It’s hard to find many good news stories these days. Global warming is proceeding at rates unforeseen by scientists’ bleakest projections. Animal and plant species are dying out at record rates. War, poverty, famine and totalitarian regimes are on the rise at a time when the Earth itself seems to be punishing us.
Our irrational behavior has raised the temperature of the planet by two degrees. Similar to humans, the Earth operates best within a narrow temperature range. It now has a fever, and humanity is the cause. Imagine what it would feel like to have a perpetual 101-degree fever. That’s what we’ve done to our world.
Those who refuse to get a vaccine for COVID reflect the same mindset as those who, when faced with the reality of global warming, shrug it off — “I won’t be alive so why should I worry?” Only their sense of personal freedom is important. The health of the community comes second. They do not see themselves as part of a social compact.
We pretend everything will be okay once “things return to normal.” But the pandemic is not going away soon, nor is global warming. We were in crisis mode before the pandemic.
The collapsed condo in Florida is a metaphor for what’s happening to our larger societal infrastructure. Those responsible for maintaining the integrity of that building’s foundation ignored necessary repairs until it was too late.
In the same way, we have failed to care for our larger home, this precious planet, and it is collapsing around us. We continue to disregard our interdependence with the natural world, fouling our nest to the point of it becoming uninhabitable. We are the only species to act in such a destructive way. While we claim to be the most intelligent and possess a ton of information, we show little wisdom.
I believe all our various calamities are the result of the same underlying cause: we have forgotten our primary role as caretakers. It really is that simple.
Indigenous people understand it’s their responsibility to care for one another and for the land they inhabit. We keep our own Native American population captive on reservations. Instead, we should honor them. They are the spiritual repository of wisdom and connectedness we sorely lack. It is no wonder we have isolated them, threatening as they are to the status quo. Their revival and the embrace of other indigenous peoples are important to our survival.
Everything would change if we understood what they know: our primary responsibility is to foster the gift of life that surrounds us. To share and nurture natural resources for the benefit of all.
This change in purpose, humans as caretakers rather than exploiters, would have a cascading effect on all life. When gray wolves were returned to Yellowstone, the deer population declined to normal levels, allowing trees to grow to their full height. The increase in seeds led to more birds, rabbits, voles, hawks and eagles. Balance in the ecosystem was restored.
If we assumed our role as caretakers, we could restore balance to the ecosystems we are dependent upon. War and poverty might disappear. Everyone could enjoy a good standard of living. Contented people do not harm their neighbors. Renewable energy would be cheap and abundant. Businesses would compete to make the healthiest and most sustainable products. All food would be organic. Toxic fertilizers and pesticides would be banned. Small-scale regenerative farming and home gardening would become the norm.
Farming would become an honored profession. As would teaching. And mail delivery. Or being a waiter, plumber or apple picker. No one would be evicted from their home because of financial distress. Health care and education would be free, funded by taxes and the $1 trillion we would save annually on our defense budget.
We know how to change our course from being a polluting train wreck to creating a Garden of Eden. It’s time to stop accepting the Big Lie that we live in a cruel world, that human nature is evil and selfish, that we are unable to change for the better.
The Earth is capable of supporting an even larger population. We have the intelligence to create heaven on Earth for all living things. To do so we must shift our focus from accumulating individual wealth to creating a decent standard of living for all.
The older I get, the more I enjoy the simple, everyday wonders that surround us, but which we are often too busy to notice. The older I get, the more disappointed I become as the world devolves at an alarming rate. But I know the vast majority of people are good, kind, decent folk, doing the best they can for themselves and their families. They believe in science, facts and compassion.
It’s past time we demanded more of our leaders, our neighbors, ourselves, to recreate the world as we know it can and should be, one of abundance, joy and peace. We just have to take care of it.
(Sol Solomon lives in Sutton.)