What will our planet look like in 500 years?

This is the last in my September blog series about the joy habit – Be Respectful, based on my book Being Joy™.

Week One talked about showing respect for yourself by listening to the messages your body, mind, and spirit were telling you.

Week Two was all about improving your self-respect by showing others how you want to be treated.

Last week I asked you to extend genuine respect by holding space for others to share their truth.

This week I’d like you to expand your respect even further.  Mother Earth needs you!

There is no question that our planet’s future is in peril.  You only have to watch the news or look around you to fully comprehend how fragile our eco-system is.  Record wildfires, flooding, tropical storms, heat waves, droughts, polar ice erosion, green-house gas emissions, and species endangerment.  We are on a collision course with a ticking time clock. But I truly believe it’s not too late.

Here’s my challenge. 

I’ve created a list of 10 ways you can show your respect for Mother Earth.  Start by choosing one topic from the list.  This will be your focus of attention for an entire month.  You’re likely already doing many of these, but what I’d like you to do is to get deeper into the topic.  Really education yourself about it and how it relates to your local environment as well as globally. Commit to taking sacred action on one thing that will make a difference regarding this topic.  Encourage others in your orbit to become active as well.

Once the first month is completed, then move on to another topic from the list.  Then rinse and repeat. You can either start with the first topic and work your way through the list or select the one that feels right to you as a starting place.  Whichever way you decide to begin, I would encourage you to do all 10 on the list. After 10 months of immersing yourself in the things you can do to make a difference, believe me you’ll feel more energized and hopeful. And that will be a good kind of contagious!

So, are you up for it?

 

Here’s your list:

1. Respect for the water.  The water we drink and wash with.  The water we use to grow our food. Our lakes, streams, and oceans.  Water is essential to the survival of all living things.
2. Respect for the earth.  The soil we grow our food and build our homes and communities on.  The earth is where we grow our food and plant our feet.  It needs to be contaminant-free.
3. Respect for the forests.  Not only do forests provide most of the oxygen for humans and animals to breathe, but they offer us a natural environment to play and pray, among many other benefits.  Lots to learn about this topic.
4. Respect for the air.   To live, we must breathe.  As our planet’s air has become exceedingly polluted with more liquids, solids, and gases over the years, the health of all living things has suffered.
5. Respect for the insects and reptiles.  Yeah I know for many people they are a bit scary and a nuisance.  But they are critical to the balance of our eco-system.  And for lots of children and adults, they are quite delightful!
6. Respect for the fish and water dwellers.  Each depend on the other for survival.  As their numbers decrease, we upset the natural balance of the sea and land, which ultimately makes us all at risk.
7. Respect for the land animals.  As each year passes, more animals make it onto the endangered species list due in large part to loss of habitat, poaching, and environmental contamination.  Our compulsion for expansion at the expense of our planet’s four-legged co-habitants is risking the extinction of species that future generations might only be able to experience through history books.
8. Respect for the birds.  As with the water dwellers and land animals, many varieties of birds are becoming at risk.  Climate change has impacted migratory patterns, especially when large swaths of burning forests destroy their homes and bellow so much smoke that birds are forced to change their migration course.  What impact will all this have on repopulation because of environmental changes?
9. Respect for the humans.  What I mean is respect for ALL humans, not just the ones who look and think like us.  Once we create a world where there is equal distribution of resources, there will be less addiction to over-consumption.  Knowing there is enough for everyone diminishes greed.  And greed is based on fear.
10. Respect for future generations.  Ultimately, taking action on everything on this list is showing respect for future generations, better known as “seven generation stewardship”.  This concept urges the current generation of humans to live and work for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future.  What will your legacy be?

I wish for you abundant learning. And I ask that you put this knowledge into sacred action.

And until next time, keep your frequency high, your mind open, and your joy ever expanding!

Love from your Joy Mama,

P.S.    If you haven’t already read my book Being Joy™, it’s a simple 40-day practice of replacing old self-defeating beliefs with new empowering joy habits. As your vibrational frequency increases, you’ll not only experience more joy, but you’ll also be a beacon of hope for others who have forgotten their own joy.  Please join me on this important Joy Revolution by ordering your copy today!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like these:

Meditate on your vision
What do you appreciate?
Are you a tree hugger?

 

Images courtesy of Pixabay.