by Sarah Bowen
My friend Kelly got me hooked on the anti-straw thing. As I threw a disposable cup away, she nagged (lovingly, of course), “You really should stop using straws.” Frankly, I had never thought about it before. Sure, I meticulously snip any six-pack plastic holders into minuscule pieces to keep sea animals safe, but straws were in my blind spot.
After a little research, I learned that Americans throw away 500,000,000 single-use straws a day, which can’t be recycled. The Plastic Pollution Coalition informed me that by 2050, our oceans will contain more plastic by weight than fish. Which is gross. Plus, straws and other small plastic items can choke and strangle sea creatures. Which is incredibly sad.
Since the discovery of the infamous floating Great Pacific Garbage Patch, local communities, states, and countries around the world are increasingly banning or taxing single-use plastic, which is a good start. But changing habits based on convenience is not always easy. Lucky for me, through her willingness to smack me lovingly upside the head, Kelly inspired me to finally change my behavior: My backpack now holds a bamboo eating utensil set, a Jedi-logoed water bottle, and my very own fluorescent orange reusable straw.
NO MORE FOR THE ROAD
When it comes to drinking (with or without a straw), Tawny Lara is one of a growing number of people choosing to live #altsober. In 2015, she traded in her drunk party girl nights to pursue a different way of living. Starting as an experiment, Tawny decided to stop drinking for a year and, being a writer by trade, to document her journey. On the resulting sobrieteaparty.com site, she sums it up this way, “A booze-free lifestyle (paired with yoga and therapy) has helped me learn who I am and identify the things I was running from.” Part personal blog, part podcast, the site is an authentic—and often raw—look into the joys and challenges of living sober in alcohol-soaked New York City. Through sharing openly who she is and what she has experienced, Tawny hopes to inspire others to live “out loud and proud.”
As Tawny’s sober time grew (way past a single year), so did her desire to help break the stigma of addiction and support others in recovery. So she launched a series of alcohol-free social events including Readings on Recovery, which provides a platform for people to share their recovery experience with other like-minded souls, through essays, standup comedy, poetry, live music, and even dance. Intrigued, I tracked her down to learn more. “These events continue to open my eyes,” Tawny told me. “Seeing people talk about being in recovery and laughing and smiling reminds me that socializing and being out there is way more important to me than getting fucked up.”
Stretching into film, Tawny and her friend B. Rae Perryman, a nationally renowned drug policy advocate who’s also in recovery, won the Best Hope Film award at the 2018 New Jersey Recovery Film Festival for their short documentary Fixed Up. The film takes a thoughtful look at the proverbial dark side of addiction and light side of recovery, speaking poignantly to the gray areas in between the two.
DON’T ACT BLINDLY, TREAT ANIMALS KINDLY
Until recently, my favorite meme was a cat with a football-helmet-shaped lime on his head, who is affectionately known online as Limecat. The version I have (vintage 2004) was accompanied by this text: “What happens when you: 1) have nothing to do 2) own a sharp knife 3) have a large lime 4) own a patient cat 5) drink too much tequila 6) and it is football season?” I admit the picture was tacked on my fridge for over a decade. Until I met, Karla Kamstra, that is.
Karla, who is one of my heroes, is the founder of Pets Alive in Bloomington, Indiana. The nonprofit spay/neuter and wellness clinic offers low-cost services for pets and helps local shelters keep animals adoptable. Over the last 12 years, Pets Alive has performed over 125,000 surgeries—with only two full-time veterinarians. Their innovative clinic charges a mere $5 for a wellness visit.
One of Karla’s leading-edge causes is looking at the intersection of animal welfare issues and internet postings. Animal cruelty is a growing problem online, as some people post videos and pics most of us would agree are disgusting and inhumane.
