To send the page, simply enter your friend’s name and e-mail address. Remember to include your own name and e-mail address as well, so that your friend knows who sent the page. You can also attach a comment if you wish, which will be included in the electronic message that your friend will receive.
- The Citizen Voices Team
Earth Day
by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean.jpg)
Earth Day was started in 1970 to make young people aware of the importance of respecting the environment. Nearly 40 years later, we see that ecosystems have deteriorated and the dangers caused by climate change have gotten worse.
Although experts have given us multiple warnings and numerous organizations and citizens have made repeated efforts, pollution, the deterioration of our natural resources and our consumer habits have made our planet vulnerable to various calamities. Every year, we see more contamination, floods, hurricanes, heat waves and drought. Extreme weather conditions, deforestation and the melting of the ice caps threaten our planet and thousands of animal and plant species—not to mention our own!
The international community and the public understand the seriousness of the situation today more than ever before. As Canadians, what can we do on a daily basis? Is it possible that we can think and act ecologically and with green ethics in our everyday lives and in our communities? What can we really do with regard to our collective responsibility towards the environment?
I look forward to hearing your ideas.
11 Comments
Her Excellency, Michaëlle Jean, was an absolute delight to meet with and her message of active citizen engagement was not lost on me by any means. I was encouraged and inspired by her words, and here I will now relate this to the topic above, Earth Day.
After seeing with my own eyes the challenges faced by the majority of the world's people, I certainly appreciate where I come from a whole lot more. I was never much of an environmentalist, and I was never really concerned with how my personal actions were affecting the planet we all share. It seems that now, as these issues are becoming more and more mainstream, we cannot ignore them. It began as noticing myself carrying out certain acts that I knew were wrong, and trying to change my actions. Old habits, it seemed, were hard to break.
But after a while, by conciously making an effort to be more environmentally-friendly, I started to notice something about myself. No longer were these actions difficult, but I actually enjoyed doing them. I started welcoming every instance at which I could do something good for this Earth, and most importantly, I started to feel confident that we CAN do something to change the direction we are headed for... towards a more positive outcome.
The challenges may seem overwhelming, but the point is not that some big solution is needed. What is needed is just a small effort by everyone on the planet, especially those of us lucky enough to live in countries like Canada, who set an example for the rest of the world. People in places like Ethiopia look at our society and wish to have the same kinds of lives as we do. If we could demonstrate to the rest of this planet that Canadians care about the environment, and are willing to make those small adjustments necessary to protect it, then the rest of the world will follow.
We may not be a 'superpower', but Canada is still looked upon as a leader. Peacekeeping is one of our greatest legacies. Environmental stewardship could be another.
The other benefit to adopting this kind of attitude, I believe, is that once you can accept that being good to the Earth is the right thing to do, you start to treat yourself better as well. The appreciation I have for the wonders of nature have enhanced my appreciation for my own body, which I have started to treat with more respect, by exercising and eating healthier.
All in all, my view of the world has forever been changed by my experiences abroad, and my opinion has always been such that, as I said that day in Dartmouth, in order to be a better global citizen, you have to know your neighbors first. This means making positive changes beginning with yourself and your home, and then within your own community.
I guess it comes down to the difference between right and wrong. We now know what actions harm this planet, and we now know what alternative actions we should take to prevent harm from being done. Maybe being a better global citizen simply means doing the right thing!
Dwayne MacEachern
Judique, NS
Notre responsabilité collective envers l'environnement aurait dû commencer vers les années 1940 - 1950. Les dommages à l'environnement causés par les nombreux abus et la surconsommation sont malheureusement irréversibles.
Les usines polluent l'air, la mer, la terre, la faune ainsi que l'eau potable sans compter les nombreux déversements de pétrole et de produits toxiques (certaines organisations font des profits obsènes pour déverser ces produits).
Nous sommes de véritables machines à déchets; nos vastes dépotoirs sont surchargés. Il ne faut pas oublier non plus que la terre est surpeuplée.
