The Tree Will Plant Itself

Today is Earth Day. So let me write about what I think about the Earth on this day.

I listened to a podcast this morning — Acid for Squares — you know, sometimes I like to let my mind wander these spiritual topics. The guest was Acharya Prashant, an Indian teacher talking about nonduality. At first the episode pissed me off a little. He was talking about not caring about anything, basically. The gist of part of what he was saying was that the best thing you can do for the world is to stop existing.

Then I scrolled through the comments. One was from someone who’d felt the same frustration until they realized it was just about getting your ego out of the way. Everything we do is, inherently, ego-driven. The only thing that isn’t is to die or to do nothing — just sit and meditate like the Buddha.

That opened something. Maybe the Buddha wasn’t trying to reach enlightenment. Maybe he was just trying to stop his ego. Maybe those are the same thing. Non-dual.

By the end of the episode I was warmed up to what Acharya Prashant was saying.

Just stop

So Cody Blue, one of the show’s hosts, asks the question that ties this to Earth Day. Even though a lot of this sounds dark — the ending of all purpose and singular existence — there’s still a moral direction to it. This guy’s teachings would have us stop all the harms we’re doing to the world and to each other.

Stop.

Not march toward action. Not preach. Just stop. If the issue is women’s rights, we don’t need to do anything — we just need to stop treating half the world’s population as unequal. If the issue is the health of the Earth, we don’t have to march or campaign. We just have to stop emitting carbon. And to do that, we just need to stop the materialistic, hedonistic, egoistic activities that lead to the emission of carbon. Stop rampant consumerism. Stop striving for a constantly bigger house that fits our goals in life. Stop stop stop.

Caring for the planet isn’t something you add to your life. It’s what remains when you subtract the ego-driven stuff.

The rabbit

I’m not sure what to do with this information. I guess I’m not supposed to do anything with it. As soon as I do — like write this blog post, or whatever whatever whatever — I’ve already contradicted the point.

And here’s the thing. My life runs on the premise that action matters. Building things, connecting people, mapping systems, making the case that capital should flow toward impact. What does a philosophy of “just stop” do to a person who does that?

I don’t know.

But I do know that reflecting on what he said has made me think and feel in a way I never quite have before. I’ve been able to see my own ego in a way I never have before. It’s plain to see now, in a way I’ve never experienced. As soon as I come up with a solution to one thing or another, I think: oh, that’s my ego trying to save itself. It’s like a rabbit in a corner — a very clever one. When you try to grab it, it slips away. When you try to walk away, it follows you. When you try to feed it, it eats but forgets to thank you.

And probably the best option for those of us who like the idea of overcoming the ego but aren’t keen on dying or meditating for our entire lives is to live selflessly. In total service to others and to the world. The most celebrated, selfless difference makers in history don’t just sit on a mountaintop until they become food for wolves and worms. Food for thought.

So what do you do for the Earth today? Plant a tree? I don’t know. If we let it be, the tree will plant itself.