Many of us are not aware of the animal welfare issues in the seemingly cute videos we repost. Often the animals are drugged or coerced into behavior that is unnatural for them. Or they may be carrying a high level of stress because they don’t understand why they are being posed, dressed in strange clothes, or placed in an odd environment. In fact, many amazing wildlife photos are actually staged on game farms where the animals are treated poorly. (Of course, there are some excellent photographers out there actually in nature, but it is getting harder to tell what is fake and what is real, and what might be doing harm to the animals.) There is often a cruel cost for “cute.”
In response, Karla is working on an initiative she calls CHIP: Compassionate and Humane Internet Posting. It’s not a watchdog group, but a resource to help educate people about compassionate posting and how to recognize signs that an animal is in stress or danger, because there is a difference in the welfare of an animal enjoying itself versus being forced to perform. Karla suggests, “Before you share, like, or comment, look with a discriminating eye. Look through the filter of the animal, and really look at what you’re seeing. Does it look like the animal is voluntarily or willingly participating in the antics that you are witnessing? And if not—and you are compassionate to that animal—then don’t share it, don’t like it.”
Which brings me back to Limecat. After talking with Karla, I looked at the meme more carefully, trying to guess the cat’s perspective. Result? He is NOT happy. So I took his photo down from my fridge. And I’m a hell of a lot more careful about what I repost now, sticking mostly to pics of my own cats—since I know they are being treated well.
NOT DESERTED IN THE DESERT
Rabbi Daniel Bortz, known as the Millennial Rabbi, and I recently had an animated conversation about Jiu Jitsu, Shabbat, and Coachella—three words that I never would have guessed I’d ever use together in single sentence. Daniel is an avid student of what he calls “Brazilian Jiu [Jew] Jitsu.” His tongue-in-cheek play on words is actually a profound comment on mixing traditions within spirituality. He doesn’t find the martial art to be out of line at all with his deep Judaism; instead, he finds it deeply nourishing and complementary to his religion. He admits to enjoying breaking the stereotype of what people think of when they think rabbi or Judaism: “I want to show them there is no box. Yes, there is structure to Judaism, there are things we follow, like kosher and Shabbat, but to me, these are all vehicles for greater meaning. And within that structure, there is so much room for creativity. Anything we do we can learn a lesson from it. Everything you do you can connect to God or elevate the experience.”
After becoming a rabbi, Daniel put this idea into action, creating a nonprofit focused on inspiring teens to realize their potential, based on relatable Jewish wisdom. JTEEN of San Diego empowers its members by giving them a voice and a community to explore self-expression—from fun fellowship events like hiking to an entrepreneur program and an award-winning honors knowledge series. JTEENs also learn to extend outside themselves through seva-type activities, such as feeding the homeless and families in need.
Full of creative ideas, Rabbi Daniel then started a Friday night Shabbat service that includes breathing and sound therapy. He told me, “I want to tie in the ideas we’ve had for thousands of years but do so in a more relatable modern way.” For those of you asking, “Huh? What’s Shabbat?” here’s a quick synopsis: Shabbat is a day of rest and celebration that takes place each week starting on Friday evening. And it is awesome. Since in Judaism, days begin at sundown, not at midnight, on Friday evenings, people who practice Shabbat begin celebrating its coming at sunset. Depending on the type of Judaism, people will refrain from certain activities (and do other special things) to honor the day until Saturday’s sunset.
Now back to Rabbi Daniel. Since Shabbat is so spiritually nourishing, it’s not the kind of thing you want to miss if, for example, you happen to be headed to the Californian desert for Coachella, officially kn
own as the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. No worries, you will not be deserted in the desert, because Rabbi Daniel’s got you covered. At his Coachella Shabbat Tent, he will hook you up with refreshments, shelter from the sun, kiddush and challah. If you ask nicely, he might even help you learn a little Jiu Jitsu between music acts.
INCARCERATED IN THE BATHROOM
Darby Christopher recently spent 23 hours confined to her bathroom. After seeing the documentary Solitary Nation, she became interested in learning more about challenges in the U.S. prison system. Actually more than interested. Deeply passionate. She recalled, “I can often feel unsure of myself. But with this, I didn’t have any feelings of uncertainty at all!”
