One of my favorite days of the year simply because our Earth deserves public recognition and celebration. The first time I celebrated Earth Day was in 1970 with my friends, on the side of a garbage strewn road, picking up trash. I learned from my parents about conservation, preservation and appreciating our earth; and that left me with a lifelong habit of striving to live in harmony with nature.

Striving is a key word here. Swept along in the struggle to survive in modern culture we often find ourselves unwittingly at odds with our own beliefs and values.

Nature v.s. Culture

I often find myself longing to live a more natural lifestyle, a simple life away from commercial and industrial complications. However, I have no illusions about the simple lifestyles of the past; it was a hard life. I am not a farmer, hunter, builder or survivalist and it’s a bit late to start developing one or more of those skills, if I even had the interest. This is the paradox of modern life; city and suburban dwellers are missing some fundamental life skills, yet we long for the simplicity of living closer to the earth.

I am grateful for modern plumbing, electricity, cars and airplanes, computers and cell phones. I am also grateful for trees, flowers, animals, fresh air, the ocean and all that the earth has to offer. Even while striving to live in harmony with nature I have found that I could not always live up to my greatest expectations. Before having children I thought I would never let my kids have plastic toys or eat junk food. (LOL) I would have to live on a deserted island to keep up with that standard.

Progress v.s. Profit

I believe human beings are inherently creative and progressive. We want to make new things, invent new possibilities, find new ways of living that make life easier so we can enjoy ourselves more. That’s all good but we’ve caused a lot of damage in the process by being too focused on personal wants and needs rather than what’s good for the whole planet. That’s what greed is, self fulfillment before the greater good. If we were not so self focused we would put the planet first because it sustains us, and we would put relationships first because everything comes from relationship. Noble ideals that go against the grain of history.

Gratitude for the Champions of the Earth

I am deeply grateful for those who have championed the cause of saving the planet, preserving and conserving life, for all these years. Those who fight pollution and climate change, those who struggle to preserve nature and prevent the extinction of species, and those who strive for peace between nations, races and religions. I give my support as best as I can, but I am in awe of the frontrunners in these causes.

In my life I have worked in the areas of education and culture change, because we have created a culture of animosity, ignorance, greed, waste and destruction. These problems are insidious and we are largely unaware of the degree to which our culture perpetrates them, yet somehow instinctively we know that all is not right. We need the spokespeople to clarify and point out the issues. I only wish that I could do more in my lifetime to bring peace, harmony and culture change in this world.

My Current Champions:

Food Matters TV: Not just about food, but about lifestyle change. Permaculture promotion, the problem with western medicine and pharmaceuticals, diet and health, meditation, yoga, and lots of inspiration. Check it out for yourself.

Bernie Sanders:Hey, I grew up in a republican home and have never voted for a democratic president yet, although I’ve been an Independent for the past 20 years. I don’t vote based on party, I vote based on issues. As far as I can tell, Bernie is the only one who stands for everything I believe in, and I feel he’s trustworthy, he means what he says. I voted for him in the primary and I will vote for him in the general election regardless of whether he gets the nomination or not.

Read more posts on “Earth” at Daily WordPress prompts: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/earth/