TO BE WOMANLY

Dr. Vandana Shiva, Eco-Feminist

KEY TOPICS: Eco-feminism, Monsanto, Dr. Vandana Shiva, karma

Listen to AUDIO RECORDING // Read STORIFY version

SUMMARY: In our era of neo-liberal capitalism, which has accelerated global income inequality and ecological degradation, Dr. Vandana Shiva offers this overarching solution: be more womanly. To many, this may sound merely philosophical, perhaps even fanciful; but it really is a practical solution, if one considers what it means. Mahatma Gandhi, himself, thought so and now in our new millennium Dr. Shiva exhorts us all to care for and share with our fellow human beings. 

Mahatma Gandhi wanted to be more womanly, Dr. Shiva tells the Toronto audience assembled in The George Stroumboulopoulos Show's CBC studio. He wanted to inhabit the virtues of caring and sharing as he recognized their value in not just enriching but sustaining life. Gandhi was certainly prescient for at no other time has our species' survival rested on us caring more about and sharing more with others. Dr. Shiva, herself, is womanly and not because she dresses in elegant silk saris and maroon bindis that fill the gap between her brows. (Though her external appearance does, in my opinion, buttress her feminist views.) Trained in quantum physics, that opaque field of science, Dr. Shiva chooses instead to apply her specialized knowledge to the science of farming and food. In protest of the corporate hijacking of both farming practices and our global food supply, she is devoting her days to creating an alternative reality that is indeed more womanly: an earth shared by all, not one controlled and manipulated by a few.

Durga Mata, Hindu Goddess

"We are diverse; we have pluralistic ways of thinking," Dr. Shiva tells the audience, alluding to Durga Mata of the Hindu pantheon. So any attempt to turn industries and practices, like agriculture and farming, into a single, monolithic entity that disproportionately serves the owners is not just unwise, it is morally wrong. Stated differently, these attempts are antithetical to being womanly. As the evidence has borne out, life within this kind of reality is unbearable for the masses and, in many ways, our planet. Whole farming communities and swathes of land will continue to be damaged because of unwise farming practices devised and controlled by big business. This kind of future is unsustainable. 

Monsanto and other large agro-companies that work to own - literally, own - nature have been condemned by many for their lack of caring. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Shiva's dissenting voice is one of the loudest. If nature, in general, and seeds, in particular, provide humanity with basic sustenance, how else can the commodification of 'life' by these capitalist behemoths be regarded? We have a right to be angry. Dr. Shiva's own anger does not consume her, it propels her into ever more creative action against those she has dubbed "Life Lords" of the planet. With this, her host is decidedly impressed, as is the audience no doubt. Dr. Shiva is a doer; and when we listen to problems that seem insurmountable, we like to listen to those that "do". Depending on our own position, Dr. Shiva can make us feel energized, optimistic, even - forgive the cliche - empowered to act.

"[W]e are very good as humans at figuring out how we can exploit something, this is what we do with everything," Dr. Shiva's host claims as he leans forward in his red leather chair to receive her reply. She agrees. But how she sees it such behaviours stem from an inhumane masculinist mode of thought which, sadly, is so prevalent. However, to be inhumane is not innate, she is quick to add. We can act differently. Dr. Shiva's spontaneous hug shows her young host that being caring is not something we need to figure out, it is already within us. 

Imagine if hugs could re-humanize the Monsanto executives who lead the charge today. Fanciful, yes, to think that in the hard-nosed business world hugs alone could disrupt an established operation. The corporation is too caught up with itself and has ensnared too many equally self-interested entities (let alone individuals) to care like a human. The problem is not just big, it is enormous.

(Source: www.alt-market.com)

The "Life Lord," himself, is enormous; however, history - as recent as the last decade - has shown us that nothing is "too big to fail". The indomitable Dr. Shiva might express the same point this way: no one corporation is too big to battle. 

Gandhi believed, as I suspect Dr. Shiva does also, in the Hindu concept of karma. This is the belief that our actions, good or bad, have consequences that shape our reincarnated lives. We bring our selves to every realm, where, however subtly, we enact our values, attitudes and beliefs. Gandhi brought himself to the legal and political realms while Dr. Shiva brings herself to the realms of science and activism. Self-knowledge tends to elevate one's character and by extension one's work. 

Business and spirituality are not entirely separate, certainly if you are spiritual, but also if you consider that people do business, not the other way around. If a critical mass choose to be more womanly, then our cities and towns will become truly interdependent, and this will herald a massive shift in consciousness. 

We share this realm called planet Earth. Dr. Shiva hopes this indisputable fact will guide our present actions, which carry great consequence.


(NOTE: 'Storify' version link above.)