Plants and Healers

A group of nearly two dozen people had gathered in the shade on the lawn to learn more about Cook’s life of “thriving, not just surviving.”

Growing up on military bases, Cook described a childhood where “everything was taken care of much like a socialist society.” After graduating with honors from Duke University at Durham, N.C., he felt that a traditional career would be “giving his life away,” so he set out in a refurbished bus to “see the great world.”

After living on the road for two years he had an epiphany. “I didn’t want to just survive, I want to thrive,” he recalled thinking. Since then he has lived a “life of donation” and as a teacher.

As he travels and speaks he encounters many people who have no money. Noting that he, himself, does not carry money, he observed that many people also have no energy. “Nothing to offer the world,” he added.

Cook’s teaching goals center on changing people’s idea of money and to emphasize each person’s contribution to the world. He encourages folks to look at things in a different way

“The true state of the world is abundance … so much is already in place. The air, water and the earth,” he said. “The ‘great spirit’ however you describe it, provides enough for us and is willing to provide an abundance.”

Problems arrive with the desire for money that tricks us into thinking about shortage.

He pointed to the plum tree. “In a third-world country when the fruit becomes ripe people will be in the tree picking the fruit to eat,” he observed, “but in the first-world countries, fruit trees are often seen with fruit rotting on the ground.

“People put more value on their time working to make money to buy food at the store rather than taking advantage of the abundance that is all around them,” he concluded.

Cook noted the irony that things that are more abundant have less value than those that are rare. As an example, he stated, “Air is everywhere and abundant and is therefore seen as not having value while it is essential to our life. Money on the other hand is just paper, but has value because of its scarcity.”

“Don’t associate money with value of life,” Cook cautioned, recounting a story of someone who traveled to Brazil. The person woke one morning to find money falling from the sky and the streets lined with bills of various denomination. As this person was scooping up the money, it was pointed out that because of hyperinflation the country was experiencing, the bills had no value.

Money does have value as a short-term instrument Cook conceded, but one must look to see what is one’s true value to the world. When seeking that value in life, he cautioned, “Do not to be too specialized. Find exciting channels to explore them, but keep learning a variety of useful skills.

“As people come together to share their skills and ideas we won’t know scarcity because there is so much abundance in the land around us,” Cook stated. He then noted that nearly half of all food produced in the United States is thrown away.

According to Cook, Wal-Mart is now the nation’s largest producer of organic food, but that local groups don’t need to compete with it to realize abundant communities. He contrasted the life of 24-hour convenience stores and 500-channel TVs to meeting with the community to discuss the natural cycles of the land.

Cook observed that, “We need to scrutinize our needs and wants on a regular basis. Everything shifts with the seasons.” He continued that modern-day life is based on linear time whereas Nature follows a more cyclical course.

Encouraging folks to minimize actual needs, Cook admitted, “I am not there.” It is a continuing process. And while he feels content in the moment, he is looking to pool his resources for the future. He also stressed that organizations also can benefit from this simple-life philosophy.

For more information about Cook visit www.plantsandhealers.com