Reflections on an Environmental Meeting

Tonight the Silver Spring Sustainability Circle presented us with a tutorial on how to put on a Tu B'shvat Seder.

What is it that is so appealing about using our own and the world's resources in a way that enhances, elevates and renews the land instead of destroying, sapping, and demeaning it?

I think it's the same kind of satisfaction and enjoyment that comes from, say, learning to bake a cake, to ride a bike, solve a math problem, or make a friend — the feeling that I've figured out how to get it right, how to gain from the world by putting myself into the world. The idea that I can integrate myself into creation in a way that not only gives me joy, but also gives others an opportunity to benefit from my actions.

Taking becomes transformed into giving.

At the practice Tu B'Shvat Seder we sipped wine*, ate fruit, and inhaled the aroma spices and comraderie flowed, lighthearted banter filled the air, and new ideas danced in our minds.

*Ok, grape juice

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