We Have to Respect Mother Earth

Image via WikipediaBy Radhanath Swami

When there is an earthquake in the middle of the ocean, miles and miles below its surface, we cannot see it happening. Even as that quake creates massive tidal waves, it is practically impossible to see those waves, even with modern satellites. Take for example the Tsunami that hit Asia in 2004. Its tidal waves were moving at over 500 miles per hour, 1,500 miles from the shores. Yet, nobody on land could perceive anything happening. They saw the tidal waves only when it crashed on the shore, when it manifested its full fury of devastation.

Similarly, we carelessly plunder and exploit the earth and see nothing negative happen immediately. But there will be reactions, massive reactions, and we already perceive little reactions for what we have done in the past. If we do not resort to rectification now, all reactions will come crashing on us.

The scriptures say that earth is our mother, and the God is our father. As the mother nourishes her child, mother earth nourishes us. She has provided our bodies and she is providing everything to sustain our body. How we reciprocate with gifts of mother earth is all important. The mother is meant to be respected and protected. And when mother earth is properly respected and protected, she provides everything for everyone. But when she is exploited, abused and practically raped by human society, there will be reactions, massive reactions. We are warned about it constantly from even an ecological perspective, for centuries.

Hundreds of years ago, seeing the massive deforestation of North America, one of the great Red Indian chiefs, Mr. Seattle, made a famous statement. In his letter to the then president of the United States, Mr. Andrew Jackson, he said, "The earth is your mother and you must respect her or she is going to react violently against you. The earth is the bed that you have to sleep on; if you pollute it, you yourself will have to sleep and live in that mess." We can take lessons from this statement even today.

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