Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, a day that was created to remind us of our interdependent relationship with the planet. The great Native American Chief Seattle said, "The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth....We do not weave the web of life, we are only a strand of it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves." That message holds a resounding echo for those of us who are paying attention.
In the Hebrew language, the word for earth is Adamah. The first man, who is said to have been formed from clay, was named Adam. Indeed, it is we who come from the earth, and to it we shall return. In the meanwhile, we have a responsibility to protect and cherish this living, breathing organism we often call our Mother.
Many of us can see how staying at home has made a huge impact on the environment. From the canals in Italy to the sacred Ganges River cleansing themselves, to rare animals reappearing and less single-use plastic polluting the ocean -- the earth is healing itself. According to Professor Marshall Bruke of Stanford University, “The reduction in air pollution in China caused by this economic disruption likely saved 20 times more lives in China than have currently been lost due to infection with the virus in that country. ”
At at time when the planet has been under incredible strain due to our human habits, the silver lining of this pandemic is clear. May we take this time to reflect on the incredible beauty and power of the earth, and think about ways we can change our habits in order to support the healing of the planet, today and every day.
While you're at it, please enjoy this lyric video I just released to my song, Natural State. It features some of the most gorgeous footage of the natural world I could find. I hope you enjoy it.
Comments