Oren Lyons on Profit and Loss

Onondaga Chief Oren Lyons reflects on the costs of capitalism, greed and the win-lose business model that has led us to the brink of ecological — and spiritual — collapse. In outtakes from our amazing interview from Standing on Sacred Ground, Oren reflects on the importance of cooperation, the commons and looking ahead seven generations.

[xhuntarianx]

One of the wisest men I've ever seen. Here is a man people should really be listening to. What's he's saying is an extremely relevant and important message to mankind.

[jamiboothe]

I saw his interview with Bill Moyers 25~28 years ago and knew we had some one who does speak for the Earth. Carl Sagan asked that question, "Who speaks for Earth?". We have many more who speak for the Earth, as well. I suspect that Oren Lyons would simply say, the Earth speaks for the Earth and it is us who need to listen.

[jimovergaard]

Sadly, I too was once self absorbed as those who have knowledge but no wisdom. Knowledge without wisdom is death.

[michellebeckstrom]

Since I, increasingly, feel disconnected from most in humanity that follow a shallow life I think someone like him, or John Trudell or Russell Means could have been my soulmate but sadly, race and age were the biggest obstacles.

[nialloneill]

All that is without begins within! And we are fundamentally spiritual beings within, and so we must follow spiritual laws, for all around us is governed by these laws too. Interrelated are the laws of homogeneity (likes attract like), of sowing and reaping (which calls upon the need to balance our activities and the attraction of likes), and of gravity (so we reap what we sow and become lighter if we do good, and are weighed down if we go wrong). Inwardly, we have an intuitive sense that is linked to our spirits, and which thereby is connected to the spritual planes from whence we come, and all the virtues that emanate out of Truth itself, which stands justly in God's Love. Love and Justice then are as one.


And when we let the spirit sleep, the earthly brain, and the physical instincts that it is linked to, take over, and if a man is not strong inwardly he succumbs to these instincts that include the craving for power, sex, money, land and other dopamine fixes that pervade the earth these days. And he quickly loses the sense of balance and reason, and the connection to lighter spheres and truth itself is severed. Then, driven by the fear of scarcity, you finish up all in a heap, scrapping and competing to meet insatiable desires, that never lead to genuine contentment, for only the sowing of good can lead to that, but instead the superficial sense of triumphant conquest and need for outward security and protection pervades amongst such people, but never peace and happiness, nor fulfillment.


And this is the explanation for the genocide of many peoples, including the native indians, for making the earth a sty, rather than a Temple of God, for the pursuit of constantly increasing financial indexes and profits, despite the fact that there is only a finite amount of resources to go around. Thus, as the Chief said, men compete rather than co-operate, and destroy rather than build-up, and pursue temporal, unstable fixes, rather than a genuine, stable life that is based upon the natural laws. And then nature has to suffer, but Mother Earth will soon rebel against these extravagent excrescences, and put man firmly in his place. The only question for men then will be the one that calls out from higher planes in Creation even now, 'man, how do you stand' for now it is 'to be, or not to be'.