 "Everyone needs a home," grunts a turtle swimming in Gaillard Lake in the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary, photographed July 27, 2010.  “The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, speaks to me. And my heart soars.” - Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Photograph of Gaillard Lake in the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary, photographed July 27, 2010.
|
Across the centuries, “Treat others as you would like to be treated” has been a guiding principle espoused by Buddhists, Christians, Confucianists, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, philosophers, Sikhs, Taoists, … and many others.
A sometimes tempting alternative is “Do unto others before they do unto you.” That is, “Waste your enemies before they waste you.” We also waste our enemies to “get even,” “an eye for an eye.” Whenever we waste an enemy, we get 10 more new enemies, and the cycle of wasting one another escalates. After so many eyes have been plucked out, do we even realize how blind we are? Wasting the Earth, sadly, is commonplace too. How much of the beauty of the Earth has disappeared over the last several hundred years? To regain our sight, we need to be cleansed with a fresh and profound appreciation for the needs, gifts, and beauty of each person. Likewise we need to profoundly appreciate the Earth and all its creatures, their needs, gifts, and beauty; and as much as we are able we need to treat them as we would treat our own selves, our own family, and our own home. For we are part of the Earth, the creatures of the Earth are our brothers and sisters, and the Earth is the only home that we and our children have. To thrive as human beings now and into the future, the whole Earth must thrive, and with all our strength we must see that no part of the Earth is wasted so that all creatures will have a lasting, nurturing, and beautiful home. |
Umpteen Horizons
For peace, justice, and everyone's prosperity
The article was so beautifully written, Leo. You’re very right, we as a whole must learn once again to appreciate the Earth that we were given and all of it’s inhabitants. I don’t believe that it’s a matter of humanity not caring (though it often feels like that to me) but is more a matter of humanity taking things for granted. Just as a wife may take her husband for granted (or vise versa) and cause the demise of their marriage, humanity is taking the resources of our planet for granted and may ultimately cause it to perish as a result.
It’s not too late to turn things around but we all must become fully awakened to all that is happening and each of us do our personal part to improve things. It’s far too easy to shrug things off and wait for the other person to do something but this HAS to become a matter of personal responsibility for each and every one of us.
It all starts with the man in the mirror.
Report comment