Earth Day Reflections
Earth Day is a time to celebrate planet earth, our only home. However, the earth has endured much abuse this past year, suffering from two major environmental catastrophes, the BP oil spill and the crisis at Fukushima, the latter of which is still out of control despite attempts to downplay the severity of the situation in the mainstream media.
As a mother, I am deeply saddened by these events and I’m left wondering what kind of world we will be leaving to our children. It can be overwhelming when one begins to realize just how toxic our world has become, whether it’s environmental toxins, toxins in the food supply, toxic pharmaceuticals, genetically modified organisms, chemicals in body care products, electromagnetic radiation from all of our wireless gadgets, plastic-leaching water bottles, off-gassing foam, not to mention the more serious issues mentioned previously, the effects of which won’t be known for quite some time; it seems our culture is awash in a toxic soup of cancer-causing crap. I’d also like to include in this list lies and disinformation spread through the mainstream media. This is in itself quite toxic because it keeps people in the dark, and prevents true, life-saving information from reaching the people that need it most. In face of such opposition, it is easy to feel powerless. While some feel there’s nothing they can do, others are so fearful that the fear itself becomes toxic.
It is my prayer that out of all this disease and destruction, a new way of being will emerge. Like the crocuses in the early spring, reaching toward the sun, through the ice and snow, we see an awakening. Is it possible we are at the cusp of a new dawn? This possibility is the only thing that allows me to face the truth of our world’s dire straits, and look with hope into my daughter’s eyes. In the midst of all the chaos, we see a movement, at the grass-roots, towards sustainability. People are beginning to see the cause and effect of consuming the world’s resources while creating an enormous amount of waste, much in the name of greed. People around the globe are beginning to demand another way for life on earth, because many have come to the realization that without sustainability, we will surely perish – and that is unacceptable. How arrogant and selfish the human race has been to think we are beyond the laws of cause and effect! To think that we will not have to reap what we sow. Indeed it is time that we begin sowing the seeds of reason, which undoubtedly must include stopping the destruction that in the end, only leads to our own demise.
Where do we begin? We begin with small steps that we can take ourselves. To overcome any problem, we must start by admitting we have a problem. We are not doing the responsible thing for our children if we are too afraid to face the truth, turn the other way, or remain in denial. The next step would be to get informed. Seek out alternative sources of information. After all, knowledge is power, and it is time to take our power back! Vote with your dollars and support local businesses and farms. Buy organic food as much as possible and join a co-op or CSA (community supported agriculture) – the more you know about where your food is coming from, the better! If you can grow your own, there is nothing more rewarding. Seek out alternative forms of health-care. Much of mainstream medicine is really sick-care, not healthcare. In order to function optimally and create the change we want in the world, we need to restore our health! This is number one on the “create a new world” to-do list.
Part of creating optimal health is reconnecting with our mother earth. Give thanks on this Earth Day, and every day, for all the earth provides that we could not survive without. Take off your shoes, feel your feet touch the earth, and breathe; drawing energy up from the earth with your inhale and sending it back down, deep into the earth with your exhale. As we deepen our connection with the earth, our appreciation grows, and out of respect, we will begin to follow a more sustainable path. Our problems can not all be solved in an instant, but as our awareness grows, the new earth begins to emerge out of the rubble.
Envision a place where people understand they are a part of something much bigger than themselves, where they understand their actions affect the greater whole, where love is the greatest measure of success. Believe it is possible and live as if it were already so.