One World

10) Mother's Day

Posted 6th March 2016

Today, the people in the United Kingdom celebrate Mother's Day to "honour one's mother, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society".

In this blog post I want to send out a message to OUR mother. The mother you and I share. Mother Earth.

Dear Mother Earth,

Every cell in my body is made up from the elements and molecules of your body.

Every nutrient and protein my body needs, you provide me.

You provide me with all the water I need.

With every inhalation, my body asks for oxygen, and you freely give it to me.

You take away the carbon dioxide I expel, and convert it back to oxygen through the plant life living all over your body.

You provide the materials your children need to build homes and technology to make our lives safer and more comfortable.

You allow me to live with you, among areas of beautiful countryside, and varied wildlife and plant life.

To live among fascinating people, my brothers and sisters, of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

To enjoy the wonders your children produce: inventions, technology, architecture, art, literature, film, music, comedy, and so on.

But your children are young. At present, many of them seek to dominate their brothers and sisters. To have more than their siblings. Your children are capable of acts of great injustice towards one another, and to you. By hurting any of your children, they are hurting you. By hurting you, you who makes their continued living with you possible, they hurt themselves and all of your children. Presently, many of your children are greatly suffering, whilst their siblings turn their backs on them.

However, you also have kind and wise children. Children who seek harmony among all your children. Children who want to care for you so you can more effectively care for everyone.

But for now, many of your aggressive and domineering children foolishly pursue short term gains for themselves and their localised groups to the detriment of many of their other siblings. They render ineffective the efforts of their siblings who wisely seek enduring harmony for all your children.

I truly hope that all your children learn to care for you soon, so that they can find happiness living in harmony and balance with you and with each other.

All of your children are made from you. These are my brothers and sisters. Whilst your children don't get along with each other very well at the moment, for your sake and ours, we must learn to. We can begin this by recognising that you are OUR mother. That our bodies are a part of you. That you are a part of all of us. That you care for and nourish all of us. But that you could care for all of us SO much more effectively if we could all learn to act in harmony with one another, and with you.

You now have children all around you, slowly and painfully growing towards the realisation that to love and care for you is to love and care for themselves and ALL their siblings, your children. That to love and care for ALL your children, their siblings, is to love and care for you.

Your children are growing in knowledge, discovering many exoplanets that could harbour life. I hope they grow in wisdom to realise there is probably only one of these planets for which they don't need a spacesuit - and that planet is their home, their mother. But for now, your children are participants in a destructive social system that poisons the precious air, water and food you provide, so that end of year profits are maximised, and another 4 or 5 years in government is won. Your children need to grow up, or soon there may be NO planets habitable to them without the need for artificial apparatus.

I'm hopeful that soon all your children will care for you, which also means caring for ALL your children, every day of their time with you.

I breathe you in with every breath. My body is made from your body. Your body nourishes me with the food and water you provide. You give me shelter. I am in you, and you are in me.

Hoping the day will come when EVERY day is Mother Earth day,

Love,

Alistair Drummond