WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HUMANITY

                        

 

Do you remember the poem about the walk in the forest and the poet comes upon a fork in the path?  A choice must be made. He takes the path less trodden “and that made all the difference?” There is a decision to be made if he was to move forward in life.

 

The human race stands in front of the fork in the road. Will we choose the path to bring our planet to a sustainable future or will we continue to warm the atmosphere with carbon dioxide from our industrial development? 

 

For the past sixty years scientists have been warning that if humanity continues our present rate of consumption of the earth’s resources we are headed for ecological collapse. Many people are having a difficult time coming to grips with a warming climate. Many are voicing their fears the demands that a sustainable environment will make on them. 

 

If we use the example of the food chain, then, the top twenty percent of humanity are consuming (greedily) too much of the earth’s resources. The people at the top are taking too much and the people at the bottom will suffer the most from climate warming.

 

We can see this as a tremendous burden or as an opportunity for the human race (and each individual human) to avoid collapse and move into a sustaining life for the planet. 

 

The ecological crisis is a great opportunity for realigning our lifestyles. It is a time to once again root ourselves as part of the human race; what we do in Canada affects every person on this globe. What happens in China impacts every Canadian. 

 

Whenever people have to work together for survival, they begin to see each other in a very positive light and begin to understand each other in very helpful ways. When the people in any of our towns come out to fill sandbags to make a dike to prevent the flooding of their town, they see each other in such a positive light. Getting to know and appreciate each other through flood prevention can be such a strong blessing. Great things come out of crises.

 

This is the opportunity for the human race to work together for survival as never before. This is an opportunity for all peoples to work together. I see this as a time to build bridges between cultures and politics. A bridge always carries the travellers two ways. We will be enriched by working together to save the planet. What could happen if countries like the USA, China and India all worked together to prevent further destruction of the ecosystems of the earth? 

 

And now all religions have a common cause to work toward. You cannot work together when you see the other as your enemy. What will happen when all the Christian communities, all the various religious expressions work together to survive? We now have common concerns to work with the Buddhists, the Sheiks, the Hindus and all Christians to preserved and nourish our common home.

 

Is climate change a recipe for disaster or an opportunity for new growth? Will humanity step backward or will it go forward to choose life for the future of the planet?