In Greek
mythology Gaia is the personification of the Earth. In the 1970s Lynn Margulis
and James Lovelock proposed the Gaia Hypothesis. This hypothesis (aka
Principle, Theory, Paradigm) recognises the entire planet as a synergistic, intricately
interwoven and entangled, self-regulating system. This theory posits that each
and every part of the Earth are co-dependent upon all other parts in a complex
way that is impossible to fully comprehend, let alone describe.
As I
strolled along the beach (one of the Earth’s many ecosystems) I wondered what
resolutions the Greek personification of Gaia might come up with? If, as some
suggest, humans are the Earth’s way of expressing herself through
consciousness, then maybe I could come up with some possible Gaia New Year
Resolutions. Here are some possibilities:
- Make alliances with those humans who are the original human inhabitants of places to protect those places from exploitation, extraction, pollution, and destruction. Some places to start would be; the Amazon jungle, the Taiga (or Siberian boreal forest,) the Congo rainforest and all it’s inhabitants (including the chimpanzee and bonobo – humankind’s closest relative,) and the Atacama Desert.
- Attempt to remove the massive dams impeding many rivers and disrupting the lives of many fish and other aquatic creatures that depend on the smooth flow of the rivers.
- Try to plug the bores tapping oil and gas beneath my surface. Many humans are doing this with perilous results. Perhaps I (Gaia) can somehow seal these bores.
- Continue to create beauty where and when I can. Rainbows, spring flowers, sparkling waterfalls, Auroras, moonlight, rolling waves are all spectacles and wonders I can craft.
- Endeavour to ease the plight of hundreds of threatened species, some of whom I know will become extinct very soon.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly,
6. Convene a meaningful and all-encompassing conversation with the majority of my human inhabitants. The topics of this conversation will be to spell out the unhealthy and inconsiderate manner in which many humans are treating me and all those who depend upon me. I (Gaia) would also like to suggest to these humans that if they were to slow down, be mindful, consider others, reduce their dependence upon gadgets and trinkets, then they would find greater peace and harmony within themselves.
These are
some of the possible Gaia’s New Year Resolutions that came to my mind while
walking along the beach. There are, no doubt, dozens of others. You, the
reader, may come up with a few more.
I know
that these are my personified resolutions of Gaia, however, it may be worth all
of us considering, on this New Years Day, what the Earth might like for
herself.
The final
resolution above – a conversation between Gaia and us humans – might be a way
for us humans to approach the way in which we live. Perhaps before we do
something, individually and collectively, we could sit down and converse with
Gaia.
Conversations
with Gaia reminds me of Council of All Beings workshop that is utilised
in Deep Ecology retreats. The workshop is ably and fully described by Joanna
Macy and Pat Fleming in the book Thinking Like A Mountain.1
How about
we all add this resolution to our New Years Resolutions this year: To hold
meaningful and all-encompassing conversations with Gaia.
Notes:
