

We are a finely-tuned species, and like any natural system, we exist within very specific parameters of life. In order to survive within our natural limits, we require the basics ~ air, food, water and shelter. And to function in an optimal way, we need space and connection. But when any of these are out of balance, in excess or in lack, our health and well-being are threatened.
Our body is a vessel that allows us to experience this world through our senses, and the more we take care of our ‘cosmic spacesuit’ the deeper and clearer our experiences become. Maintaining the living resource of our ‘bio-matter’ is about managing our energy input and output, much like balancing a budget or the economy. Too much or too little in any given area can destabilize the whole.
The longer we ignore these imbalances in the system, the harder and more drastic it can be to regain equilibrium. The further out from our center-point of well-being, the more extreme the compensations become. Trying to manage a stress-state of extremes for too long ends up depleting the system of energy it needs simply to survive, leaving it vulnerable to pathogens that would exploit and drain the system further.
At a basic level, a healthy organism is like a cell with a well-functioning semipermeable membrane ~ a protective and discerning barrier that regulates what is allowed to come in and what needs to be kept out. This balance keeps the cell nourished (without going into excess that would make it as sick as going into lack.)
19. BALANCE ~ The Basics
Essay by Katarzyna Vedah. July 1, 2020
As an human organism, we are a collective of different types of cells, each with their own specialties, limits and requirements for optimal being. And each is an interdependent part of a larger whole.
Our species, likewise, is an interconnected part of a larger whole. Feeling disconnected or out of sync from this greater ‘pulse’ of being can impair our naturally balancing discernment, confusing what is helpful or harmful for our survival, creating excess and lack, and ultimately destabilizing not only ourselves but the greater organism we depend on for life.
There is no forcing this balance. Extreme ‘cures’ can be just as damaging as cutting off a foot to deal with an infected toenail. Equilibrium comes with steady and consistent actions that shift us back to a healthy state.
It is not about trying to dominate or control the elements involved but coming into a respectful, mutually beneficial and co-creative relationship ~ be it with one’s own body, another person/group, or the environment.
But seeking harmony and balance in our inter-relationships does not mean creating a mono-culture of sameness. The more complex a system or organism, the more diverse its elements and connections. We need each other. And sustainability is about exchange.
As a part of a larger natural system, we also need to acknowledge that life is not a fixed state and that equilibrium is an active, continually evolving balancing act.
As active parts in a greater whole, what we do affects those who are connected with us, and ripples out throughout the system.
With this in mind, What actions are we taking to bring us closer to a state of health, balance and connection ~ and what actions move us away from these?
VIDEO (YouTube):
Disease! (Crash Course)
Globalization I (Crash Course)
Globalization II (Crash Course)
Universal Basic Income (Joe Scott)
Tragedy of the Commons (TED-Ed)
Commons Work? (Next System Project)
Universal Human Rights (TED-Ed)
Bottled Water (Story of Stuff Project)
H2O: The Molecule That Made Us (PBS)
Humans Altered Ecosystems (Tru TV)
Climate Change in 5 Min. (BuzzFeed)
Climate Change Myths (Joe Scott)
DOCUMENTARY (YouTube): Trailer
Bag It (Suzan Beraza)
Just Eat It (Grant Baldwin)
Eating Animals (Christopher Quinn)
Biggest Little Farm (John Chester)
Spaceship Earth (Matt Wolf)
How to Change the World (J. Rothwell)
Surviving Progress (Roy & Crooks)

RIPPLE EFFECT
CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS TO ENGAGE THE CAPACITY TO FEEL

NEW FORM ~ NEW ORDER
FILM/ VIDEO (YouTube): Trailer
Rapa Nui (Kevin Reynolds)
The Lunchbox (Ritesh Batra)
Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley)
MOVIE REVIEW (YouTube): Just Write
Toll of Modern Capitalism – Spoilers!
SHORT FILM: Adobe Creative Cloud
In the Time it Takes to Get There
VIDEO (YouTube): Hit Record
Scream With Me Because It Works
WEBSITE: Hit Record
ARCHITECTURE / VIDEO:
Kinetic Buildings (The B1M)
Trees Meet Buildings (The B1M)
Buildings that Breathe (Creators)
Architectural Geometry (Arts at MIT)
SHORT FILM / VIDEO (YouTube):
Mount Seymour (National Geographic)
MUSIC / ALBUM (Bandcamp):
BOOK REVIEW / VIDEO: Spoilers!
The Earth Abides (Extra Credits)