Notre planète se meurt; notre auto destruction est éminente. Pourquoi? Parce que l'humain est naturellement destructeur et la nature humaine ne changera jamais. Bien sûr, il y aura toujours quelques exceptions, mais pas assez pour changer le monde.
Moi, je suis très consciente de l'environnement et je fais ma part. Je crois que OUI, c'est possible d'arrêter de polluer mais une VRAIE solution écologique devra compter sur la collaboration du monde entier.
Carole Boisvert
decouvertescarole.spaces.live.com
It is great that a special day has been set aside for us to think about
how we are going to care for "Mother Earth" and then to act on
it. Our Governor General is such an inspiration in so many ways. It is
her genuiness and strong, but gentle spirit that urges us to think
about the things that we can do to be better citizens.
Happy Earth Day everyone.
Florence Spencer
Toronto. Ontario
It is great that a special day has been set aside for us to think about
how we are going to care for "Mother Earth" and then to act on
it.
Our Governor General is such an inspiration in so many ways. It is
her genuiness and strong, but gentle spirit that urges us to think
about the things that we can do to be better citizens.
Happy Earth Day everyone.
Florence Spencer
Toronto. Ontario
The Canadian government as a whole must begin to take the state of our environment seriously. We need to talk about it less and begin to act more. It cannot be left up to personal owness, it must be government policy. It is not right to pollute our land, air and water with toxic chemicals, just because it makes a profit and an economy. There is much room for a green economy to grow and become very profitable. Please for the sake of future Canadians make change happen. Implement programs to help people change.
e
Of the worldwide commemorations, Earth Day is the one which best focuses our attention on perennial questions which have faced all generations of humans:
Who made the Universe? How come our World is what it is? What is the purpose of life and thus our responsibility in this marvelous expression of the supreme creative force?
Everywhere you look, you come face to face with these ever present but silent and invisible questions. A walk in the woods or the ravines of our communities (in the quite and serene environment) brings you face to face with these questions. The present tenuous situation on Earth further heightens your desire to understand and in the process seek out new pathways to preserve and protect the original intent of creation.
Earth Day 2007 accords us the opportunity to reflect on these perennial questions and renew our resolve to preserve and protect conditions for bio-diversity on the Glorious Earth.
The Unfolding of the Eternal Mystery:
The eternal mystery of the Earth and the life forms on the planet can be summarized as follows:
Everywhere you look you cannot help but be marveled. The different forms and stages of manifestation are before your gaze; facilitated by the air, the waters, the land and the Sun. Acting in concert, the four forms of matter mold and provide a platform for life to unfold. The different species of animals and vegetation populate this platform, the Earth. Within both the platform and its population, the unstoppable wheel of creation surges forward.
As this goes on, the platform, the Earth, is also surging forward, unstoppable in its prescribed journey around the Sun. Similarly, the Sun undertakes its quarter of a billion years journey around the centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way galaxy also continues this symphony of expression; moving around the Great Attractor represented by the Virgo Super Cluster of galaxies. This process of harmonic integration and motion continues throughout the Universe!
The prescription for this symphonic expression was specified at the First Time, Zep Tepi, the moment of creation. The preservation of this elegant expression requires the system to operate within the specified limits, the Covenant. Any excursions out of the zone of harmonious expression of life will trigger a bitter harvest as the system adjusts to return to the zone of harmonious expression.
We are all born of this eternal dance of creation. We are called to journey into the Consciousness of the supreme force of creation; to grow into the wisdom of its ways and prescriptions, to become one with it! This is the ultimate fruit of Life; to return into the eternal Cosmic Ocean of the Universe!
Deviations from the Covenant
The descent into ignorance and greed has characterized our recent history spanning two millennium. As we deviated from the path of the Covenant, we lost touch with the frameworks which the Ancients left us.
