We Don't Need To Save The Planet

There’s a growing movement to stop global warming, reduce greenhouse gasses, and reverse pollution. They speak to the increasing destruction of planet Earth and the need to save our planet.

Some fight for the protection of land, reduction of fossil fuels, and increased rates of recycling. Others strive to clean the oceans, restore the ozone layer, and stop global warming.

This, however, is entirely unnecessary.

We do not need to save the planet.

Mother Earth has been here, doing her thing, for millions of years. Only humans are egoic enough to think that we could possibly destroy her.

Her strength and power are greater than we can possibly comprehend. She’s overcome meteors and asteroids, volcanoes, fires, climate changes, and every other natural phenomenon she’s faced. She’s fought through atomic bombs and the creation of cities. She’s withstood the destruction of forests, the melting of ice caps, and the killing of coral reefs.

She has overcome everything humans have ever thrown at her. She has overcome everything the universe has thrown at her. As far as we know, Mother Earth has always been here, existing in perfection, just as she continues to do today.

We do not need to save her.

She will be just fine.

She always has been and she always will be.

What may not be fine is humanity.

We don’t need to save the planet, we need to save ourselves.

If we want to allow ourselves the opportunity to continue existing here, on this beautiful planet, working with her to allow us a classroom for learning, growing, and enjoying, we need to make some changes.

If we destroy ourselves or turn the planet into an environment we can no longer survive in, existing here is no longer an option.

It’s not about saving the planet, it’s about saving humanity.

The planet will survive. No matter how badly we hurt her, she’ll rebuild. She’ll recreate. New life will grow.

Mother Earth will live on as she always has. No matter how badly humans harm this majestic planet, she will endure. She always has and she always will.

Sure, in a few billion years, Father Sun will burn out and she will no longer be able to support life in the way that she has. Nothing is forever. She will eventually reach an age of retirement where life will no longer live with her. But she will live on. Then one day, she may eventually even transition and no longer exist in planetary form.

But until then (however many billion years that may be), you’d think we’d want to create an environment that supports our survival. Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be the case.

It looks like our priority is on the accumulation of things and creating an easy living for me, instead of creating a sustainable environment and harmonious habitat for all. We’re focusing on building profitable businesses instead of building sustainable systems. We care about our bank account more than our happiness and our possessions more than our emotions.

In return, mental health issues are at all-time highs. Suicide rates are continuing to climb (as it’s now the 10th leading cause of death in the US), bullying in schools is still getting worse, and obesity rates are failing to decline.

46% of American’s are on pharmaceuticals and 26% are taking more than 3 pharmaceutical drugs on a daily basis.

We’re not healthy.

We’re not taking care of ourselves. We’re not loving and nurturing humanity in a way that allows us to thrive.

This is half of the issue.

The other issue is the way we are treating Mother Earth.

As previously explained, she will be fine. She will live on.

We, however, may not.

We are not building an ecosystem that will enable us to live for another 100,000 years. Not even close! We might not be building a system that will enable us to live for another 1,000 years. At the rate we’re currently going, I’d be surprised if we lasted another 500 years.

It feels like we’re at a pivotal point in history. Where, for the first time that we know of, we have the technological capabilities to create a sustainable environment that will last. And, at the same time, we have the technological capabilities to destroy humanity in the next few years.

With this power, comes great responsibility.

It feels like it’s our responsibility to make conscious decisions on behalf of humanity that create an environment that supports us to thrive moving forward.

This, however, is not what we’re doing. It’s not how we’re using our technological capabilities.

But, it is a possibility. We do have the ability to create sustainable systems for humanity to thrive.

It’s simply a choice for us to make. Do we want to continue creating systems that support a personalized pursuit of ego, or do we want to create systems that support the harmonious sustainability of humanity?

It sounds like a no brainer.

I truly believe that if we consciously thought about it, most of humanity would rather create systems that support the harmonious sustainability of humanity, than systems that support a personalized pursuit of ego.

With this in mind, acknowledge that you vote every single day for the systems you want to exist moving forward.

By giving your time, energy, and money to a system, you are supporting that system. This goes for every system you give time, energy, and money to. We vote with our dollar and our lifestyle.

If we continue to eat processed meats they will continue to make processed meats. If we stop eating processed meats they will stop making processed meats. If we want the meat industry to stop enslaving and torturing animals, we stop eating meat. If we want to stop hurting the environment, we stop eating meat.

It’s a simple principle.

If we want to see a change in the world, we need to first make the change within ourselves. As we change, the world around us will change.

Hopefully, we can start making some of these changes. Because if we want to survive, changes need to be made. The list of systems in need of change is long, but some of the priorities include the food system, financial system, political system, energy system, transportation system, and education system.

We vote on most of these systems every day. Granted, some of these systems have created monopolies giving you a few alternative options, but there are generally some options. As we individually, and then collectively, begin to support sustainable systems, the sustainable systems will grow as the greed based systems will crumble.

When we, as humanity, begin to make choices on behalf of humanity, humanity will begin to thrive. But as long as we, individually, continue making choices on behalf of personal gain, humanity will continue to suffer.

As we continue to suffer, Mother Earth will continue to suffer with us.

The difference is that we know she will recover.

Will we? That’s for us to decide.