Eliza Waters

One can’t help but feel the irony that the 50th anniversary of Earth Day will not be celebrated with massive crowds and demonstrations like the first and subsequent celebrations of the day. Instead, it will be observed individually and virtually via internet. Is Mother Earth sending us a message? Are we listening?

We barely understand the complexities of our Earth, its ecosystems, all inter-woven with a long history of evolution. Gaia is a system of refined checks and balances with the ultimate goal of endless renewal and expression. How blessed we are to be a witness to the daily miracle of life on Earth!

To date, we have taken much from our Mother, with little thought of what we owe Her in return. Our impact has become so cumbersome, that those delicate checks and balances are in peril. Let’s face it, we NEED the Earth, She does not need us. We are currently being shown just how powerful She is, as a tiny, microscopic life form flies around the planet, culling the human herd.

It is not vindictive, it is the way of life on this planet. Look back throughout history, and we can see plenty of proof that this is so. It is easy for us to accept lions eating the weak and old wildebeests on the Serengeti, or wolves culling the elk herds of Yellowstone, yet we cannot accept that the same principle is at work with our own human herd. Herein lies the error of our mindset– we have thought ourselves above Nature, that it was something we controlled and not the other way around.

So perhaps we can take this warning as a lesson to deeply consider our role as stewards of this planet. How will we change? What can we each individually do to lessen our footprint, to live on this planet so that all creatures who share it can live and prosper in harmony?

For more information: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2020/