We are grateful to have one day to acknowledge the value of the Earth. Wendell Berry said, “Earth is what we all have in common.” Pope Francis said we all have a shared responsibility for protecting the Earth, our common home, and he urged us to care for the environment. It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?
If we poison our water, choke our air with carbon dioxide, kill off the diversity of beings, and in general make our living environment weak and unhealthy, we won’t have a decent home for our children and our children’s children.
Certainly greed and various crimes create huge obstacles to a healthy planet, but old habits may be the most powerful force against saving the planet. How can we correct habits? It has to start with a heart-felt feeling and vision of the right habits for the planet, followed by commitments to do the right thing, again and again. A good habit also has forward momentum.
We refer to Earth as Mother Earth. That is good thinking, because it is true that all of us beings are born from the substance of this Earth. And it is Earth that nourishes us, and supports us. In the spirit of symbiosis, Earth’s own brilliant system of mutual cooperation, let us honor this fundamental feminine energy of care and nourishment to support the well-being of our Mother Earth.
by Mikl Brawner