Welcome to Earth Day. Well truly I meant to write this yesterday, but you know how time is all ripply and wobbly it never sits still. Thank goodness for photographs am I right? So we'll pretend that I got this post out on Earth Day okay, just work with me on this folks.
Seen from space everything looks so peaceful and majestic. You can't see the bird droppings on the driveway, you can't even see the driveway. From a distance all is right with the world. The clouds move, the oceans churn, and the green grows. It's only when you get down in it that things get messy. Humanity is like that too, from a distance you see the cities, the airplanes, the space station and satellites, and if you're another species out in the cosmos you might think, "My what a marvelous civilization, look at all the art and culture." It seems that way until you get in closer.
Earth is our home, our planet provides for us free of charge the elements necessary for life. We are part of Her (yes Her). The elements in our very bodies all come from this planet of ours. We are made up of the Earth. We are little walking talking Earth bodies. Yet there seems to be a large powerful faction that seems to promote strategies that would destroy this large body of which we are made. This would be akin to you or me deciding to cut out several of our vital organs to sell on the black market, completely oblivious to the fact that when we do we shall perish. They say that we own the Earth, which would be like one of our fingers or toes proclaiming themselves lord and master of our entire body while refusing to feed that body or keep it clean. This boys and girls is why we have an Earth Day.
Currently we have two of the self proclaimed "masters" rattling their sabers at one another threatening to start a war without limits. (Nuclear war for the laymen among us). Again to use the body metaphor this would be like your left hand throwing a grenade at the right hand. Right now in the zoomed in view of our species we do not look like sophisticated cultured beings, we appear as monkeys throwing excrement at each other. While we beat and torment those that wish only to protect our water so it is safe for all, we allow companies to take ownership of lands and reservoirs who care only about shareholder profits. While we pass laws that make it more difficult to cut back the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean and thus our seafood, we eviscerate funding for renewable energy research and start ups. We have politicized caring for our world, and because of that we all suffer.
I have been watching for most of my life the wholesale destruction of all that is beautiful and life sustaining. It has been a great weight on my heart since I was 11 years old. I am the reason my family recycles (who now would not even think to throw away something before checking to see if it is recyclable). I care for Earth like I would for a family member. I get angry when I see Her abused, as I would if I saw a loved one being beaten by a spouse. To me the Earth is not just home, She is a person, a Mother of Mothers, She is our Ancestor from whom we descend. When you view Her as such it becomes personal. You wouldn't let someone beat your Grandmother so why would you let them do that to the Earth who is Mother to all? So when people ask me to be calm and realize that politics have to play out, I am less than patient. I tend to resonate more with the words of House Baratheon (sorry Game of Thrones reference), "Ours is the fury!"
Anger is not a bad thing. Anger is a sign that something is wrong. Now that can mean it is our perception or thinking which is wrong, but in this case where we have mountains of data and rigorous research I'm confident this is not a perception error. We are killing our Mother. We are killing ourselves and all our distant relations of plants and animals with us. Yes even I am guilty. I use too much water. I don't eat as locally and responsibly as I should. I try and do better, but working within the system we have it is nearly impossible to not do harm. Which says to me we need a new system.
So why am I telling you this? Well if we need a new system, we need people to dream that new system into being. So my intrepid dreamers what matters to you? Do you like to get out in the water to fish or boat. Dream a system that protects and honors our waters. Do you like to hike through the woods? Dream up a system of land management that fosters our forests, and keeps them vital. Do you like a city life, but hate the traffic, noise and fumes? Dream up a city of the future with green energy, bustling transit hubs, and urban farming knit within the fabric of civilization. The older generations are passing onto us an out of date system that won't serve us. It is up to us and our descendants to dream a better one into being. We start there in the dream, then we bring those hopes and wishes into our plans and actions. This is Earth Day and we are little Earthlings. It is time to make Momma proud.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
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