Unlike the Ancients who saw themselves as trustees of the First Time, we do things because it is possible for us to do them; because it is convenient to do so and not because it is the wisest thing to do. Our decisions are made without a deep assessment of the corollary effects. Consequently, we plant the seeds which yield a bitter harvest in future.
This philosophy and way of life has infected all our processes of relating to each other including governance, economic system - from production to exchange, religious and legal institutions to mention just a few. No doubt, we act as though our world is a limitless garbage dump; assaulted and defiled unceasingly with the limitless garbage of our lives! Stewardship of the planet is an after thought to desire for paper treasures. The current challenges facing our world flow from this modus operandi.
The Way Forward
Our mentality is in need of transmutation, moving from our toddler framework to a transcendental framework.
The journey begins with hearing the call from the Universe and answering it!
Communicating in silence, without uttering a word, the Earth/Universe (and everything in it), poses a series of questions; the consequences of which is to effect our initiation into its deeper mysteries:
Do you know me? Do you know why I take the form you see? Do you know that I am related to all things around me, including you? Do you know the pathways and bridges between me and all things? Do you know I am you and you are me? Do you know that I am all things and all things are me? Can you read what I have written? Do you understand my message to those yet unborn? Do you thirst to attain this insight of Eternity? To get this insight, are you prepared to surrender to me? Are you willing to repudiate all you know to attain the wisdom of Eternity?
Such is the nature of the dilemma each one of us faces.
To surrender all that you have and possess (physical and mental); to empty yourself of all you have acquired to date. Then, to begin the long and difficult journey to reclaim your essential birthright as citizen of the Universe!
With the awakened consciousness, when you become one with the Universe, you become a Trustee of the Universal Tradition of Zep Tepi.
The Ancients acquired this wisdom. They left us with the frameworks for attaining the realm of the Supra Humans! They documented them via many mediums. Collectively, they are called the cosmological traditions (elements of which exist to varying degrees) in many indigenous cultures of the world. They provide an integrated understanding of the matrix of universal processes, the pathways to their revelation and attainment.
The medium for documenting the sacred insight include sacred texts, hand woven textiles, art forms, symbols, carvings, music, oral and written stories etc. This is further augmented by rituals, remembrances and celebrations. Collectively they initiate the members of the community into ways of preserving the harmonic conditions for life on Earth.
Drawing from the template used by the Universe, the Ancient Masters mapped out a ubiquitous system for communicating the essential wisdom to those yet unborn. The transmitted knowledge was captured in their symbols and designs; structure of their stories etc.
The Activation of the Real Treasure of Humankind
This is the real treasure of Humankind; awaiting discovery, activation and application in guiding us to the destination of a Glorious Earth. And this is the prophecy of all spiritual traditions; the time on Earth when all beings will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, the Creator and Master of the Universe!
On attaining this supreme height, you are forever free from the shackles of ignorance and the labyrinths of the debased systems of the world.
No longer are you susceptible to the seductions of the perverse ways on Earth!
No longer are you willing to trade your birthright and allegiances to impostors on Earth!
No longer are you willing to enslave others, desecrate and defile the Earth and all its inhabitants!
But you will be called on to shepherd those who are stranded along on the pathway to the revelation of Eternity!
Just imagine the possibilities of life on Earth in such an exalted state of being!
The Buds of the Tree of Wisdom
In December, we crossed the bridge from the longest night of winter; we have now entered the growing light of spring. We are on our way to rendezvous with the exalted state of the Summer Solstice and the longest day of the year.
This movement from darkness into light is symbolic of the journey of Humankind from ignorance to the exalted states of the Supra Humans.
We have entered the darkest night of the winter of our ignorance! Like the weather outside, we are approaching the spring of our awakening! The feedback from the Earth will awaken us from our sleep of ignorance and greed.
And when that spring takes full effect as it is now, we will know that our winter of ignorance is passed. We shall witness the return of the buds of the Tree of Wisdom.
Like now, Humankind will start their migration from mentalities which are on their death bed into the embrace of the emergent yet ancient reality.
