I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of politics. Politicians rarely work for the common good and instead focus on personal gain, and the whole lot of them make me want to admit defeat and start my own sovreign nation on a remote island somewhere tropical. Since that's never going to happen, I make due and do my part by voting and signing petitions and whatnot.
Today I read this article that made me want to hug a politician. Granted, it's not an American politician, but this gives me hope. According to the article, in Bolivia, they are working on passing a bill that will grant Mother Earth the same rights as humans. The belief system of the indigenous people includes a goddess who is similar to the Greek goddess, Gaia, whom we often refer to as Mother Earth. They are granting her the rights to live without being polluted, and the right not to have genetic modifications (meaning no GMOs!), among others.
I know there are going to be a lot of skeptics and naysayers, but I say it's about time the people in charge of our world take a stand for the planet. We only have the one, and it has selflessly given our species everything we could ever possibly need. Still we demand more while giving back nothing and in fact, causing harm. Of course Bolivia will face some challenges, which is always the case when you drastically alter the status quo, but I think they can pull it off. Hopefully they will be a role model for the rest of the world, and we can all work together to undo the harm our species has caused to the planet.
Little, Big
2 months ago
Bravo for Bolivia!
ReplyDeleteBut really, we need to go a few steps further--beyond granting Her rights as a human. Ha... human! As if She were as puny and stupid as we are.
If we are to fulfill the higher functions of our species, then we must be stewards for the parts of Her that we interact with. We must be good to Her, do nothing to harm Her, and right the wrongs done to Her. Only then can we understand that we are here in service of the Earth and our fellow humans.
(Please note: I don't consider all humanoids on this planet to be actually human. Some of them don't seem to have human souls.)
I agree 100%, pentalia!
ReplyDeleteI'm just really excited that there is a government on this planet that is finally recognizing that we need to step up and do *something* and are working towards that goal.
A lot closer to home, there is a similar initiative taking place in my hometown. In Spokane, a group called Envision Spokane is working on gathering support for a Community Bill of Rights. In the radical original draft (which earned 25% of right-leaning Spokane voters' support!!!), rights were given to the environment, including the river and aquifer. See Amendment 2 of the newest draft: http://envisionspokane.org/communitybillofrights.html
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty radical stuff for Eastern Washington. To gain 25% of the voters' support was a huge triumph for our friends at Envision Spokane and a step in the right direction for Washington. The original bill was dozens of pages long. The new, more concise version, will hopefully be much more pleasing to voters the next time around.
Anyway, just thought you'd be impressed to see something happening in our own state :)
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing :D
ReplyDelete