Value Full Life

Each generation is called upon to confront the injustices of their time and live mindfully. The United States of America has played a special role on the world stage defending justice and equality… Yet, historical direction can turn on a dime. Waves of possibility can flow this direction or very easily flow a different direction. From where we stand, we have 360 different directions we can walk. As we each have capability to choose each step for ourselves, we also have the capability and responsibility to choose the best steps forward as a nation and society.

The history of Native Americans on the American continent began in ancient times, tens-of-thousands of years ago, with the settlement of the Americas by the Paleo-Indians. Our young American democratic experiment began a mere 242 years ago. The bedrock foundation for our American democracy is our Constitution of the United States. Underneath that bedrock is the Constitution of the Iroquois Nations and the Great Law of Peace. Put together, they form the Constitutional blueprints for the lands upon which we walk. Our early forefathers, and the Native American peoples of our lands, had great visions for their aspirational societies. They valued knowledge, wisdom, and peace.

We are currently living as if there is no tomorrow. The values emphasized in Value Full Life are stepping stones and belief systems that provide for a healthy perspective and movement toward positive competencies… Value Full Life offers each of us an opportunity to hold onto those values that can influence not only our own growth and development, but also promote the growth of a healthy society or any system of which we are a part.

Quilts are beautiful blankets of diversity… separate squares may be attractive, yet the final quilt offers a unique beauty that encompasses all of its separate parts. Each culture, race, family, and tribe may be like separate squares in the beginning development of a quilt. Each person has many threads from many ancestral multicultural beginnings. Once woven together, the quilt becomes a tapestry of beauty and elegance… Living with a belief that we can be Strong and Kind at the Same Time requires us to think about who we are and who we want to become as an individual and a society. When we think about our own unique DNA and with it the recombinant DNA from many ancestors, we are literally a smorgasbord of many genetic heritages. We are neither just one race nor one ethnicity, but a combination of many. When we pool the diversity of many historical cultures and backgrounds, we begin to develop a spherical identity that is truly one human race.

Like the trees who respect the space of the other tree, there is dignity in honoring the space of other people. This space might include individual differences, different points of view, different experiences that can be shared and understood, different talents to be expressed, and space for the expression of personal beliefs and values. Healthy boundaries do not include trampling on the rights of others or stealing resources from future generations.

When we live with the Value of Something Greater than Ourselves, we orbit around a light source of that which is greater than “me.” We are not the center of the solar system or the universe of our existence. Instead, we focus on that which we cherish: our faith, our family, our duty, and our county… Historically, there have been several philosophies that emphasize compassionate living. Yet, might the… “fruits of the spirit” be literal pathways or stepping stones to feed the “Wolf of Love” and enhance our capacity for compassion?

Living with the Value of a Connection to Nature means we honor our natural world while being intelligent stewards of our resources. When we live with a connection to nature, we use our resources conservatively and with conservation. The balance between consumption and conservatism with conservation is the key… Species are silently disappearing. Hurricanes and forest fires are leaving their trauma imprint upon our lands. The current global warming and climate change crisis of our life requires us to take action.

Addressing the health of our planet requires policies, problem solving strategies, and sustainable products… When one values sustainable industries, possibilities for innovation open doors to creative enterprises. Deep connections to our historical roots ground and sustain our growth and development. Without an understanding of where we have been, we will surely loop into backward spirals. As we reach down, we are able to reach up. By constantly striving for growth and development, we can grow towards the light and harvest new possibilities. Within the “rainforest of our life,” we can ascend to new canopies of innovation and enlightenment.

I like to think of each of us as unique prisms reflecting our sense of self. Prisms allow light to refract into beautiful portraits. Light or life shines through our unique prism and reflects our sense of self. Each portrait is uniquely beautiful. We are intricate, complicated, and multifaceted. We each have capability to shine or help make a difference in this world of chaos. Our shine may be cloudy yet the life force within us is spiritual. If all of life is cosmic and we each have our own spiritual fingerprint of sorts, how can we grow towards the principalities of light or into our potential? Living with the Value of Abundance with Gratitude means that we work to heal that which has hurt us while honoring ourselves, our abundance, and our capabilities to contribute to the world.

We each have a potential to light paths of aspirational possibility. We have to believe in ourselves and our capability. We have to strive for growth and development while protecting our institutions of democracy. We have many problems to solve such as poverty, infrastructure development, health care, and environmental challenges. Collaboration and cooperation offer foundations for future innovation… Each one of us is a light in the darkness. Together, we are a brilliant sun in the galaxy.