As she researched, attended conferences, and spoke with others, she increasingly felt called to create a personal sensory experience to give her insight into what solitary confinement might feel like. To raise awareness—and make a difference beyond herself—she asked friends and family to sponsor her for a dollar an hour, with funds going to the National Incarceration Association.
A video she shot just after the bathroom incarceration is surprisingly raw and emotional—even to her. When I spoke with her a few weeks afterwards, I was touched by how deeply the event continued to affect her. Her biggest surprise? How much the lack of good food impacted her. I instantly recalled Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: We have needs that must be satisfied for us to survive and thrive, starting with the basics, including food. Darby agreed: “How can we expect people to be better without the basics? It just doesn’t make sense.”
When I probed her about how this work might support her higher purpose, she offered, “My higher purpose in life is to more and more live out of the Christ space, the Buddha space, Tao. It is being, and then how that being flows out of me into the world. And it sounds so lofty, considering some of my problems, but I claim it!”
ANIMALS FIND SANCTUARY IN A PAW-SOME JAIL
About 800 miles south from Darby, the Stock Island Detention Center in Key West, Florida, is making a difference in the lives of inmates as well as abandoned, abused, and confiscated animals. On an average day, the facility is home to 150 animals and about 600 inmates.
The evolution of the program is almost too peculiar to believe. A group of ducks kept getting hit by cars at a nearby golf course. Since the detention center is built on stilts, the facility coordinated with the sheriff’s office to rehome the birds. Of course, word got out, and soon other nearby animal rescue groups followed suit.
Entirely funded by donations (not tax dollars), the sanctuary provides many benefits: homes for needy animals, an opportunity for inmates to be of service, and a channel for much-needed animal welfare outreach, along the lines of: “Kids, don’t get a wild pet for your home!”
Yes, you can visit.
DEATH-ROW CHICKENS REJOICE!
In Australia, Julie O’Shea found herself in quite a quandary at an organic animal farm. When she stopped by an organic animal farm to pick up 10 chickens, she ended up rehoming 400 of them, purely by accident—(and with some hard work on social media). When she was told by the farm owner that the “chooks” (Aussie for hens) were going to be culled since they were no longer producing enough eggs for the farmer’s liking, Julie immediately reached out to find them new homes through Facebook.
In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Company’s North Coast Bureau, Julie reported that the post had gone viral, with 7,000 views in two days, and she quickly had to develop a system: “I organized a vetting system because I was concerned that people would get them for free and try to on-sell them or take them for their pet snakes or dog baiting. They had to post a picture of their chicken coop and the area where the hens would be.” She then met with each rescuer individually.
What’s more, this random act of immense compassion awoke something in Julie. Since she had a waitlist from the Facebook post, she’s working on making chicken rescue an ongoing project, connecting egg farmers with people to look after their “past-prime” chickens.
SPENDING A BIRTHDAY WITH THE HOMELESS
Sonia Ketchian is a self-professed “love activist,” firmly grounded in a higher calling of love: “My work is to help dissolve the illusion of separation which is at the core of the experience of division with inhumanity. To find ways to help diminish human suffering.” Instead of throwing a posh party for her 60th birthday, Sonia spent it delivering 60 life-saving backpacks to homeless people in New York City. After emailing friends to enlist help, she was quickly inundated with cases of goods from all over the world. “Everything was just a unity consciousness,” she says. “People, I think, want to help other people. If you give them the opportunity, it’s pretty amazing what people will do.”
The distributed backpacks contained normal things you’d expect, like toiletries and clothing. But they were accompanied by a very unique item. After giving the backpack, Sonia would present each person with a necklace that she and her friends had created, a polished stone heart in a tiny paper bag with the words: You are loved. “We would say, ‘Well, just in case there’s ever a moment where you forget or need to remember, please take this,’” Sonia explains. “And people would just throw their arms around you. It was such a loving experience. It was the best birthday of a lifetime.”
