth into a thing. We call her “the” planet, and the cradle of our existence becomes “the” environment. Ergo, i f “the planet” is a “thing” then there is seemingly no harm in using and abusing “it.” Contrast this with an Indigenous perspective, namely that Mother Earth is a living being with whom we are in relationship, and to whom we owe ou

As one who tries to understand people I have been most curious as to why conspiracy theories are being embraced by those who normally do not see eye-to-eye. How is it that supporters of Donald Trump are joined by those described as “new agers?” Politically, they would otherwise have next to nothing in common. What both presently DO have in common is a distrust of those who are in charge of the medical system and the governments who rely on them. Why distrust the established medical field? When the pandemic emerged very little was known about the virus. Initially it was believed that people could easily become infected through touching infected surfaces, and so playgrounds were closed down and copious amounts of alcohol-based sanitizers and chemically-laden cleaners were put to use. Even when evidence ‘surfaced’ that virtually all infections were caused by the spread of tiny viral-laden droplets, we were continued to be told to sanitize everything. Thankfully playgrounds reopened.