Timefulness: How thinking like a geologist can help save the world with Marcia Bjornerud

In this episode of The Soul of Life I speak with Marcia Bjornerud to talk about her book Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World.  “For a society it’s not so good to be preoccupied with the now. In fact it’s the root of many of our problems…social, environmental, even spiritual, to be in the immediate, narcissistic moment and not understand our place in time.” Timefulness is, according to Bjornerud, "an acute consciousness of how the world is made by - indeed, made of - time." As a geologist, Bjornerud, has a breathtaking view of the world and our Anthropocene era - an ominous distinction that means we live in the age where humans are changing the planet’s finely balanced ecology and geology. Chronophobia is like a religion every human seems to practice but few are willing to acknowledge. It dissociates us from the awesome and powerful nature of earth and keeps us from remembering our insignificance. “More pervasive and corrosive are the nearly invisible forms of time denial that are built into the very infrastructure of our society. For example, in the logic of economics, in which labor productivity must always increase to justify higher wages, professions centered on tasks that simply take time - education, nursing, or art performance - constitute a problem because they cannot be made significantly more efficient.” Modern life keeps us captivated by the siren’s call of eternal growth (capitalism) or eternal life (religion) that makes being fully human, being appreciatively aware of our bit role, being time-full, into an enemy that must be conquered. Bjornerud sounds the alarm, saying how we must transcend our time-illiteracy. She doesn’t want us to miss a spiritual fork in the road that can lead to abiding sensitivity to the treasures of life, which deeply envelope us every moment of every day. “We should all carry two slips of paper in our pockets: one that says 'I am ashes and dust,' and one that reads 'The world was made for me.'" Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulOfLifeShow​ or Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoulofLifeShow​ Want to book Keith as a guest on your podcast? Contact him at [email protected]. ***7-Week Stress Reduction & Relationship Growth Course*** If you and your significant other are looking for ways to improve communication and strengthen your partnership, there is still time to enroll in my upcoming live 7-Week Mindfulness and IFS course, called Mindful Marriage. Partners of any kind are welcome. It's a one-of-a-kind offering that can truly transform how you show up in intimacy. For more information visit: https://community.souloflifeshow.com/