Rethinking "Normal" Part 2 - More Waste of Electricity

This is the second post in this Rethinking "Normal" series to highlight a few of the things I am witnessing (and struggling with) while away from the @gardenofeden, which are very standard practice for many.  I am in hopes of sharing some perspective and raising some awareness on some of the “normal”  things almost everyone is doing as I’m witnessing on this trip away from home.  I have been out in society, or the matrix as I and many others sometimes call it, for several days now, more time than I have spent immersed in this “normal” life than I have in many years.

Even though I have been choosing every day for over a decade to dedicate my time and invest my energy in living the most sustainable life I can imagine at the @gardenofeden (thanks to @quinneaker enacting his vision), I am having the opportunity to see and feel even greater depths of the “normal” powerful trance rampant in today’s society.  

I am in Nashville, Tennessee for my daughter’s wedding.  (Weddings being a subject I may touch on in this series, but not just yet.)  My daughter and I are staying with a couple of her friends in their home during my stay, so not only do I have a place to stay for free, I also have free transportation, free food, free wifi and all the amenities needed for a practical existence--all for which I am extremely grateful!!

However, just by being a part of what is happening out here in the matrix, I am affected greatly.  Though I don’t have to engage it fully, simply being around others who are for the most part not aware of or don’t care about these the subjects I'm going to address, is actually quite difficult, especially in finding balance between what I am aware of, upholding my own values, what I see and how I feel about it, what I want to say and do about it, and what is received from me or resisted in the process of attempting to shine the light on it.

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#2  MORE WASTE OF ELECTRICITY

In addition to a/c being run at full blast where no human is present to benefit from or enjoy it (Rethinking "Normal" Part 1 - A/C), are many other obviously wasteful things occurring.  

Businesses of course always have many lights on that no one is using, which is hurting the bottom line of their financial picture as they imagine is necessary to operate fully, while giving little care for the world around them.  (For example, just look at the consumption from lights in an outdoor car lot of cars for sale after business hours!)  But personally people are also wasting energy in their homes with little to no regard for their financial investment or the environment as a whole.

I witnessed this semi-typical scenario in this particular home where I’m staying on this trip:

One evening while one of the renters watched a movie on the big screen television, wrapped up in a blanket in the living room to stay warm in her overly air conditioned house, the corner light was on, as was the light in the bedroom, two lights in the kitchen, the light in the laundry room downstairs, two outdoor lights on the patio (which are on day and night--and no one knows where the switch is to ever turn it off ), the light over the stove, and her laptop on the kitchen table.  She wasn’t using her laptop or any of the lights except the glow from the television, and though I brought it to her attention, she didn’t seem to care, or even twitch or notice when I turned them all off.    When she was finished with her movie, she left the t.v. on, which I discovered and turned off in the middle of the night!  

It has been very common on this trip to witness lights, televisions, computers, music on phones, hair curlers and more left on for extended periods of time where no one is benefitting, even all day, all night, or both!  What’s the purpose?  Why are people doing this?

I had asked how much she paid for electricity, and she didn’t have a clue as someone just tells her how much to pay every month, so she does without giving the consumption or price it’s costing her a second thought.  It’s just what is....every single month!

Not only is this consumption at this house, but the neighbor's house as well.  Security lights that shine to keep predators away at night continue to shine helplessly throughout the day.

Just imagine these few examples amplified by nearly every house on the block, in the city, in the state, in the country, in the world!!!!  Just imagine these few moments I’ve taken pictures of amplified by hours, by weeks, by months, by years, by decades…..

Are you one of those who lives by convenience or laziness, or one of those who doesn’t pay attention or in the past hasn’t cared?  I challenge you to pay attention today and see how much is being wasted in your environment today, and to take action to make your own positive change.

Contrary to the typical scenario I've witnessed, it is rare at the @gardenofeden to see lights on when no one is in the room.  We pay attention to how many light bulbs we use when we flip the switch, and opt for using the least amount of electricity possible in every circumstance.  We pay attention ourselves and hold each other accountable to limiting our carbon footprint (which is actually negative zero for our overall consumption).  

There are immediate tangible solutions.  With awareness we can make change, as we are already doing it at the @gardenofeden.  Even if we each do our own little part, we can make a difference.  We can not only do it, we can inspire others to do it too and make massive change just by being conscious to turn off the lights and other appliances when we leave the room or they are not in use.  So simple!

Though I’ve been frustrated this week, as what I witness feels like we are moving in the opposite direction from positive and progressive change, I’ve learned that it doesn’t pay for me to be angry with people for what they don’t know, to expect them to live up to my standards, expect them to understand or even care - or feel that they as one person can make a difference, or expect that even in the knowing of these things that they will change.  We all have a lot of conditioning to let go of.  It starts with awareness and acknowledgement that we are part of the problem, then taking responsibility to be part of the solution.

@quinneaker has been sharing even greater depths of his enlightened perspectives for over a decade, and has created a life at the @gardenofeden where these “normal” scenarios do not exist, which make them even more apparent for me in contrast .  He has unwaveringly held such high standards that he makes it seem easy! 

I’m getting an amazing opportunity on this trip to feel my own awareness, test my own resolve, see where I am weak, rejoice where I am strong, find a way with ease and grace to share perspective without shutting people out so they are unable to hear or get a glimpse, and help change the world for the better, even if I touch only a few people at a time.

I hope you will follow this series and consider your own impact on humanity and our planet, and do what you can do to make this world a better place.  

There are things we all can do daily, if we simply care enough!

Enter the @gardenofeden website to to see how we're doing our part to change the world.