Indian Philosophy
Indian Philosophy offers Great Wisdom to modern people. It spotlights how we treat God's Creation, our Mother Earth, and how we treat each other. The common sense example of Native Americans is that they treated the environment in the greatest way possible, realizing that we live from this planet and that it is foolish not to take care of it, just as it is foolish not to take care of our own body. To American Indians every tree and stone was alive, and Earth was a living entity in need of respect and protection—never to be abused. To take care of this planet, to have generosity rather than greed, plus respect for our brothers and sisters on this planet, with a worshipful life-style, that is the soul and core of American Indian beliefs.
(an example of this)
I could see that the Wasichus (whites) did not care for each other the way our people did before the nation's hoop was broken. They would take everything from each other if they could, and so there were some who had more of everything than they could use, while crowds of people had nothing at all and maybe were starving. They had forgotten that the earth was their mother. This could not be better than the old ways of my people.
(from Black Elk Speaks, told through John G. Neihardt.)
((I happened to come across this during my research, which is kind of like the ten commandments of Indian philosophy... but twelve instead))
1. AMERICAN INDIANS RESPECTED THE CREATOR ABOVE, AND THE EARTH BELOW.
2. TREATED ANIMALS AS FELLOW CREATURES, NOT LOWLY THINGS.
3. PUT THE COMMUNITY FIRST PLACE, ABOVE SELFISH INDIVIDUALISM OR AMBITION.
4. THERE WAS A BALANCE OF POWER BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN.
5. CHILDREN WERE DEVELOPED THROUGH TEACHING AND PEER PRESSURE. THE AGED RESPECTED.
6. EVERYONE HAD A PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY. THE MENTALLY DISABLED AND HANDICAPPED WERE TREATED WELL, EVEN RESPECTED.
7. CRIMINALS WERE SEEN AS “SICK” PEOPLE, NOT ABHORED AS VILLIANS.
8. SELF-SACRIFICE, STOIC COURAGE, WERE HELD AS THE IDEAL IN MANHOOD.
9. YOUR WORD WAS YOUR BOND TO THE AMERICAN INDIAN. TO BREAK THAT MADE YOU BELOW CONTEMPT.
10. THE SPIRIT LIFE, THE GOOD HEART, LOVE OF NEIGHBOR AS YOUR BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, FATHER, GRANDPARENTS—WERE INDEED THE GOLDEN RULE EXAMPLE OF CHRISTIANITY, AND AT THE HEART OF AMERICAN INDIAN BELIEFS.
11. GENEROUSITY WAS THE GREAT AMERICAN INDIAN VIRTUE.
12. IT WAS AN ALMOST UNSPOKEN FACT THAT MOTHER EARTH WAS TO BE WELL-CARED FOR IN THE AMERICAN INDIAN MIND.
site created by Sean Watroba, enrichment project, option one
