Reflection
The crossroads have split between our relatively short-lived modern consumer-based society and the planet that birthed our species and sustains every aspect of our existence. The choice is non-negotiable. We can die or we can change our ways. We must seek new meaning and purpose in living in balance with the Earth. It is a choice between the greed-based addictions that are killing us and the possibility of a world at peace, rooted in respect, community, and sustainability. Earth invites us to return to the round table of all the species, to take off the armor of domination, exploitation, and oppression. Beneath it all, she tells us, you are still beautiful, still worthy, still part of this magnificent and fragile planet circling the sun. Humanity is being called home to reconnect with our fellow species; to know the other inhabitants of this world; to align our way of being with the natural systems. This vision of hope and restoration, healing and transformation is real. This world is coming as swiftly as the old world is dying. The question is: which one will you call home?
Dandelion Dreams by Rivera Sun
Prayer
Teach me your ways, O Lord;
make them known to me.
Teach me to live according to your truth,
for you are my God, who saves me.
Psalm 25:4-5
Action
How seriously do you take the crisis of climate change? Do you support government policies to limit fossil fuels? Are you willing to make some life style changes? What concrete actions can you take in your life to work toward healing, restoration and transformation?
Suggested Reading
You shall not pollute the land in which you live…. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell.
Numbers 35:33-34
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:3
Concern for others and the natural environment attunes us to the moral imperative of assessing the impact of our every action and personal decision on the world around us. If we can overcome individualism, we will truly be able to develop a different lifestyle and bring about significant changes in society. An awareness of the gravity of today’s cultural and ecological crisis must be translated into new habits.
Pope Francis
A spiritual voice is urgently needed to underline the fact that global warming is already causing human anguish and mortality in our nation and abroad, and much more will occur in the future without rapid action.
Bill McKibbon
I want you to feel as it the house is on fire, because it is.
Greta Thunberg
Most older people do not feel the urgency young people do about global warming.
Axelle Kiambi, 17
Wind and other clean, renewable energy will help end our reliance on fossil fuels and combat the severe threat that climate change poses to humans and wildlife alike.
Frances Beinecke
In the history of the world, all five mass extinctions have been accompanied by massive climate change, so we are facing an incredibly serious threat. In fact, we are technically in the sixth mass extinction right now, and it is the first mass extinction being attributed to humans.
Cameron Russell
For millions of Americans, climate change is no longer just a chart or a graph. It’s the smoke on our tongues from massive wildfires. It’s the floodwater invading our homes and record-breaking hurricanes and heat waves.
Jay Inslee
This is not a partisan debate; it is a human one. Clean air and water, and a livable climate are inalienable human rights. And solving this crisis is not a question of politics. It is our moral obligation.
Leonardo DiCaprio
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Jane Goodall
We cannot burn our way to the future. We cannot pretend the danger does not exist — or dismiss it because it affects someone else.
Ban Ki-moon