Hi Adam, another thoughtful and well written article. I think we should start with a UN resolution for a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth that should then be adopted by every nation on earth. I know it's a big "should", but we need a very credible Call to Action which the UN can provide. Cheers Mitch Taylor
Aristotle: "...undeniably true that she has made all animals for the sake of man." Here I thought we'd gone wrong at Decartes, but no, the separation goes farther back.
Riffing off of what Elliot has kindly written below: while I recognize it is unlikely to work for a majority of current wealth-holders worldwide, it may be a better approach to ditch the idea of rights and laws completely in favor of a new way of being in the world. We've spoken about indigenous ways of being - no corporation should ever have been given rights, but in a world in which that has become more powerful than individual much less natural rights, perhaps we need to change the entire culture. Not just specific laws. Perhaps rule one is reciprocity, start and build from there.
Wonderful piece, Adam. Thomas Berry's "The Great Work" is the most underlined dogeared books I ever read. This is so timely, beautifully written. I've been thinking for years about a few of your main points and one that I feel needs to lifted up. Yes - we must move towards telling the truth - economically, socially, culturally - about how our "right" to own and destroy the Earth is truly insane and that "right" has no right to destroy life - human, trees, whales, elephants, trees.
Certainly rights of life and the living are vital to life itself. I would add that as we have right, we have responsibilities. I suggest that "we" design our "Bill of Responsibilities" as the companion to our "Bill of Rights", that both are living, dynamic works of jurisprudence, art and love - of life and our common home, Earth. Yours - Elliot
Hi Adam, another thoughtful and well written article. I think we should start with a UN resolution for a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth that should then be adopted by every nation on earth. I know it's a big "should", but we need a very credible Call to Action which the UN can provide. Cheers Mitch Taylor
Aristotle: "...undeniably true that she has made all animals for the sake of man." Here I thought we'd gone wrong at Decartes, but no, the separation goes farther back.
Riffing off of what Elliot has kindly written below: while I recognize it is unlikely to work for a majority of current wealth-holders worldwide, it may be a better approach to ditch the idea of rights and laws completely in favor of a new way of being in the world. We've spoken about indigenous ways of being - no corporation should ever have been given rights, but in a world in which that has become more powerful than individual much less natural rights, perhaps we need to change the entire culture. Not just specific laws. Perhaps rule one is reciprocity, start and build from there.
Wonderful piece, Adam. Thomas Berry's "The Great Work" is the most underlined dogeared books I ever read. This is so timely, beautifully written. I've been thinking for years about a few of your main points and one that I feel needs to lifted up. Yes - we must move towards telling the truth - economically, socially, culturally - about how our "right" to own and destroy the Earth is truly insane and that "right" has no right to destroy life - human, trees, whales, elephants, trees.
Certainly rights of life and the living are vital to life itself. I would add that as we have right, we have responsibilities. I suggest that "we" design our "Bill of Responsibilities" as the companion to our "Bill of Rights", that both are living, dynamic works of jurisprudence, art and love - of life and our common home, Earth. Yours - Elliot