Reflection
The most pressing moral and spiritual question of the age is – what is our relationship with Earth and how do we set it right again? What is it that needs to be done? If what we have learned from culture and its economic and political world view is a hierarchical world view that elevates the human species above all others, that markets the insatiable use of natural resources for the sake of a more convenient, easy, comfortable lifestyle, then we shall have to unlearn the arrogance of human preeminence, call for the cherishing of earthly gifts to be shared by all, and choose to value life- all life – over shortsighted “progress”. What will it take to turn the tide of human folly? We shall have to move along through lament to action, to let go of egoism and embrace imagination, to surrender attachments and unleash collaborative, interdependent energy.
From Friends of Silence
Prayer
May I have eyes that see and ears that hear.
Action
What can you do toward choosing the value of life and sharing earthy gifts with all?
What would you have to be willing to change in a “comfortable and convenient lifestyle”? How can you do your part?
Suggested Reading
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.
Matthew 13:15
Creation is not some possession that we can lord over for our own pleasure; nor, even less, is it the property of only some people, the few: creation is a gift, it is the marvelous gift that God has given us, so that we will take care of it and harness it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.
Pope Francis
Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.
John Paul II
It is our collective and individual responsibility … to preserve and tend to the world in which we all live.
Dalai Lama
What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.
Mahatma Gandhi
If grief can be a journey to love, then let us all weep for the world we are breaking apart so we can love it back to wholeness again.
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.
Earl Nightingale
The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.
Gaylord Nelson
If you are fearful of the destruction of the environment, then learn to quit being an environmental parasite.
Wendell Berry
We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet.
Stephen Hawking