Earth: Stressed Out
Filed under: Dharma
Is it time for us to stop worrying about life, death, after life, and all the other truths we are seeking, to stop everything we are doing and start listening to a planet under stress? Over the past few weeks, I have noticed a flurry of news articles addressing the state of the planet, and its rapid deterioration. Is the planet trying to reach us, tying to tell us there is a problem, and not everyone is alert and listening?
With our desires and demands of the planet on a fast track, and rate of consumption on the rise, what kinds of pressure are we putting on the planet? How worried should we be? The pictures and evidence are all around us, but we continue to go on with our lives, maybe hoping someone else will fix the problem.
Back in summer of 2004, I was traveling around Alaska, and I was shocked to see how far the glaciers have receded, compared to pictures from a few decades back. I wonder how much more they have receded since then. As the most intelligent species, I feel we need to wake up, and use our intelligence to relieve the stress we have put on this planet.
What’s needed is a global eco-revolution, and the task at hand is not for a few groups of people to perform, but for each and every one of us to take on. Now, is it too late for our actions to have an impact? I don’t know. Will an asteroid strike earth, and wipe us all out by the time we are done cleaning up the planet? I don’t know. But I know this, what is in our control, right now, is the option to clean up a messy room, which we have put off cleaning for a long time.
11 Comments
Amit
Mar 27, 2006 | 5:11 am
Hey KD,
Great blog dude, I wrote something very similar recently here – http://www.unlimitedchoice.org/news.php?readmore=10 and you’re so right, we all need to take responsibility through making small changes collectively that eventually will have huge benefits to the planet. I just hope that people wake up in time before it’s too late!
Amit
Mar 27, 2006 | 5:13 am
…Also the title of your blog reminds me of the song: Stressed out by a Tribe Called Quest. If you haven’t heard it, I highly recommend it! 🙂
A dude
Apr 2, 2006 | 8:49 am
I do wonder if the planet is in danger or we are in danger. The planet has the ability to regenerate itself – after all if scientists are to be believed, there have been several ice ages. Man’s inherent belief that he’s the guardian of the planet is the one that is causing all the problems. In this man has forgotten to live in harmony with Nature and is instead, using secrets gleaned from her for some sort of continuity. Nature has her own movement and probably her own agenda. Is it possible that Nature created man to destroy her creations so that something new may emerge?
KarmaDude
Apr 3, 2006 | 1:08 am
Amit:Shouldn’t the attitude be; “let’s stop this now and see if things improve?”
I agree with your post, I feel sceintists are wasting their time, our time, and the earths time, when action is needed now, not few years down the road.
A dude:Is it possible that Nature created man to destroy her creations so that something new may emerge
That is an interesting way to think about, I wonder what new things would emerge. One thing we can learn from the dinosaurs is that, new things WILL emerge. Now the question is, being one of the new things can we save ourselves from going the way of the dinosaurs?
Amit
Apr 11, 2006 | 7:20 am
I recently read a blog with an article by a scientist saying that we need some sort of mass wipe out of the population in order for the world to survive. In one way I do agree but I feel that it is something that will be a natural process rather than a man made disease. I’ll try and find a link to that blog.
Mapi
Mar 23, 2007 | 12:25 pm
Hi!!
I liked your article..May I use the picture of the sick earth for my Junior Project?? It consists of creating a website!!! Please…!! It is about the changes we should make in our daily lives so that we can slowly, but effectively, improve the problems we have caused to our earth and avoid more and worse!!!! Thank you
KarmaDude
Mar 23, 2007 | 12:49 pm
Mapi, the picture of the sick earth is not mine. I found it on google images. However, I was not able to locate the source of the image. So if you want to use it, that’s up to you, and let me know if you find the source.
Good luck with your project!
Mapi
Mar 27, 2007 | 9:32 am
Oh ok, I’ll let you now if I find it!!
Thanks, Mapi
shrubs
Apr 4, 2007 | 1:04 pm
Found your website when I did a search for images on Google. Liked the post, I agree whole heartedly, unfortutely a wave of indifference and a government which does not embrace such ideals but rather fight them will not allow a revolution to occur, at least in the foreseeable future. It makes my heart sad, because we are the generation who have the power to make things better now for the future of our children and the next generation.
sarah webb-watts
Mar 20, 2008 | 10:35 am
hey i just wanted to let you know i’m using your picture for a poster im creating to promote earth hour at my high school. i would put the artist name by the picture if i had it. anyways thx
KarmaDude
Mar 20, 2008 | 10:54 am
@Sarah, I did not create that image, found it on the web. see comment