HEALTHY M.O.
HEALTHY MENTAL OUTLOOK & PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT

HOME~BODY
VIDEO (YouTube): TED
Architecture Built to Heal – M. Murphy
Building Better Cities – P. Calthorpe
VIDEO (YouTube):
Make an Attractive City (School of Life)
The Future of Cities (Oscar Boyson)
Home Ownership (The Economist)
Urban Farms (KCETSoCalConnected)
myVancouver Victory Gardens (StoryHive)
NEWS / VIDEO: Breakfast Television
VIDEO (YouTube):
Sick Building Syndrome (BrainStuff)
Toxic Free Organic Lifestyle (Wayne Ulery)
Exploring Alternatives – Channel Trailer
Earthship Home (Exploring Alternatives)
Earthship 101 (Earthship Biotecture)
SHORT DOCUMENTARY / VIDEO (YouTube):
Green Citadels (RT Documentary)
WEBSITE: The Tiny Life
WEBSITE: Mommy’s Club
WEBSITE: My Chemical-Free House
WEBSITE: Earthship Biotecture

THE PROCESS
PRACTICAL REINFORCEMENT FOR SELF-CARE & DAY-TO-DAY LIVING

BODY~TEMPLE
VIDEO (YouTube): TED
Make Diseases Disappear – R. Chatterjee
Belly Controls Your Brain – R. Robertson
Best Diet for Humans – Eran Segal
VIDEO (YouTube):
Way We Think About Sugar (BrainStuff)
Alkaline Foods & pH (Tuja Wellness)
Importance of pH (The Uma Show)
Change your pH (Chuck Tillotson)
DOCUMENTARY (YouTube):
(Colquhoun, Bosch & Ledesma)
WEBSITE: Food Matters
VIDEO (YouTube):
Eating Right for You (BePure Ben Warren)
Workout for your Body Type (Bestie)
Ayurvedic Body Types (Nikhil K)
An Ayurvedic Diet (Banya Botanicals)
What Is Ayurveda? (Ancient Nutrition)
The Only Diet Plan (Fit Tuber)
Candida with Ayurveda (Holistic Nomads)
Thriving with Multiple Sclerosis (Terry Wahls)
WEBSITE: The Candida Diet
WEBSITE: Kimmana Nichols
WEBSITE / BOOK: Autoimmune Wellness
WEBSITE / BOOK: The Wahls Protocol
WEBSITE / BOOK: The Healing Kitchen

SHIFT GEARS
EXPANDING PERSPECTIVES, AWARENESS & CONSCIOUSNESS

SACRED SPACE
VIDEO (YouTube):
An Antidote to Dissatisfaction (Kurzgesagt)
Not the Centre of the Show (School of Life)
VIDEO (YouTube): Heart Phoenix
River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding I.
River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding II.
WEBSITE: River Phoenix Center
VIDEO (YouTube):
Indigenous Wisdom (Thrive Movement)
Place-Based Economy (TED)
Spatial Justice (CRCReasearch RRU)
VIDEO (YouTube):
Community Tool Box (Community Tool Box)
Healthy Corridors (Urban Land Institute)
Forest Bathing (World Economic Forum)
Benefits of Nature (Better Globe Trees)
Global Commons (GEFSecretariate)
WEBSITE: Union for Conservation (IUCN)
WEBSITE: Global Environment Facility
VIDEO (YouTube): TED
Intimacy in Architecture – A. Bica
Science of the Senses – S. Behling
Environments that Heal – S. Eliason
Holistic & Sacred Spaces – P. Daffara