It would be nice if the planet - like so many other things in modern day life - came with a guarantee. "If, for any reason, this planet fails to yield the resources required for, or the environment conducive to, the continuation of the species commonly referred to as homo sapiens, God agrees to replace this planet at no cost to the inhabitants at any time within one eternity at no cost to the inhabitants themselves."
Life don't work that way. Our planet didn't come with any guarantee, and - more important in these times - it didn't come with an insurance policy. For too many of us, the fate of the earth isn't something we want to think about; doing so only makes us nervous. Who can understand all the changes taking place, and who can acknowledge those changes without being overcome by a sense of fear for what tomorrow will bring?
The state of the ecology is nothing new; it's been decades since we first began to recognize - and worry a little bit about - atmospheric pollution, water pollution, pesticides, wastes, overpopulation and erosion. Here in America, we were busy with other things - primarily Reagan's priorities - during the late 1970s and early 1980s. But in other parts of the world - where the trickle down effect wasn't diverting the national attention - global ecology took on a whole new importance. As country after country began to feel the direct effects of choices we, as a species, had made earlier in the mane of progress, a growing sense of alarm at the state - and future - of the planet became the standard. By the late 1980s, our time had come. We experienced a record setting drought, record flooding, and the hurricane of the century on the eastern seaboard.
The trend has continued, and - according to most sources - will continue to intensify at least until the end of this century. Many of the effects - particularly those that concern pollution of the air and water - will last for hundreds of years. Our great - great - great - great- great -great grandchildren will still be experiencing the repercussions of ecological choices made by the last five generations. Some of these issues are being addressed on a local level, but the concern today is for those problems that are global, and potentially irreversible.
Among the problems that fall into this category is the buildup of greenhouse gases, the thinning of the ozone layer above the South Pole (which we just became aware of in 1985), the destruction of the rain forests, and the accelerating extinction of other species on the planet. All of these processes are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to stop. Positive change is no simple issue. Both political and socio-economic factors are at play, and because the impact of future choices is so long-lasting and so ominous in nature, those choices carry a great momentum on a worldwide basis.
We are only now beginning to realize the tremendous impact of our past choices, and the realization that in many cases we have done irreparable damage due to our own lack of understanding of the workings of the planet, we hesitate to make future choices, for fear that we will make the same mistakes again and end up doing more harm than good. Even those who are not ecology minded are being forced to look at planetary issues from their own level. What good does a summer home do you if the water is polluted and you can't burn wood in the fireplace? As Henry David Thoreau so aptly put it: "What good is a house if you don't have a decent planet to put it on?"
We are all living on the brink of fear, but we're not sure what it is we're afraid of. We know the planet is changing, but we don't understand the technicalities of how those changes came about or what those changes will ultimately be. More important, we don't understand how those changes will affect our lives, and the lives of our children, and the lives of their children.
We each wonder, each time we hear about another planetary plaque, another poisoned sea, tainted air, radioactive soil, oil spills, and the Ozone layer, whether this ecological straw will be the one that will break the planet's ecological back. Positive change away from self-destruction and toward a lifestyle that is more in harmony with the planet and the other life forms on it is a global issue, but the responsibility for activating that change falls to every individual living on the planet today.
The price we will pay for sitting back and hoping that someone else takes care of the problem for us will be living in the midst of the ecological chaos we have created. And - life don't work that way.
Lois Grant-Holland is a Life Path Focus Counselor offering Life Path Focus Sessions, Karmic Astrology Charts, Channeled Guidance, Intuitive Readings and Classes and Workshops to spiritual seekers on all positive paths, and is the site facilitator at The A.N.S.W.E.R. - (The Seeker's Resource Guide to Alternative, New Thought, Spiritual Growth, Wellness and Enlightenment Resources.) You can visit her website at http://www.loisgrantholland.com
best cleaning company Highland Park ..In part one, I described an existence that is absolute,... Read More
Attachment... Bondage... Moha... state as we may but the meaning... Read More
Irish myth has the power to transform your life into... Read More
As you will see I the Scripture verse I will... Read More
Spirit - All Around Us, All of Us, Every One... Read More
"A common jar of clay can never become a noble... Read More
You're looking at one star in the middle of a... Read More
One of the first issues people on the spiritual path... Read More
One does not have to live long to realize that... Read More
I finally went to the dentist today. I had been... Read More
There are many contradictions in life and none more easily... Read More
I thought I would draw this article up as a... Read More
It is so obvious that God works and thinks on... Read More
The first gospel written by Matthew,who is Levi, is the... Read More
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the... Read More
Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as... Read More
When I was 10 years old my father decided to... Read More
The question isn't, "Is there life after death."Rather, the question... Read More
In the movie "Forest Gump" we see Forest succeed in... Read More
Action dakini gets everything done. When wanting and grasping hold... Read More
"Self-Actualization" is the process of making our self "actual." Our... Read More
I know eyebrows are probably raising about now, but let... Read More
The bible tells a story about four men who sat... Read More
Several years ago after I presented a workshop entitled "Spirituality... Read More
There are moments in the believer's life when the Spirit... Read More
high-end home cleaning Winnetka ..It happens to us all from time to time, especially... Read More
Your creative gift has power.God was the first and still... Read More
In Corrogue, Celtic mythology helps me live a wonderful life.As... Read More
Why Abandon Religion?It is so commonly believed today that religion... Read More
Lectio divina is a very useful and practical discipline for... Read More
Religion is "absolute truth of life" of the physical manifested... Read More
In looking back at my process over the years I... Read More
Our church is infested with lobby lizards. They crawl around... Read More
There is power in meanings of the old images and... Read More
Unconditional love means unconditional freedom. Love and freedom are two... Read More
On Shamans and Shamanism ... Shaman, a Tungus (Siberian) word,... Read More
WHAT IS E.V.P.?EVP stands for electronic voice phenomena, some believe... Read More
An exam is a test that is given at the... Read More
Adam had it right when he covered himself with fig... Read More
The Question Really picture this in your mind.... Someone tells... Read More
I beheld the sky and its wonders and saw AstonishmentI... Read More
I am often asked to explain what I mean by... Read More
An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every... Read More
As Christian's we are often very independent. We try to... Read More
Being a Christian does not exempt us from having to... Read More
Is life challenging you to take a bigger leap? Are... Read More
When we find spirituality, or it finds us, the experience... Read More
When the storms in your life are raging, just believe,... Read More
The deeper beauty of spring is its process. In winter's... Read More
2 Corinthians 6:17-6:17For God so loved the world, that He... Read More
Spirituality |