Greetings to everyone on Mother Earth Day. There is much to celebrate on this day.
Live in her and with her
Get to know her more every day
To be hugged and protected by her.
But we also have to recognize how we are destroying it:
climate change,
the pollution of the oceans,
the dizzying loss of our biodiversity,
the scarcity and pollution of the waters,
the disappearance of native flora and fauna,
the destruction of our native forests …
And on and on.
We human beings are responsible. Today we are invaded by
the ego,
the pretenses of superiority,
greed,
accumulation and material concentration,
the desire for power …
We have disconnected from our beautiful planet. The serious thing is that, for many, this is “normal”. When, decades ago, I defended some birds, as a result of the cutting down of a native forest, to generate employment and economic growth, I remember someone telling me: “you prefer birds than humans.” How incredibly absurd this logic is, that it still has us totally invaded. How should I decide, or prefer, between water and air, or between air and land …? Which one is superior? Which is inferior? Which of these elements of life is more necessary than the other? This is an illogical proposition.
We have to heal our planet. For this we must promote and implement major changes in economic, institutional and social matters. Along with these changes, begin a great healing process, through what I have called “The Great Law of Healing.” Regarding changes, very quickly:
Economically, we must move quickly from this neoliberal market economy to an economy that contains the following attributes: Circular, Regenerative, and Transformational. The first two attributes you already know. The last one – a transformational economy – is vitally important. The economy must establish the spaces, instruments and activities for the self-realization of all human beings, sentient beings and nature. The materialistic and individualistic economy must disappear.
But, we must not forget the spiritual dimension of the economy. This entails a great Revolution of Values, particularly the values of a collective nature: solidarity, cooperation, respect, interdependence, justice, equity … When I speak of collective values, I mean a Collective that includes more than human beings. It also includes all sentient beings and nature.
Institutionally, in addition to Civil and Political Rights, and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, BOTH TOTALLY ANTHROPOCENTRIC GROUPS, we must also include the Rights of Nature and the Right to Development. In addition, we must promote major reforms to institutional systems at the national and global levels. A great reform of Multi-Lateral mechanisms and organizations. Today we see how they have failed. We must immediately elevate the UN environment program to the status of the World Environment Organization. We must create a Citizen Planetary Organization. Today, we do not have planetary institutions.
On the social front, in addition to everything that has been said today, we must strengthen citizen movements in this era, which I call The Era of Citizenship. This must be done at the local, regional, and planetary level. One of the most important objectives of development and well-being must be the Creation and Strengthening of Communities. That is why I have dared to propose a Planetary Citizen Organization. It will be within this citizenship that we will achieve the Rights of Mother Earth. It is through them that we must build the foundations of a new planetary order.
It is absurd to have to fight for the rights of mother earth. This should be something so obvious that it should already be approved by all the countries of the world. The illogic that has been imposed on us in decision-making has its reasons: reasons that go beyond the political, economic and social, which you all already know.
First, because we have adopted The Theory of Differentiated Intelligence from among all forms of life. We have created a certain form of pyramid of life. A pyramid that goes from the bottom to the top. This has been cultivated by education, and some religions and spiritual paths, where there is always something to achieve at the top of the pyramid. And, it is here where the concept of superior and inferior intelligence appears, where the human being is superior to nature. For them, nature is inferior. For those of you who think so, please don’t drink more carrot juice. They will end up with the intelligence of the carrot. In my case, I don’t think so. My body, mind and soul are happy when I drink carrot juice. The true exchange is at the ultra-molecular level, where there is an exchange of intelligence, an exchange of consciousness.
Second, because we are living with extremely high levels of toxicity. All this is part of the “Paradox of Balance”. “The human being is always in equilibrium regardless of his level of toxicity.” The drunkard is in HIS balance. He says he can handle it. Everything appears as normal. Just as for many it seems normal to destroy native forests. What happens when our societies are drunk, who takes the keys? Toxicity acts like an anesthetic on our senses, mind, and consciousness. This does not allow us to “see beyond”. A drunken society will always see nature as a thing.
Third, today we have more opportunity to perceive matter, the material, than non-matter. We focus our attention more outward than inward, immersed in the material world. To change this materialistic attention, we have to adopt a very well designed spiritual path. In the third dimension, at this level of consciousness, Mother Earth is only seen as one thing. But going further is not a matter of faith, it is not a matter of changing concepts in the mind. We must raise our levels of consciousness. That’s the only way.
What I am saying is that it is not a matter of arbitrarily deciding that the Earth is not a thing. The earth can only be understood as a LIVING BEING, as a result of a high level of individual and collective consciousness. This was the great consciousness that our ancestors had. The resistance that we see in countries not to proclaim the rights of Mother Earth is the result of a very low level of individual and collective consciousness of those who legislate. That the earth is a living being, it is an inner experience. An experience of BEING. Experience of what? Experience the energies of the earth. Experiences of the intelligence of the Earth. Earth memory experience And finally, Earth consciousness experience. Otherwise, saying that the earth is a living being becomes a slogan, or is a matter of faith.
Fourth, because we do not have the real capacity to understand the interdependence between our internal ecology and our external ecology. They appear as separate from each other. They are totally interdependent. This interdependence occurs through the 5 elements of life. Water, earth, wind, space and fire. Our internal air is connected with the external air. The internal water is connected to the external water. And so on. This phenomenon, this state of being (of our internal ecology), works under a great spiritual law: “what is inside is like what is outside, what is outside is like what is inside”
For me, one cannot speak of “Rights of Mother Earth” without putting this in a spiritual context. Nature as a living being represents a specific state of consciousness.
Today, I can say with certainty that Mother Earth is a Living Being. Today I can say that Mother Earth has rights. I am totally in favor of these rights. I am willing to fight with all of you for these rights. There is no doubt that the context of the laws is also given by an ethical and moral scaffolding. Beyond the welfare society, Today. we are moving towards a society of rights. And it has cost us a lot to articulate this.
The debate around the rights of Mother Earth constitutes the new frontier of environmentalism. How is Mother Earth not going to have rights? How do we not see the moral and ethical basis of those rights? That is why I have proposed, several years ago, Ethiconomy and a New Eco-Morality. Not just a morality of equality before the law. But of total equality before all forms of life.
Without spirituality there are no rights of nature. All sentient beings are on the path of enlightenment. And, that is why we must have the Right of Mother Earth.
PhD. Alfredo Sfeir Younis
