Do No Harm
“Do No Harm” is a powerful idea… in theory. But is it a realistic approach to everyday living?
When the challenges we face feel so big, do we really need to ask more of our already overloaded hearts and minds? Can we actually add one more thing to the list of things we’re trying to do better?
What if we simplified it a bit… What if “doing no harm” was easier than we thought, or what if we could recognize it in the things we already do? And, most importantly, what if practices of nonviolence could make us feel less burdened and more inspired?
TRY THIS!
Instead of change your behavior, try changing the way you look at your behavior. For one day, try shifting the lens you use as you approach an everyday situation, big or small, and see what it feels like to include this perspective.
Take a look at the things you do. Maybe you carry a reusable water bottle, wash and reuse ziplock bags, or bring your own bags to the store? Maybe you participate in your local composting program, take shorter showers or turn off the lights when you leave a room? Odds are, you’re probably already doing something that reduces harm to the planet.
And the small changes that you’ve made part of your routine do add up. Carrying your own water bottle, reusing ziplocks and remembering to bring a tote when buying groceries are all ways to keep plastics out of the ocean and out of the bellies of the whales. Routing your food scraps and garden waste back to the soil instead of the garbage reduces the climate-warming methane gases that emit from biomatter sitting in landfill. Using less water and electricity reduces the strain on the natural environment and all the life it supports.
Take a moment to acknowledge that the things you do are on a continuum of harm reduction.
And consider where else in your life “doing no harm” might be possible — especially in those situations which we don’t typically consider as places to practice nonviolence.
For example, have you ever had the experience of sharing your thoughts with a great listener? What a relief it is to just be heard (and maybe even understood), rather than being interrupted, judged or dismissed. Listening well, offering someone the refuge of your loving attention, is a way to do no harm.
And here’s a personal anecdote that illustrates a less typical way to practice nonviolence as well. One day, as I was walking along a craggy section of rocky beach, I noticed I was tensing up as I avoided sharp edges and scary barnacles. I was reacting this way to a “dangerous” situation because I didn’t want to be harmed. But in a flash of clarity I wondered: what if I could walk in a way that wouldn’t harm the cliff side or its dwellers? After all, I was the one invading their peaceable coexistence.
As I continued to step, I found myself walking differently. Without the fear of being hurt driving my system, my shoulders relaxed down my back, and I slowly and gracefully meandered through their space. With their safety and sheer right to exist on par with my own, we shared the experience, and no one got hurt.
The more we awaken to our shared existence on and with the planet, the more doing no harm starts to feel like how we want to orient our lives, rather than some additional task we need to do. Nonviolence isn’t an extra burden or duty we layer on top of our existing routine; it’s a way of being that works for everyone and everything involved.
This mutualistic mindset steers the decisions we make at Continuum, and we believe that if more of us approach life this way, more of the time, then our water will flow plentifully and our crops will flourish. Our relationships will feel more satisfying, and we’ll appreciate the abundance that surrounds us. From my lived experience, I find it increasingly undeniable that we all benefit when we act in ways that benefit the whole.