I have been working on a paper for about six months, I knew that at some point I would have to write the beginning, but have not as yet until this morning found the right words.
Soil, Soul, Society. Alastair McIntosh describes this as the “Tripartite understanding of community”
(For those who are concerned about such things, it matters not, I think, where you begin, with either soul or society or soil. The important thing is to begin where you are.)
This is the perfect beginning as it draws together all the strands which are at the moment hanging by the threads of an idea yet to be born. In this simple framework it all comes together so well.
So we must (re)connect with the earth, realise our interdependence with all life on the planet and learn to tread lightly.
Connect with society, our life and our death is with our [global] neighbours.
Re-congnise the Soul, that which is connected to the source of all life, in the Christian context – God.
With these three in harmony, Soil, Soul, Society it might just be possible to move beyond our current obsessions and live a more balanced and far simpler life.
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