Recently, Sonia carried stone love hearts while walking the Camino de Santiago in honor of a loved one who had passed. Handing the hearts to pilgrims she met along the way, she reminded them, “You are loved.”
WILL WALK FOR WATER
Speaking of the Camino, my friend Arti Roots Ross recently returned from her trek there. Before leaving the U.S., Arti asked friends to contribute to her charity: water campaign to raise funds and awareness about water issues. She sure educated me. “Many of us have no idea what it’s like to be thirsty. We have plenty of water to drink—even the water in our toilets is clean,” she told me. “But every day about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. And it doesn’t have to be that way.”
In fact, one in 10 people in the world lacks access to clean water. Arti’s raised funds will bring water to some of the 663 million people who have no option but to drink dirty water. According to charity:water, clean water not only decreases deaths and improves people’s health, but it can also “boost local economies, empower women, and give kids more time in school.”
As Arti walked the Camino, she prayed for the healing of the planet and for water to become available to those who need it in the world. Of her experience, she shared with me, “I found myself more and more in relationship with water every day. Not being in a car for five weeks and walking in or near water almost every day shifted my awareness. Some days the Camino asked that we take our shoes off and wade across a beach to the next section of foot trail.”
On the road, Arti remembered a friend who would blow a kiss whenever they drove over any kind of bridge or body of water. So on the Camino, she took up that habit, offering a bow of gratitude to each body of water, whatever its size, while taking time to breathe in the immense beauty of the route, honoring it. She also carried the prayers of friends and loved ones, including many for the water, the sea and her creatures, and the beings of the Earth affected by contaminated water. She told me, “The combination kept the awareness of this precious element present with me throughout the pilgrimage journey and even affected my relationship with the frequent rain. I have returned renewed in many ways, strength and resilience restored after a very difficult winter, and a deep gratitude for—and commitment to protecting—clean water for all living creatures in any ways I can.”
Arti’s story touched me so deeply that I immediately decided to get on the boat, so to speak. For each copy of Spiritual Rebel that is sold, I’ll make a donation to help some more of those 663 million people without clean water.
* * *
And these stories just scratch the surface of what can happen when we extend what we care about beyond ourselves. Because a higher purpose
is limited when it revolves only around our own success. True, studies show that having purpose in our lives gives us direct benefits, including better sleep, healthier behaviors, lower risk of disease, and a longer life. Admittedly, that’s cool. But ultimately, my higher purpose has very little to do with me. And I’m willing to bet your higher purpose is more than about just you. We can have a tremendous impact on those around us—whether those others are humans, cats, trees, the oceans, or some other piece of Creation.
As our final spiritual experiment together, let’s take a moment to reflect on our own stories of higher purpose.
REVEALING HIGHER PURPOSE
Close your eyes, take a few breaths (and a big-ass yawn!). Check in with yourself now. Say these three words slowly: “My higher purpose…“
Is anything coming into view? Did anything develop during your seva experiences that might be a clue? What would be your legacy if the zombie apocalypse wiped us out tomorrow? How might you be a karmic life preserver?
It’s unlikely you’ll solve all of the world’s problems in the next few minutes. But you can take the time to remember the importance of purpose in your life and take a quick snapshot of its developing role in your spirituality.
My higher purpose…
The rebel and the saint
Recall how often in human history
the saint and the rebel have been the same person.
ROLLO MAY
* * *
We began this book as spiritual rebels. Courageously stepping into the role of reverent scientists, we excavated, examined, and experimented. As sacred trash inspectors, we clarified our beliefs, tossing out timeworn ones. We journeyed further into wonder and trekked farther into the forest. Embedding spiritual moments of profound being into our daily lives, we mindfully deepened and expanded. Connecting to ourselves and to others, we tapped into something greater than our individuality.