Dol Rol’s article on Herald, Other Voices ‘The Earth Can No Longer Weep” is a timely article and can bring a lot of hope to the earth.
Everyone, from government to individuals of all ages and abilities, can play an important role as stewards of the environment and our earth. There are so many easy ways to become more sustainable. Small steps are keys to saving the earth, and once you find how easy each is, you will be surprised how quickly you can make a positive difference in protecting our environment for your family, your children, and your planet. It is by how we raise our children and grandchildren, and how we affect the environment within which they live that much of their future life and health are determined. The children one generation from now will grow up living in a world of constraint and conservation, and may adapt to this constrained world much more easily than the child born today. Today’s child unless we are very careful, will learn the paradigm of living, that has directed our own activities, and they will tell their children what life was like ‘in the olden days.’ This is a recipe for frustration and anger. We have to prepare them for a new life.
Tomorrow’s problems require perspectives of creativity, constraint, conservation and consideration, not growth and consumption. We need to teach our children to live gently on this earth, to value it, to assiduously conserve its resources and take care of it because it is all they have, and it has to last forever. Their world view should promote an ethic of conservation, sustainability, and respect for nature and for their neighbors because support systems will be essential. To be an effective model for our children means we must be knowledgeable about the world, not the world of entertainment and excess, but about the environment and how it is changing. We need to learn about things we can do to reduce our impact on the earth and then act on our learning. Of course, education is only part of action.
The other part is motivation – a much tougher step than education. We often say ‘I would do anything for my child.’ Now is your chance! The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. “We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.” – —John Paul II
