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LOVE YOUR LOVELY BLUE PEARL
Putting a
man on the moon was worth it just to get that first glorious picture of
Earth as the astronauts returned. They gazed in awe upon seeing Earth
from space.-- a beautiful blue pearl set in a bracelet of a million
diamond stars.
If only we could carry that awe around in our hearts all the time. We
would not have to be reminded to recycle, to plan buildings in ways that
save the maximum number of trees, to not litter our land, to not poison
our streams. We would walk upon the grass with a rhythm of reverence and
sing songs of adoration to Mother Earth.
We rationalize much of our ravaging of the land in the name of jobs. But
there are no jobs on a dead planet. You will see no farms and factories
on the bleak surface of the moon. If you went to live there, you would
have to take all your life-sustaining supplies from our incredible home
planet.
It stabs a cold blade through my heart to think the U.S. did not attend
the world conference on planetary warming. Our leadership is blind to
the realities that threaten our very existence.
We have shown an arrogant air of superiority toward American Indians
when we should have been sitting at their feet to assimilate their love
and devotion to the land. I thank God my mother was part Cherokee. She
would take me with her to stand and listen to the wind in the whispering
pines. Deep sighs would spontaneously rise from her heart.
Once I spent an entire Sunday studying an anthill. When Monday morning
rolled around and she woke me for school, I said, "Aw, I wanted to
watch the ants some more." She said, "I believe that's as
important as anything they could possibly teach you in school today.
Stay home and watch the ants."
Americans are slurping up the world's resources like a child polishing
off a milkshake through a straw. We have not yet made the ridiculously
elementary discovery that the world is chiefly populated by other
people. Simplifying our lifestyles would be an act of solidarity with
all the people of all other nations, an act of withdrawal from the
high-pressure neurosis of a consumption-crazy society,.an act of
provocation to stir curiosity leading to dialogue about the future of
our planet and it would be a powerful redirection of personal purchasing
power to grand social visions.
Most beautiful of all, it would be a celebration of the riches we can
find in community, creativity and spirituality.
Enjoy Dalton's website at www.DaltonRoberts.com
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