Embracing the Universe!
As you walk on the pathways in the woods this spring, take the time to witness the unfolding of the eternal mystery of creation. Take the next four month to watch the movie of the unfolding revelation; the buds, the leaves, then the flowers, the fruits and finally the harvest.
Take the time to reflect on the hidden message expressed by the trees and shrubs. Contemplate what drives their expression.
You will enter into the world of the little ones which reside in all things and do the heaviest work of all; making sure that everything works as planned by our Creator!
And ask yourself why you are not doing the same as the congregation of little ones which make the Universe function in its harmonious ways.
Reflect on the ever present invitation the Universe extends to you; to enter into its embrace!
Any lasting effort of dealing with the challenges facing our world begins with entering into this embrace and surrendering to the dictates of Eternity and the Cosmic Ocean!
For as it was in the beginning, so shall it be forever and ever!
T. Kofi Hadjor
The Serpent Bearer
www.universeafrica.com
If life on this planet is to survive and flourish, it is time for our privileged part of civilization to say ENOUGH to greed and hypocrisy, violence and fear-based agression and injustice. It is time to create the grand experiment of caring for the well being of the environment of each inhabitant, of granting each person the dignity of working to earn enough to care for his or her basic needs, the freedom to enjoy universal human rights, the freedom to live in a world that will not tolerate the ecological violence of war making, toxic industrial waste, the unconscionable self-entitlement of a small elete population to hoard, use or waste a major percentage of the earth's scarce non-renewable resources. Let us demand that those we elect to represent us in our parliaments work ethically and collectively, putting aside their party interests, to address the environmental neglect, and the inequalities and injustices within Canada so that we can procede to help other nations to achieve their own sustainability.
Je vous écris en tant que mère, membre de Greenpeace, souverainiste et femme. Je veux d'abord vous dire que votre nomination me remplit de fierté. Je ne suis pas une fervente de la monarchie, mais ej reconnais que vous pouvez faire une différence.
Ces derniers temps j'ai trouvé difficile de lire les comptes-rendus de journaux anglophones qui vous critiquent, ne nous mentons pas, parce que vous osez être différente.
Dans un séminaire à l'automne, Jacques Languirand nous a parlé, à mes collègues et moi, d'un documentaire: "Les réfugiés d ela planète bleue". Je ne sais pas si vous avez pu le voir, il est passé à R-C dernièrement.
À la fin on y présente le discours de l'administration Bush à propos des supposées conséquences de l'adoption du Protocole de Kyoto. Et à ma grande surprise, le nouveau ministre de l'environnement, Baird, a repris presque mot pour mot ces arguments en présentant les conséquences de Kyoto sur l'économie canadienne.
Je crois sincèrement que vous pouvez montrer l'exemple en adoptant des pratiques vertes dans l'exercice de vos fonctions. C'est la reine elle-même qui m'en a donné l'idée en annonçant cette semaine qu'elle calculerait le total des gaz à effet de serre qu'elle émet en se déplaçant et en posant des gestes pour les contrer. Pourquoi ne pas faire de même, puisque vous êtes sa représentante ? Je vous le demande en tant que mère, membre de Greenpeace, souverainiste et femme.
Je vous remercie.
People being contrarians in many aspects of their relationship to each other and the universe, we're not likely to see change in this flouting and its harmful consequences unless and until it results in our extinction staring us in the face.
That time is not yet. Many people think the currently trendy and politically correct environmental movement is only a ramped-up version of the Y2K scare of 1999 -- another alarm about a problem that failed to materialize. Some believe global warming is inevitable, whether or not homo sapiens ever existed, just as global freezing was during the Ice Age.
If global warming is indeed inevitable, our wasteful abuse of the planet's resources is certainly hastening the process. Maybe universal socialism is the ideal political solution for slowing that down, maybe not. That would depend on the collective objective, and that, given the human proclivity for the soft life, is by no means predictable.