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The 5 Rs

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Respect

The "5Rs" are an exploration of the themes Respect, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. These Earth-loving actions allow us to reduce our impact on our Earth and add deeper meaning and joy to our lives. Send us yours - circle@circleoflife.org!

Respect
Rethink
Reduce
- Peet's Coffee Reduces Paper Cup Use
- To-Go Ware Poem by Stephanie Bernstein
Reuse
Recycle

It's all about Respect

—by Julia Butterfly Hill

Respect is something we all desire, and therefore something we all must give. Growing up, I was taught about respect as a way to regard other people. It didn't have much to do with me. I was respectful because I was taught I had to be, not because I realized that all of life is interconnected. I learned that later, while living in Luna's branches.

As this realization grew within me, my actions began to change. Many things I used to take for granted became more clear and profound. Out of respect, I started treating people with more love, because to do so was my heart's truest desire. I looked at everything in my life and began to simplify. Every time I turned on my camping stove, I saw all the beautiful people and places being destroyed by our addiction to fossil fuels. So I began to eat fewer cooked and processed foods, and switched to living foods - fresh salads and fruits.

I saw within my own actions a chance to be either part of the problem or part of the solution. A scrap of paper was no longer something to throw away or even just recycle. I realized it to be a piece of a sacred tree, that deserves respect enough to be given life over and over again until its fibers fall apart or it no longer has any blank space left. Only then could it be recycled to become a part of life again.

I questioned why the popular model of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" was failing to make a deep enough impact in our society. I realized that the failure was due in part to our disconnect -our forgetting that all life is profoundly interwoven, interdependent, and sacred. We have been tricked into paying attention to Recycle, to the exclusion of Reduce and Reuse, by those with a vested interest in our consuming ever more. These individuals and systems do not want us to Reduce our over-consumptive behaviors -because in doing so, we begin to free ourselves from a model that holds us enslaved to their profit, at the expense of our planet and our very own lives. Simplification is the exhilarating art of heart-centered Re-evolution. I decided it was time to add new words to the old "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" model and give it new life.

I thought of other words that began with "Re", and I came up with a list of about 87! Obviously, I needed to choose just a few with which to enrich an already strong concept. I wanted to find a way to encourage and even excite people into Re-examining our lives. My desire was to Re-define our values, prioritizing holistic, healthy life over the mere accumulation and use of things. I hoped to Remind people that we will never feel truly at peace trying to "fill" the voids in our hearts and spirits with things. True joy comes from embracing life, not from consuming it and throwing it away. After much thought, I finally started using the 5-R mantra: "RESPECT, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."

While living in Luna, I came to understand that every person is an activist whether we realize it or not, because every choice we make changes the world. It is up to us to decide to be activists for healing or for suffering, for creating or for destroying. The first step towards creating a healthy world is to Remember that conscious activism is ultimately about Self-Respect. This is Respect that includes every living being in the web of life. When we Reopen to this awareness of Oneness, our actions immediately and joyously begin to change. We begin to Rethink our world and our place in it. Then the old mantra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle falls naturally into place in our hearts, minds, spirits, and actions.

You can make your own list of Rs - and Remember to have fun. Any "Re" word that inspires you belongs on the list. Be creative, transform yourself, transform the world. And feel how beautiful it is to be a part of consciousness and love in action!