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Ethics/Values to help preserve
Our Planet, Our Home
Our focus on human values is going from heedless consumerism to appreciative universality. The following are basic factors which can lead to an understanding of the values we have identified as helping us reach our goals, and the framework they are based on.
The Great Spirit is the creative spirit or life-force which flows throughout the universe, connecting us all. We are part of the Cycle of Life in that we are composed of molecules and atoms that cannot be created nor destroyed but only transformed, and which have been in existence since the beginning of time. They will continue to exist long after we, or anyone we know will be alive. We use the term Great Spirit to explain the connection of energy between all molecules that may at some time be part of a living thing, but at another time, may be part of an inanimate object, such as a rock lying on the shore. We are connected through the energy or the molecules.
We have a choice. In fact we have to consciously choose. While other creatures live according to their intuition and according to natural laws, their behaviours are sustainable. For us, life is more complex. We have to think in order to make sustainable choices.
Indigenous people worldwide once lived according to The Law. As they lived close to the land, they considered themselves a part of nature, not separate from, or above it. Therefore, they were subject to the truth and laws of nature. There was an innate respect for the life force or spirit, of all life forms that provided them with food, shelter, clothing.
This respect formed the basis for the unwritten laws and codes which guided them in their daily lives. The greatest crime was to knowingly upset the balance of nature, and the greatest punishment was banishment from the tribe.
Today, we would be wise to become more connected to nature, which may help to guide us in making more sustainable choices. We really need to learn about the human influence with regards to the essential balance in nature, which we can and do adversely affect. In order to accomplish this, we have to establish respect and ethical relationships with the natural world and everything in it.
All life depends upon the process of photosynthesis, which forms the simple sugars, the building blocks of life. Photosynthesis is an example of how the elements of fire (sun), water and earth (soil), work interdependently and in cooperation, if in balance.
The vital activities within the forests are an example of the interdependence found in nature. We depend on the forest for clean oxygen, for reduction of C02's. The roots of the plants filter and store water, and the trees provide much needed shade for the forest community. As well, forests help to stabilize the weather, provide flood/erosion control, and habitat for other creatures and us.
To date, we have been governed by the laws of nature. If we irrevocably upset this balance, and the elements begin to work independently, we will then be governed totally by the laws of man and the pollution we have caused.
As citizens of the universe, we have rights to clean air, water, fertile soil and the healthy rays of the sun, as do our non-human relations that we share our planet with. Also, we have the right to freedom from the man-made chemicals that are imposed upon us.
As we have the capacity to make choices, the responsibility lies with us to make wise choices and decisions.
The following are some of the values we hope would begin to guide us into the next millennium and a healthy habitat/environment for all,.
© Amy Eustergerling
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updated January 31, 2000