Metrospiritual

Apparently I am a metrospiritual. For those not in the mood to click that link, let me explain what it says, and why this very much bothers me.

Do you go out of your way to buy organic food? Have you thought about the wu wei in your home? Have you tried yoga, belly-dancing, or surfing recently? Are you attracted to traditional crafts from other cultures or have you started knitting? Do you own a Prius or have you thought about buying a hybrid car? Are you a tea connoisseur or an organic wine- and beer-drinker? Is there a certain aromatherapy scent that brings you comfort, especially in candle form?

Well, I buy organic food often, I do yoga and really want to try belly-dancing and surfing, I crochet (and like to think of myself as a crafty sort of person), I plan on owning a hybrid car as soon as I can afford one, I am definitely a tea connoisseur (totally obsessed), and I have far to many candles for my own good.

You can ask the pink shoe, who has known me longer than I've known me. That's basically who I have been forever. Most of the people I know who are also what would be qualified as metrospirituals have also been this way for ages. I guess it just makes me sad that this article (and a few others that I have found) make it seem like it is impossible for someone to be motivated by wanting the world to be a better place, not by what the latest trends are. I’m really pleased that it is apparently popular nowadays to care if your clothes were made in a sweatshop, or to notice news that comes from over 100 miles away (news that comes from across the ocean!), or for people to worry about the environment and try to fix it.

Maybe I’m just naïve. Maybe most people are “metrospirituals” because it is the cool thing to do … but I’d like to think that most people who act this way don’t do it because it is cool, or because it gets them the babes/boys/friends/whatever. I, personally, would much rather not think that way, though. I’d like to think that more Americans are finally opening their eyes and seeing a world beyond our borders and realizing that whether we like it or not, we are a part of this global life.

Ok, yeah – so I am just naïve. I’m ok with that ... I'll just continue to hope I am right.