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Ecology
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Ecology
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Of course, the powerful and unscrupulous of our day are no more bound by the letter of the law than the kings and aristocrats of yore. Moral relativity seems to have freed them from what little constraint a sense of common decency once imposed. They twist the doctrines of science to their purposes, as they have the doctrines of communism, capitalism, and religion.
To
fatten
the
stock
portfolios
of
the
already
prosperous,
the
Earth
is
despoiled;
people
are
exploited;
children's
futures
are
bought
and
sold.
But
none
of
it
could
happen
without
a
middle
and
lower
class
of
would-be
kings
and
wannabe
aristocrats,
clinging
desperately
to
the
Divine
Right
to
Consume.
All
together
now,
repeat
after
me:
“The
Creation
and
all
its
creatures
exist
only
to
supply
consumer
demand...
(namely,
mine).”
Once
the
creed
of
the
elite
classes
alone,
this
new
doctrine
doesn't
need
to
be
twisted
to
fit
the
agenda
of
the
power--that-be.
The
gospel
that
we
all
should
live
like
millionaires,
spread
by
advertising
and
entertainment
alike,
is
so
profitable
that
the
gap
between
the
real
millionaires
and
the
rest
of
us
is
steadily
widening.
Worse,
this
sophisticated
form
of
the
two-year-old's
“Gimme-mine!”
slowly
displaces
traditional
religion
wherever
it
spreads.
Without
that
limiting
moral
influence,
“Gimme”
recognizes
no
limits
at
all;
“mine!”
now
threatens
the
very
ability
of
the
biosphere
to
sustain
us.
Civilization
collapse,
even
human
extinction,
are
realistic
scenarios
discussed
by
scientists
who
study
environmental
megatrends.
Grateful
as
we
may
be
for
our
liberation
from
the
metaphysical
protection-racket
of
judgement
and
damnation,
we
now
face
the
challenge
of
living
in
a
society
which
no
longer
shares
a
universally
accepted
foundation
for
morality.
We
need
a
new
foundation,
one
that
is
shared
by
all
and
can't
be
twisted
to
the
agendas
of
power-seekers.
And
we'll
find
it
right
under
our
feet.
Whether
or
not
the
Earth
is
anyone's
Mother,
was
created
by
God
in
six
days,
or
is
a
living
being
named
Gaia,
certain
things
have
been
scientifically
established
about
the
planet
we
live
on.
We
now
know
that
we
don't
know
enough
to
confidently
tamper
with
the
interconnected
ecosystems
that
sustain
life
here,
including
our
own.
Looking
as
few
as
seven
generations
ahead,
it's
clear
that
the
needs
of
the
biosphere
are
our
own
most
fundamental
needs.
Let's
try
a
different
mantra:
“My
life
and
the
life
of
the
Earth
are
one.”
A
beginning-place
for
me
is
to
maintain
a
connection
to
the
Earth
by
honoring
the
Equinoxes
and
Solstices
each
year.
These
four
ancient,
sacred
transition-points
between
the
seasons
are
an
appropriate
time
to
acknowledge
that,
despite
our
differing
religions
and
races
and
subcultures,
we
all
share
a
common
inheritance:
Earth,
our
home.
Join
me
this
Summer
Solstice
for
an
Interfaith
Prayer
Circle
as
we
pray,
dance
and
sing
our
gratitude
to
the
life-giving
mystery
of
Creation.
Thank
you
Creator
Spirit!
Thank
you,
Mother
Earth!
Thank
you,
all
my
relations!
Join
Stephen
Wing,
author
of
Crossing
the
Expressway:
Poems
from
the
Open
Road,
for
the
Summer
Solstice
at
the
Atlanta
Friends
House.
For
details,
call
404/501-0722
or
email
stevew@newleaf-dist.com.
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