Awakened Society

The Planet doesn’t need saving we do.

I remember as a child somewhere around 6 years old, standing with a piece of trash in my hand. As I was about to throw it on the ground the thought came to me that it was not right and if everyone on earth did the same thing, we would have a very messy world. I realized that EVERY action has an effect no matter how small we may think it is. Yet all these small actions each seeming inconsequential, when accumulated will have an extreme impact on how we live and the beauty of our planet.

Now I see the very opposite happening around the world. Some of us believe there is no long-term impact to the most egregious actions that pollute our planet. Some think it is easier to just dump waste into drinking water, or dump used tires and trash in the ocean. This type of thinking causes entire species and life to be wiped out.

How did we arrive at the place where there is an acceptable level of extinction? Life is about balance and as polluters increase or are outed there will be a corresponding expression of angry energy towards them. Yet can we take a moment and realize that some of our actions also create the environment for pollution to exist? Our outcry usually takes the form of some type of action to save the planet. But let’s be clear, if we think we are separate from the planet and the planet needs saving we are misguided. The fight should not be to save the planet, because the planet existed long before we were here and will exist long after we are gone.

The fight is not to save the planet but to save humanity.

We must strive and use all our energy to save humanity. Humanity needs saving, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It is only through forgetting that we came from the earth, that it becomes acceptable to treat it the way we do, as something for us to exploit. For instance, why do we think that its okay to pollute our drinking water? What will happen when there is none left. Because make no mistake if we continue to feel there is an acceptable level of harm to our environment it then stands to reason that we believe there is an acceptable level of harm we can do to ourselves. We prove this daily by the harm we so easily inflict on others.

We are the planet. We are the environment. We are the cause and the solution. If we believe there is an acceptable level of harm to our environment, we are ignoring the intricate balance that has allowed us to exist and thrive as humans. Regardless of religious or personal beliefs, we are stewards of the planet. It is OUR responsibility to treat it with reverence and respect. The communities that do so (Aboriginal) realize our connectedness to the earth, our sacredness and live accordingly. We call these communities or tribes uncivilized. Search your hearts and honestly answer this question. Is it more civilized to dominate everything around us for personal gain, or to live in a way that allows what we use to be self sustaining so that there is enough for everyone?

Do not buy into the idea that it is okay for some to die and suffer so that a few can have much more than they need. This is the basis of war, famine and the injustices we see every day. How long can a society function and thrive when a very small percentage (in the single digits of our population) has more than all the rest combined? Is another jet worth the price of thousands and millions starving?

There is a video that shows a young man with dollar bills taped to his body and he has a sign saying take what you want. A young woman with a designer purse starts taking and taking and when he calls her on it referencing her purse, she responds that if its free she will take as much as she wants. He then encounters a homeless man who takes one bill. His response was that there are others who need it more than I do. We have bought into a narrative that the goal in life is to make money. If we accept this lie, there will continue to be an acceptable level of harm we will do to others and the environment for personal monetary gain.

This is not how life was meant to be. We have allowed this thinking to exist long enough to see its misguidedness, and the harm it inflicts. We have experienced life enough to know deep in out heart that this is not how we are meant to live. A friend just came back from Uganda. She is a minister who is helping those in need. She said she was standing on a hill watching the refugees coming into the country from Sudan, and ended up talking to a politician about the situation. He said that the refugees are given a piece of land, the materials to help build a home and a couple of goats, cows or what they need to start a new life. She also said that the community welcomes them and helps them build their home. These are people who have much less than we do, yet recognizes and practices the sacredness that exists in all life. Our way of thinking has allowed us to be successfully financially, usually by using and abusing others.

The United States of America became the richest country in the world because of slavery. Most of the government buildings including the White House were built by slaves. The wealth that was created was possible because of free slave labour. There was a time when there were white and black slaves and they got along with each other. Their owners saw that their combined power would be too much to allow them to continue to enslave them all, so they came up with the idea of separating the groups. They did so by giving the white slaves their freedom after a couple of years along with some land and money. The brilliance of this action created separation and increased racism. With their newfound opportunity the white slaves stated looking down on the black slaves who never had the opportunity to gain financially or otherwise from their forced labour.

There are a lot of great things the United States has done for our planet. There are also a lot of harm that they’ve done. No civilisation can thrive forever when it marginalizes part of its population. We must embrace native teachings where we help our neighbours in whatever way we can. There will come a time when we will be tested (usually because of climate/earthquakes/tornadoes etc.), and when that time comes if we do not help each other we will all suffer, and ultimate become extinct.

Does it make sense that some of us can watch another person suffer, knowing we can help them and refuse to do so? Does it make sense that there are people who gain financially through the suffering of others and when called on it display a callousness that defies what it should mean to be human? Does it make sense for us to knowingly kill ourselves and our future because others say that economic wealth is the only thing that matters?

Ultimately, we are each responsible for our part of the world, and our sense of humanity is shows in how we treat others and how we treat our environment. We have a choice, and its between life or death, not of the planet but of ourselves. Do we have the will to do what we know is right and reject the idea that there is an acceptable level of extinction? We are part of this planet, and everything that exists here came from the earth. Our bodies are an unbelievable mix of dirt, minerals and earth stuff finely tuned by an intelligence much greater and sophisticated then anything we can conceive or create. We must accept the truth of who we are and reject the idea that there is any acceptable level of harm and pain we may cause. If we do not, there will come a time soon where we will go past the point of no return and we will then say to ourselves, “If I only knew”.

We must stop lying to ourselves, because life will not care whether we knew or didn’t know. Our life experiences are the result of our actions period, so we must ask ourselves, “How am I living?” Am I part of the problem or part of the solution? Its our choice and our choices are an expression of our power, and we MUST use it wisely.