Healthy Thoughts

Isn't it delightful that when we do things that are good for the planet, we become healthier? I first noticed this when I gave up my car to start using a bicycle as my primary mode. I couldn't justify burning oil at thousands of times its natural replacement rate. It didn't hurt anything that I was saving huge amounts of money, meaning I needed to work fewer hours and I actually had more time, even riding seventy miles each week. Improved health was just an unexpected bonus.

Today I was thinking about the health benefits of a low energy diet. When we eat locally grown organic fruits and vegetables raw, we save huge amounts of energy that might otherwise be spent transporting, preparing, and cooking a less healthful diet. Like bicycling, it might take a little more planning, but it tastes so good and it turns out that people who eat a raw vegan diet of fresh organic food generally experience great health. Could it be that what's good for the planet is also good for us personally and vice versa?

It certainly seems true about attitude. Positive enthusiasm, respectful gratitude, and a good sense of humor seem to extend healthful life. They also make one easier to be around, which eventually equates to being good for the planet, I suppose. There are undoubtedly other corollaries I can't think of just now.

I shouldn't be surprised at this. After all, the ecosphere is the smallest individual life form and I am a component of that. It only makes sense that I'd be naturally inclined to work for the good of the planet.