Birke Baehr: An 11-Year-Old’s Early Onset Wisdom

11th October 2011

By Jack Adam Weber

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

The Green movement and its strategies for eco-stewardship are turning more and more mainstream each day. The Wall Street Occupation and its sister events all over the world are an outgrowth of the Green Revolution and the greening of our hearts to rise up in passionate protection for dear life. And then there are the smaller voices that are also rising up, like the voice of 11 year-old Birke Baehr.

Beyond our personal fates, most of us hope that our children will inherit a viable and life-affirming planet. I, and other adults I know, wonder about how much to tell our children. Should they know the gruesome facts of political collusions with Big Oil, Pharma, Commercial Agriculture and food production? How real is the risk of instilling depression and futility in our new generation instead of inspiration by sharing this information? Do we underestimate our children’s capacity to “handle” the difficult facts?

If Birke Baehr is any measure of the sophistication of middle-aged children, then we are definitely underestimating our children. And we certainly may not have the control over their comprehension that we think we might have. While we are busy trying to protect our children from not only the perils of toxic modern life and our tainted food supply, here is a brave and smart young man taking it to the world on his own.

What does he make you feel?

After watching this video, it bolsters my sense that our children should know the realities of modern life. In a way, we owe it to them to share the facts, and of course, to educate ourselves about the covert corruptions of our day in order to share with them, especially when it comes to what we feed our children. And we owe it to ourselves too, perhaps for reasons we may not yet recognize.

Let’s be careful not to underestimate our children with the projection of our own fears and feelings of helplessness. I bet, given the chance, our ever-more-awake children and young adults have important input, if not better solutions altogether, than we adults do for a sustainable future, and more energy to make the shift! Birke Baehr certainly does.

To learn more about Birke Baehr, visit his Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/birkebaehr

***UPDATED – 15th  October  2011***

While writing the above article I took the path of first questioning whether we should educate our younger generation about the difficult facts of our food supply. By then end of the article I was cautioning all of us not to underestimate our children. I then stretched as far as to consider that perhaps our children can educate us in many ways that we may not realize.

What I did not realize at the time of writing the article is what followed in an email to me by Birke’s mother, Tricia. Baehr. The coincidence and humbling serendipity of what she said not only bolsters my own intuitive sense of children’s wisdom, but it proves its truth to us all. Here is her word-for-word email to me:

“What most people don’t know about Birke Baehr is he came to these conclusions about the food system on his own. He educated his mother and father and insisted that they shift from purchasing conventional foods to local, sustainable, organic food supporting small local farmers. He is an inspiration to his family and others. I should know…I’m his mom. The only thing his father and I did was give him the freedom to learn and the we had the sense to listen. Thank you for sharing his message!”

I forwarded this video of Birke’s talk to my sister and brother-in-law so that they could show it to my nieces, both of whom I feel will be change-makers for a new world. Would you show it to your children or any other children in your life? Why or why not?

The Nourish Practice

Jack Adam Weber’s “The Nourish Practice”  is an easy, guided meditation-Qi Gong practice in radical gratitude and self-love. It is an Earth-based, body-centered practice — at once physiological and mythological — that is deeply relaxing and replenishing, especially for modern-day burn-out syndrome, and requires little physical effort.

The Nourish Practice  “resets your nervous system” and fosters a rich inner life. You  can  purchase The Nourish Practice as a CD or Digital Download here.

Previous  articles by Jack Adam Weber:

• Relationships: The Costs of Staying When We Should Leave
• Sex, Love and Attachment
• Emotional Work
• Choosing a Partner – How to Avoid Relationship Suicide
• Re-Thinking Love: Why Our Hearts Must Also Be Minded
• Spirituality – Reality Check
• 11 Crucial Tips for Better Digestive Health
• Shadow Work: Becoming a Sustainable Light Worker (Part 1)
• Oneness in Action: The GMO Eradication Movement
• After the Hurricane: Lessons from the Heart of Nature
• Relationships: How They Can Make Us Happier
• Heartbreak – Loving Ourselves Through Difficult Times

About the author:

Jack Adam Weber, L.Ac. is a Chinese medicine physician, author, celebrated poet, organic farmer, and activist for body-centered spirituality. His books, artwork, and provocative poems can be found at his website PoeticHealing.com. He is also the creator of The Nourish Practice, an Earth-based rejuvenation meditation. Weber is available by phone for medical consultations and life-coaching.

You can connect with Jack Adam Weber on Facebook or by emailing [email protected].

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Wake Up World or its staff.