By Sylvia Oliva
I care deeply about the Earth! Climate change is destroying the life of our Mother from whose womb all life began. Earth who feeds and sustains us, teaches us her secrets of science and how to live together appreciating her wonderful diversity of landscape, seas, and skies; her living creatures that swim, fly, crawl, hop, walk – including us humans.
Four billion years ago life on Earth began and has been evolving ever since. It has survived through the Ice Ages and several other Ages which were caused by natural cosmic events. However we are now propelled recklessly into catastrophic changes primarily caused by human activities. If we fail to recognize this and take action, not only will the abundance of food for animal life be destroyed by pesticides or toxins from fracking, but we’ll be ravaged by droughts, floods, wildfires, and hurricanes, and we’ll witness the relentless extinction of animals who cannot survive in such a devastated environment . . . until it finally touches us personally. May we not become extinct also! We’re already suffering from diseases related to climate change.
Who are we? Why are we doing this? I don’t know.
All I know is that we are from the Earth: our bodies, minds, personalities, etc., and all we “possess” in our brief moment of life comes from her. On this planet we call home we have discovered how to make skyscrapers and bridges, nuclear submarines and super colliders, to walk on the moon, cure diseases, etc. Besides these things, our Earth gifts us with all kinds of beauty in music, dance, art, and in communicating with such an amazing diversity of living things. Our web of life is so intricate and interdependent! And we’re learning how unimaginably enormous is our cosmos—the whole thing, and even how there are ecosystems throughout, all working—or playing together!
Where does it come from? What is it made of?
What I believe is: everything that exists is “a manifestation of its Creator.” A breathtaking, mind-blowing thought! There’s also this universal thing called Love. Some say they’re one and the same. Maybe if we would fall in love with Creation/Creator, we’d find a way to protect/save Earth from climate change and all the other things that threaten her. Let us take care of her, and she will take care of us!