Renewal: Renewal of the Earth

If we think that we can somehow renew the Earth, we are deluding ourselves.  We look at the damage we have done to the Earth and think that we can renew her by cleaning up garbage dumps and rivers, by recycling, and lightening the load of our energy footprints.  None of those things, even if done by all the billions of human beings on the Earth, can renew the Earth.

The Earth is, herself, self-renewing.  The Earth is a dynamic, organic system that will, as long as the solar system exists, renew herself, turning the damage done to her back into a self-sustaining system.  We cannot renew the Earth.

We can damage the Earth.  We can interfere with her organic systems that allow her to self-renew.  We could, theoretically, so destroy those systems that she becomes a dead rock orbiting the sun, no longer able to renew herself.

So, what’s left for us to do? We cannot renew the Earth, but we can very much participate in her self-renewal by choosing in our daily living not to interfere with what she does, by choosing practices that tread gently on her, that respect her resources and allow for those resources to be shared fairly and equitably for all the beings on the Earth.

As we begin to work with the Earth, we may well find that we are drawn into work with fellow human beings, fellow animal beings, fellow plant beings, fellow mineral beings.  As that happens, what will be clear is that our working with the Earth in her self-renewal is actually Mother Earth bringing renewal into our lives.  That’s what a good mother does–it’s just part of her work with and for her children.  And, that’s what we are;  Children of the Earth.  Not her masters.

Bob Patrick