7 Billion Reasons
Quietly and with modest fanfare, the Earth welcomed its seven billionth human on Monday.
And like all who came before this child across the millenia, the Earth surrounded this human with an abundance of life-sustaining gifts: Air to breath, fresh water to drink, and fertile land to grow food. As this child grows, the Earth will continue to selflessly give of itself: Trees for wood to build shelter, stores of fossil fuels for energy and plastics and so many other things, oceans for travel and food, precious metals to adorn, plants to derive medicines from… Everything that this child will ever need — or could want — will come from the Earth.
So what does that mean to you and me?
Everything. With this new child, there are seven billion reasons (and counting) for all of us to challenge the status quo of how we live our lives and the burdens we bring upon this beautiful planet of ours. Seven billion reasons to embrace a new earth ethic that returns and restores the awe and magnificence of the natural world to our senses and livelihoods. Seven billion reasons why we must approach each day as a single human family with common values, selfless respect and deep compassion instead of billions of individuals with selfish egos and agendas.
Have you ever stopped to reflect on the beauty of this world we are a part of?
Our oldest son has been showing a strong interest in astronomy as of late. With that, we’ve been spending time with a lot of library books and talking about all things meek and grand within the cosmos.
But it’s been the simple pictures of Earth that have given me such pause of late. When paired next to images of the other planets in our solar system, the Earth just beams with beauty. A perfect sphere of deep blue with green-brown masses intricately connected across its surface and the wispy white of cloud cover seemingly brushed on here and there. With just a passing glance, you know we are somewhere special in the cosmos.
Yet, the path we have set in motion as humans has the potential to render this idyllic picture unrecognizable to those who will come after us. Selfishly, we will have stripped the Earth to its core, burned its contents to ashen relics, poisoned its air and water, rendered land barren and unable to bear life-giving food, and brought fellow creatures to the brink of or sadly to the demise of extinction. For what? So called “gain” and “prosperity”? The illusion of “growth” and “innovation”?
With the seven billionth human among us, we reach yet another critical milestone in our brief but tumultuous history; another fork in the Road of Life. Decisions both big and small regarding our future are more critical than ever.
If the annals of history are to be kind, all of we must shift our perspective on Nature and our place within it. We must return to a balance point that respects the gifts the Earth gives freely to us and enables all to share in a way that redefines “prosperity”. We must live choose to live deeply in a shallow world. We must live simply so that others may simply live.
The fork is there. We have the power and means to turn the right way. All that is needed is the collective will — the will of all seven billion of us.
Be well,
Bill
Enjoyed this post? Feel free to share it with your circle using the Facebook, Twitter and/or Google+ buttons below. Not a subscriber to The New Pursuit? Subscribe today. Thanks. You might also enjoy these posts:
- Meditation: To Nature We Turn
- Roots, Reconciliation and Renewal
- Minimalism, Mindfulness and the Moral Imperative of a New Earth Ethic
[image: NASA via Flickr]
space
What a deeply moving and beautiful post about this world we live on. We owe to each other, to recognize our shared stake in this world, to finally realize that we are all in this together.
I like to think of our planet as Spaceship Earth, careening through the dead of space, with everything we need on board to sustain us. How will we treat our vessel? How will we ensure that it still can provide us with what we need? When will we recognize its limits?
I too have an interest in astronomy, and often look up at Jupiter in the night sky, so bright yet so small, so far away, yet so massive – and contemplate how lucky we are to have this tiny spot in space in which to call home.
Sherry // Thanks so much. I love the imagery of “Spaceship Earth” — it reminds me of two things: 1) The PBS series “Cosmos” which was based on (and hosted by) Carl Sagan’s book of the same name; and 2) Dr. Bronner’s Soap (he often talked about Spaceship Earth). So glad to hear there is someone else looking up at the night sky and enjoying the amazing show Jupiter has been putting on the last couple of weeks. I look forward to seeing that brilliant point of light rise in the southeast corner of our yard and dance its way across the sky as the night goes on. Our kids are even looking for it too! Gazing up at the stars is one of my absolute FAVORITE things to do. It connects me to something bigger while gently teaching me humility and appreciation.
Sherry Greens and Bill Gerlach have drifted from the original thought of 7 bn baby born and engaged in Spaceship Earth.Everybody gets attracted towards night sky,nothing new in that ,I too can write beautiful words about night sky but main topic has been left behind.Seem to be not interested in consequences of growing population or what can be done to accommodate the new ones.
KR // Perhaps you’re only reading the comments and not the original post. The crossing of this population threshold was the impetus for my meditation on it — and the writing of the post. Yes, I did not provide technical and specific things that the human species must do to overcome/accommodate this number — because I believe that there must be a massive internal shift in how we perceive ourselves (not being above or better than nature) and the world around us (embracing a collective oneness and compassion for all life) as a precursor to technical solutions. Otherwise, they will continue to be a band-aid on the problems before us.
Of course, you’re always welcome to put forth any ideas that you have too. This is a dialogue.