Celebrating Inter-Dependence This July 4th!

Having turned the corner into the second half of 2020, July 4^th upon us, we have a unique moment in which to consider celebrating “independence” or “inter-dependence”. 

Inter-dependence has nothing to do with patriotism. It is about who we are as humans and our profound connection to each other, to all living things, to the air and land and water.

The pandemic has gently guided us to seeing how interconnected we are, while the mass demonstrations are a plea for recognizing and valuing each beautiful human being, a foundation to showing our inter-dependence upon one another.

I think of a hike I took not long ago with my brother Jerome in northern California. Sugarloaf State Park, to be exact. The area had been hit with devastating wildfires in 2018 and the forest showed its scars – burnt trees lined much of the hike. But as I scanned my vision upward, I saw something unexpected. I blinked to make sure I was not imagining it. 

Out of a blackened tree trunk vibrant green sprigs of leaves grew at the top.

And this was not limited to one “miracle tree”. This was strongly a theme, a pattern to the forest one year after the fires. Add in the moss and other growths beginning to inhabit the burnt trunk and it became suddenly clear this scene was much more complex than a deadened forest. New life, resilience now the title of the portrait.

Yes, even life and death show inter-dependence on one another, speaks the forest. The courageous audacity of life to think that it can spring up from a tree burned to a crisp is amazing, beautiful, inspiring. Within our lives, we can call to mind places of hurt, sorrow, trauma that then grew from that very branch a new leaf.

Life and death dance around each other in the wake of forest fires

Sugarloaf State Park, California

My friends, inter-dependence, once realized, changes how we treat those around us and the planet we inhabit. It changes how we see suffering in our fellow humans and in our natural world. May this year’s fireworks spark a celebration of inter-dependence in all of us.

Two additional items:

)    * What is 4^th of July without some amazing food? Chef Joe Romero, my dear friend and creative collaborator, thought about a recipe that spoke about inter-dependence to him, and came up with Red Chile Viniagrette (recipe below). In his words:

Nature is abundant, it is diverse, and it has more varieties than we can guess. We need to grow and eat a diverse diet full of different colors, textures, shapes, and sizes. We also need to cultivate meaningful relationships with the diverse people that grow our food and the people that transform that food into love and culture, thus ensuring healthy bodies, healthy soil and a healthy mind. 

When I need my large dose of local organic produce I turn to a big salad. Nothing is so effortlessly beautiful and delicious as a bowl of mixed greens and chopped colorful fresh veggies. Next, the dressing to bring it all together; Red Chile Vinaigrette. I have not found a salad that this spicy sweet vinaigrette does not compliment well. Make sure to share with friends and family and total strangers.

* Buddhist teacher and activist Thich Nhat Hanh talks about “inter-being”. I learned a good amount about this amazing teacher who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King in writing tonight’s piece. I found his 14 guidelines for Inter-Being to be quite grounding in thinking about how inter-dependence relates to my own actions regarding racial and planet justice. Given that no one was up at the 1am hour to grant me permission to re-publish those 14 guidelines, I have a link here to a 1995 interview of him that includes the guidelines.