THE GUIDE
19. BALANCE
MAIN ESSAY
RIPPLE EFFECT
HEALTHY M.O.
THE PROCESS
SHIFT GEARS
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 ~ Home: 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.
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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?
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VIDEO (YouTube):
The Machine (The Juice Media)
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Disease! (Crash Course)
Globalization I (Crash Course)
Globalization II (Crash Course)
Universal Human Rights (TED-Ed)
Tragedy of the Commons (TED-Ed)
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Resource Economy (Venus Project)
The Venus Project (Joe Scott)
Universal Basic Income (Joe Scott)
Climate Change Myths (Joe Scott)
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Humans Altered Ecosystems (Tru TV)
Bottled Water (Story of Stuff Project)
Water Alchemy – A. Bodnar (TED)
H2O: The Molecule That Made Us (PBS)
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DOCUMENTARY (YouTube): Trailer
Bag It (Suzan Beraza)
Just Eat It (Grant Baldwin)
Eating Animals (Christopher Quinn)
Biggest Little Farm (John Chester)
Intelligent Trees (Dordel & Tölke)
Seeds of Vandana Shiva (J. & C. Becket)
How to Change the World (J. Rothwell)
Spaceship Earth (Matt Wolf)
Surviving Progress (Roy & Crooks)
Paradise or Oblivion (Venus Project)
RIPPLE EFFECT
CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS TO ENGAGE THE CAPACITY TO FEEL
NEW FORM ~ NEW ORDER
FILM/ VIDEO (YouTube): Trailer
Rapa Nui (Kevin Reynolds)
Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley)
Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)
Silent Running (Douglas Trumbull)
MOVIE REVIEW (YouTube): Spoilers!
Sorry to Bother You (Infranaut)
Soylent Green (Unapologetic Geek)
Silent Running (Unapologetic Geek)
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LAND ART / VIDEO (YouTube):
The Case for Land Art (Art Assignment)
Andy Goldsworthy (Caitlin Sheridan)
Land Art Movement (Showcase)
ARCHITECTURE / VIDEO:
Kinetic Buildings (The B1M)
Trees Meet Buildings (The B1M)
Buildings that Breathe (Creators)
Architectural Geometry (Arts at MIT)
Sagrada Familia (Real Engineering)
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SHORT FILM / VIDEO (YouTube):
Mount Seymour (National Geographic)
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MUSIC / ALBUM (Bandcamp):
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BOOK REVIEW / VIDEO: Spoilers!
The Earth Abides (Extra Credits)
HEALTHY M.O.
HEALTHY MENTAL OUTLOOK & PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT
HOMEBODY:
RE-IMAGINING HOUSING
VIDEO (YouTube):
Make an Attractive City (School of Life)
The Future of Cities (Oscar Boyson)
3D-Print Our World (Tomorrow’s Build)
Home Ownership (The Economist)
Path to Home Ownership (MarketWatch)
Elon Musk's Tiny Home (Enes Plus)
Stunning Camper Van (Jordan Osmond)
ARTICLE: By Patrick Sisson
The Dying Mall’s New Lease on Life
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VIDEO (YouTube): TED
DOCUMENTARY (YouTube): TVO Docs
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
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VIDEO (YouTube):
Urban Farms (KCETSoCalConnected)
myVancouver Victory Gardens (StoryHive)
Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage (Intentional)
Off-Grid Community (Exploring Alternatives)
Earthship Home (Exploring Alternatives)
Earthship 101 (Earthship Biotecture)
Sustainable City (Fully Charged Show)
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WEBSITE: The Tiny Life
WEBSITE: Dancing Rabbit EcoVillage
WEBSITE: Earthship Biotecture
THE PROCESS
PRACTICAL REINFORCEMENT FOR SELF-CARE & DAY-TO-DAY LIVING
BODY~TEMPLE: NUTRITION & DIET
VIDEO (YouTube): Kurzgesagt
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ARTICLE: By Julia Shaw
What the ‘Meat Paradox’ Reveals
VIDEO (YouTube): TED
How Sugar Affects the Brain - N. Avena
We Can't Stop Eating Unhealthy Foods
Food You Eat Affects Your Gut - S. Ravella
Make Diseases Disappear – R. Chatterjee
Belly Controls Your Brain – R. Robertson
Best Diet for Humans – Eran Segal
DOCUMENTARY: Hungry for Change
ARTICLE: By Koning & Brietzke
When You Eat Matters: Eating Rhythms
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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's Ayurveda? (Ancient Nutrition)
The Only Diet Plan (Fit Tuber)
Thriving with MS (Terry Wahls)
Autoimmune Disease (Mark Hyman)
WEBSITE / BOOK: Autoimmune Wellness
WEBSITE / BOOK: The Wahls Protocol
WEBSITE / BOOK: The Healing Kitchen
SHIFT GEARS
EXPANDING PERSPECTIVES, AWARENESS & CONSCIOUSNESS
RESTORATION OF SACRED SPACE
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THE POWER OF PLACE
VIDEO (YouTube):
Community Based Design (NNgroup)
Build a Place-Based Economy (TED)
Architecture Built to Heal (TED)
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VIDEO (YouTube): Heart Phoenix
River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding I.
River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding II.
WEBSITE: River Phoenix Center
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VIDEO (YouTube):
Indigenous Wisdom (Thrive Movement)
Spatial Justice (CRCReasearch RRU)
Gentrification & Communities (TED)
Community Tool Box (Community Tool Box)
VIDEO (YouTube): TED
Intimacy in Architecture – A. Bica
Science of the Senses – S. Behling
Environments that Heal – S. Eliason
Holistic & Sacred Spaces – P. Daffara
VIDEO (YouTube):
Healthy Corridors (Urban Land Institute)
Landscape Restoration (Commonland)
Landscape Architecture - T. Woltz (TED)
Forest Bathing (World Economic Forum)
Benefits of Nature (Better Globe Trees)
Global Commons (GEFSecretariate)
WEBSITE: Union for Conservation (IUCN)
WEBSITE: Global Environment Facility