The future is not ours to erase. Whilst we may seem to be ticking along fine, living a lifestyle that implies limitless resources, this is an illusion that denies future generations a sustainable life on this planet called Earth, that is not 'ours' to destroy. We are stealing from the future to feed our present greed and addiction. This is taking the 'selfish gene' to its extreme, but it's true, sadly. More about this later. It's also adding 'stupidity' to our genetic traits.
We are a species (love that word) out of control. It's too late to turn things around.
The older generation can view ourselves as 'elders' if we wish (and if we deserve such a title, as 'elder' also implies wisdom, and some of us have nothing to model/teach). But I still love that word.
As voters, we should demand a commitment to doing something about climate change from every political candidate. Every one. That is our duty, and worth the effort.
Nature can shock us with surprise. If we give her room she will be far more generous than we deserve. We are talking about regeneration, or healing, here. He gave an example of salmon (I think). Examples are always good. I am intrigued by the phrase 'give her room'. What does this mean exactly? Is it about 'space' (another word that intrigues me) or just about being kind? This idea needs more exploration. I am sure that the answer lies in a David Suzuki book. I must read one.
Silent spring by Rachel Carson was mentioned as a pivotal book. Another book I must read. Bless that woman.
We need to educate people to see our relationship with the world in a different way – the way we see the world and our place in it determines how we behave. The planet is our mother. We have to take this literally. There is a wonderful film about this: Mother: caring for 7 billion.
- Our world ('mother') is shaped by laws of nature we can do nothing about – shock, horror, we can't control them.
- Our home is the biosphere. We've exceeded the capacity of our biosphere for our species. We're using up our children's and grandchildren's inheritance. This makes me really sad.
We are animals. As animals our biology predicts our needs. All of the energy in our bodies is provided through photosynthesis. It's a basic fact that we are not separate from the four sacred elements of our mother (Earth, Air, Fire, Water).
Yes, that's right, we are animals. Your reaction to that fact tells a lot about how you view yourself and your place on this planet. If you don't think you're an animal, you don't deserve a place on this planet. (That is my opinion, not the words of David Suzuki.)
As a crescendo to this talk, there is the Declaration of Interdependence (David Suzuki). You can sign this declaration, which is the most important one of our time, if we still want to have a time. That is, if you think you have the time and are not caught up in the busyness-of-life addiction as well as selfishness and stupidity. This may sound harsh (it is my own words) but I will qualify it by saying that I am not superior to other human beings/animals. I too am caught up in the busyness-of-life addiction that refutes present moment awareness. It is our tendency to view ourselves as superior not just to other living things but also to others of our own species that is a wrong view and causes suffering to ourselves and others.
