Here’s an enthusiastic review of The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis by William Martin, author of The Activist’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for a Modern Revolution.
The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis: Guest Post by William Martin
“I am familiar with the overwhelming data over the past fifty years that makes the idea of “debating climate change” much like holding a town hall forum on the possibility that the earth is round and that gravity may pull things downward…
I found it therefore a welcome relief to sink into the single most helpful book I’ve come across in twenty years of reading on this theme. Brendan Kelly’s marvelous book, The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis, blends a clear-eyed understanding of the extreme dangers we face as an out-of-control materialistic society, with a rational understanding of the traditional practice of Chinese medicine that results in a serious but profoundly optimistic perspective on the future of Earth and of humanity.”
Review
Here’s an enthusiastic review by Beth Sommers, who’s an acupuncturist involved with public health policy.
“The book is a significant contribution to public health because of its appreciation of the linkages that connect individuals, populations, and the global community. This is an important book that can broaden our under- standing and motivate us to action. It is a most welcome approach to translating [Chinese] medicine into creating and promoting policies that can heal ourselves and our planet.”
Adding Fuel to the Fire: Why Climate War Is Not the Answer
“The metaphors we use speak to our assumptions about the world… Seeing the condition of our cells and the state of the climate in terms of conflict does little to encourage us to look at the bigger issues that affect our internal well-being and the root issues of climate change.” -NorthAtlanticBooks.com
The Yin and Yang of Climate Change
“In the treatment room, all of our organs are connected and the physical, mental and emotional parts of our lives are interrelated. Similarly, it recognizes that we are part of the world around us and that what happens within us is a reflection of what happens in nature. Looking at cancer and climate change from this larger vantage point, we can begin to see how both conditions have the same underlying cause. – MayWay.com
Radio Interview
Here’s a radio interview of Brendan on a radio show in Seattle WA talking about The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis.
Yoga, Yin and the Climate Crisis
“What’s happening within us is intimately connected to what’s happening around us. Rather than being two separate issues, our health and the well-being of the planet is the same issue happening on different scales. With the climate crisis that now confronts us, internal practice like yoga are crucial to addressing the root issues of our rapidly warming planet”-OM Times
The Yin and Yang of Lyme Disease and Climate Change
“There’s a long list of possible symptoms associated with Lyme disease… The usual Western medical approach is the use of antibiotics to attempt to kill the bacteria responsible for the condition. While this can help some people, my clinical experience indicates clearly that it is not always effective and can in fact contribute to the worsening of existing symptoms and the creation of others.”-NorthAtlanticBooks.com
3 Ways to Promote Personal Health & Ecological Well-Being
“As I sit down to write this, looking out the window from my house in northern Vermont, we’ve recently transitioned into spring. But unlike many other past transitions out of winter, this year’s change isn’t from cold, snow, and ice into more warmth, sunshine, and the green of new grass.”-NorthAtlanticBooks.com
Coffee and Climate Change: Personal and Global Overstimulation
“The National Coffee Association says 83% of Americans drink coffee, and that we’re the world’s biggest consumer of the beverage. With new gadgets and gourmet brews it’s an estimated $30+ Billion industry. But is coffee actually good for our health? Are we drinking more coffee to keep up with the increasing pace of the American lifestyle?”
-Coffeytalk.com
Review
Here’s a review of The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis from a yoga magazine in Chicago.
The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis
“Here are three things we can do to promote personal health
and ecological well-being
1. Realize that “doing” is not always better than “not doing.”
There is a time to work and a time to rest; a time to be busy and a time to slow down. In our era of climate change, it’s essential to move towards a balanced life, which includes a balance of doing and not doing.2. Recognize that more is not better than less.
In addition to the ecological consequences of overconsumption, having more than we need doesn’t lead to internal balance and well-being. Just as the climate is warming rapidly, we’re often encouraged to want more. And just as the planet’s ability to maintain coolant is decreasing, many of us are losing the contentment that leads to having less.3. Appreciate that new is not better than old.
We’re often encouraged to believe that simply because something is new it’s better than something that’s old. But again, this is the same imbalance of Yang over Yin that’s leading to climate change.”- Greenlivingaz.com
The Yin and Yang of Cancer and Climate Change
“Almost all of what we hear about cancer comes from our usual western perspective. Things like how smoking can increase the likelihood of developing the condition and how eating vegetables can reduce the chances. However, if we look at cancer from a different view, we begin to see that what’s happening within us is also happening in the world around us.” – Ecowatch.com
The Belief in Continuous Growth
“As has been discussed by many authors, the ecological effects of an economy based on growth are far-reaching. Despite what advertisements and manufacturers might imply, the things that we buy do not simply materialize out of thin air. Things like shoes, cars, and phones come from somewhere and are made from actual things. And much of the manufacture of these things is unsustainable both in terms of what is being taken from nature as well as what is being returned in terms of waste. We are converting physical aspects of nature into commodities that we can buy and sell, often creating toxicity in the process.” -NorthAtlanticbooks.com
Internal Climate Change
“Almost all of what we hear about climate change comes from our usual western perspective. There are important discussions about the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon sequestration, eat local food, and question continuous economic growth. While these concerns are of real and urgent importance, they focus on the symptoms of the climate crisis rather than the deeper, root causes. If we were to look at climate change from a different vantage point, we could see that what is happening in the environment around us is also happening within us.” – NorthAtlanticBooks.com
Healing Climate Change Holistically
“Virtually everything we hear about climate change is from our usual, Western perspective. Most of the discussion about the crisis of global warming focuses on external issues: calls to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon sequestration, buy and eat locally, and challenge continuous economic growth. These remedies are undoubtedly important, but if we were to look at climate change from a different vantage point, we can see how what is happening in the environment around us is also happening within us. In particular, we can understand that the severity of climate change speaks to deeper and more wide-reaching philosophical and spiritual issues.” – NorthAtlanticBooks.com
“Embedded in the long history of Chinese medicine is the understanding of connection. Rather than looking through the lens of separation, Chinese medicine sees the world as a whole. This includes the recognition that what happens on a large scale can happen on a small scale, and vice versa. In our era of global warming, Chinese medicine’s understanding of yin and yang can help us treat the root causes of climate change.” – JadeMtWellness.com
“A fundamental tenet of Chinese medicine is interconnection – that as individuals we are both internally connected and connected to the natural world around us. Part of this holistic thinking includes the understanding that the larger picture is a reflection of the smaller picture, and vice versa. Chinese medicine seems historically very comfortable with the idea that the microcosm and macrocosm reflect the same conditions and tendencies, with the difference being only a matter of scale.” – JadeMtWellness.com
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