The more deeply I search for the roots of the global environmental crisis, the more I am convinced that it is an outer manifestation of an inner crisis that is, for lack of a better word, spiritual... what other word describes the collection of values and assumptions that determine our basic understanding of how we fit into the universe?
Al Gore, Earth in the Balance, Plume, New York, 1993, p. 12.
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It is safe to say that most people will likely experience a spiritual crisis during their lifetime. To avoid a crisis, spirituality, like all great things in this world, must be sought after, worked on, and nourished to develop a deep relationship with God. This is not a simple thing to do because of the constant upkeep it requires. However, people in today’s society are encouraged to seek fast and easy answers, which may result in detrimental consequences. The effects on our world have shown itself to be the product of this frame of mind. Too many people have not made a persistent effort to respect, cultivate, and preserve the resources of this world. Now is the time to change. Now is the time that individuals, as well as humanity as a whole, must become educated and take major steps toward continually protecting our environment for all future generations.
February 14, 2008, Monica Isabella
Each of us needs to have a deep respect for who we are and reverence for the gifts that we have been given. It is only then that we can move out of our small world and begin to treat others as we do ourselves. This then would move into caring for all things of the earth.
February 11, 2008, joan
I think our spiritual health affects the environment on a very immediate, personal level. You meet a lot of people whose spiritual struggles manifest themselves in their physical health. I've been there. I know that if you're not taking care of the soul, it's easy to let the body slide. You over-stress it, under-sleep it, malnourish it, and ignore the signs that tell you to stop. It feels as though our neglect of the environment is an extension of that. If our inner turmoil is keeping us from maintaining healthy bodies (our small, most intimate "world"), it's that much tougher to be conscientious about our planet.
February 11, 2008, m
Many times I've been awe-struck by God's magnificent handiwork. I feel shame and anguish when I see pictures of the devastation left by man after mountain top removal and stream destruction. How can a mountain be "recovered" or a forest restored? How do you give back these treasures to families whose homes and way of life have been destroyed? What will our future generations have....pictures of what used to be?
February 11, 2008, Lana Kelly
I find inspiration in the reverence our Native American brothers and sisters had for the earth, the waters, and the sky. Their belief in the interdependence of all reminds me that what I do to the planet, I do to myself and all that inhabit our planet.
February 11, 2008, maria kruszewski
Man’s strongest, innermost desire is for everlasting communion with God but sometimes he does not realize this. Subsequently what happens is that man seeks to satisfy this desire via surrounding himself with the “things” of the earth. This consumerism leads to the destruction of the environment. It also leads do destructive relationships when persons are considered products to be used and disposed of. Only through the self-sacrificing love of God can everything be brought back into the proper balance.
February 11, 2008, Tim Cronin
I often use resources (drive around for the kids' events, buy packaged foods, stick wet clothes in the dryer rather than take the time to hang them up) convincing myself that my time is precious. Perhaps spiritually, there is a way to spend time with the ones I love and invest time intensive labor, using fewer resources.
February 11, 2008, Kate Campion