Guiding Light: Earth Day Special - Who Can Save The Planet?

The earth is a living organism. Do you think this earth which hosts such diversity of life is just a lifeless object? It is conscious. It is living. Life originates from life and is sustained by it.

All the ancient civilizations including the Indian civilization honored the earth, rivers, sun, moon, trees, and mountains as sacred. They were seen as divine manifestations. We need a revival of the idea that planet Earth is sacred. When you consider something sacred, then it brings a sense of mindful reverence, a sense of awareness towards it. To be conscious of our environment is something that comes naturally to us. It is only once we start drifting from our very nature, that we start polluting our environment and exploiting it for short-term gains. We need to revive the ancient practice of honoring and conserving nature.

We must attend to our spiritual roots, and rekindle this awareness. We must understand the human psyche that makes one insensitive and unaware towards the environment, and also what makes one caring and nurturing towards it. If compassion and care are kindled within oneself, it reflects in how we treat the environment, and a sense of sacredness follows.

To foster sensitivity, we need to develop a sense of belongingness with the planet; treat trees, people and rivers as our own; and see God in nature and people. A sensitive person can’t but be concerned about nature.You don't need rules to tell you not to pollute a river you worship. You don’t need regulations to stop you from cutting a tree you bow to.

When you consider something sacred, you do not exploit it. Instead, you protect it, you care for it, you honour it.

Spirituality awakens responsibility-for oneself, for others, and for the planet. It brings with it more sensitivity towards our environment. It’s only when we start moving away from our nature that we start polluting nature.

This is what we must reclaim, not just for the sake of tradition, but for the future of our planet.

Pollution begins not just in factories or with vehicles, but in the mind, when it is full of stress, negativity and greed. Such a mind does not have sensitivity or awareness to take care of one’s environment. It is on a constant run to fulfill its ambitions. A mind that reveres nothing will violate everything. The greed for more, the carelessness in action, and the disregard for consequences stem from this inner poverty.

We often speak of saving the environment through sustainable development. Sustainable development is that which keeps in mind the long-term effects and benefits of any project. Ravaging natural resources without a long-term vision will destroy the ecology, which is the very source of life. The purpose and intent of development should be to support, revive, and sustain life, and make life better. Then the very process of development will become a conscious effort to preserve the planet and its resources. The need for sustainability has to arise from a deeper awareness. It is reverence alone that turns awareness into action. When a person becomes sensitive, not just intellectually but emotionally and spiritually, they begin to walk lightly, consume wisely, and waste less.

As we work towards saving this sacred planet, we have much to learn from Nature. The more you respect nature, pay attention to it the more you observe these lessons at play. For example, if you visit a forest, you will see that so many animals live in it but they do not litter the area like humans do. If you see nature, the five elements in it are opposed to each other; there are species in the animal kingdom that are hostile to each other- and yet there is a perfect balance in nature. Earthworms are a perfect example of how nature digests waste and recycles it. But when we disturb this balance with blind consumption, deforestation and exploitation of resources, we push nature to respond with floods, droughts, and climate shifts.

At The Art of Living, we have undertaken projects across the globe-reviving 75 rivers and tributaries, planting over 100 million trees, promoting natural farming and eco-conscious living. And all of this is rooted in growing sensitivity and awareness in the seeker as one walks on the spiritual path. Without this spiritual awareness, actions remain shallow. When you honor nature and work towards preserving its purity, nature celebrates your presence on the planet.