Interviews
Exclusive Author Essay
In our world in which our water, air, and land are so sadly poisoned; where global warming is more than a threat, it is a killer; and species are disappearing forever at the rate of 200 a day, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Is Earth Day going to continue being a day where huge corporations pump money into celebrations in order to look "green" while people show up for their day of self-congratulation and leave with trash overflowing out of barrels onto the ground? Or is Earth Day going to be our foundation from which we build a truly healthy world where the statement "Every day is Earth Day," is more than just a sound bite for media, but instead a reality for which we hold all of us accountable -- governments, corporations, consumers, and ourselves?
Valentine's Day is a day where we set aside special time to honor the ones we love. Is this the only day we show appreciation to those we care about? I certainly hope not. I do not believe so. The same it must become for Earth Day if indeed we truly love each other and the future generations who will inherit whatever is left of the Earth we leave behind. There are many important groups working toward this common vision of a truly healthy, sustainable, beautiful world in which all of life in all of its forms is respected and protected.
When people say to me "Thank you Julia, for showing that one person CAN indeed make a difference." I always reply, "Thank you, but my work is to show that Each and Every one of us DOES make the difference. Every single thing we do and say, and I believe, even our thoughts affect the world. If we choose to do nothing in a situation, this has an impact on the world. Every single moment there is a choice, and every choice has an impact. We are all powerful beings beyond our wildest imaginations. So the KIND of difference we CAN make is up to us!"
Take your finger and point it at any daily action. Then look to the three fingers pointing back as power, responsibility, and Love. Realize that you have the power of choice in every moment and every action. When we feel we do not have a choice that is our fear or attachment to comfortableness talking. Choose instead out of Love. When we choose from Love, responsibility no longer seems to be a chore or a matter of judgment, instead it becomes our Joy in our ability to respond to any situation from a place of consciousness.
We as a people have the ability and technology to begin doing things so much better than we currently are. The hope, though, lies in our hearts and spirits. We have the minds and skills; the question is, "Do we have the compassion and the courage?" I believe that we as a people do have the capacity to care, and the hope comes in our joining together to share our collective skills -- in mind, body, heart, and spirit. (Julia Butterfly Hill)
