Planet Earth Shows Us Our Collective Need to Heal
Recently I’ve been thinking about how we’re in the midst of a 6th mass extinction, this one created by humans. 50% of the world’s living species are predicted to be extinct by 2100. Current extinction rates are already 1000-10,000x the natural extinction rate. 3/4 of known species have and already are disappearing. We will lose half of our world’s biodiversity, one that all of humanity and life depends on. In order to prevent humans from going extinct, we would need 5 more earths to sustain our current lifestyle and population of 8.5 billion people. We are already consuming 175% of the planet’s resources and what it can regenerate in one year.
We think about the current state the planet is in and what that means for species survival and health. Then we look to the state of human health. Global health and wellness is an enormous industry valued at $5.61 trillion and is projected to grow to $8.47 trillion by 2027 (Statista), reflecting the growing and serious need for health solutions. The people of our world are plagued by imbalances in mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. This is reflected in the mental and physical health statistics of our global population. Chronic noncommunicable diseases represent 76% of all deaths in the world, and is projected to increase to 86% by 2048 (World Health Organization). Noncommunicable diseases overtook communicable diseases in the 1940s, paralleling the rise in capitalism. They originate within the individual and result in chronic, oftentimes unexplainable health conditions such as cardiovascular disease (e.g. stroke), respiratory disease (e.g. asthma), cancer, and mental health illness. It is projected that at least half of the world’s population will experience at least one mental health disorder in their lifetime (World Health Organization). Chronic stress, anxiety and depression are now common human conditions, especially in wealthy, developed countries, and we only see an increase with every younger generation. Around 40% of millennials (ages 28-43) report having a mental health condition, and 1 out of 3 report having a behavioral health condition. In generation Z (ages 12-27), 9 out of 10 people report experiencing at least one physical or emotional symptom because of stress, such as feeling depressed or hopeless (APA), and suicide is now the second leading cause of death among 12-27 year olds.
The overall state of imbalance and unwellness is reflected across human health, animal health and dwindling populations, environmental health and loss of ecosystems, ocean health, forest health, air quality and global warming. It’s undeniable that our perspectives and attitudes around health and well-being, and connection and harmony with nature need to evolve. The status quo of industrialization, commercialization and capitalism ingrained in human beliefs and behaviors have manifested this reality we live in. In humanity’s quest to transform forest and jungle into city, earth into concrete, natural foods to processed, human to robot…we have discarded our natural essence in exchange for profit, efficiency, uniformity and control. We have forgotten that human beings are also natural components of the Earth. And we have forgotten about our souls.
I was never an environmentalist before my awakening. I lived in New York City. I didn’t really have much of an opinion for nature. I worked for corporations and I loved buying clothes. However when I went through rock bottom, began meditating, went through a spiritual awakening, and learned to reconnect with my soul…that was when my interest in nature began to naturally develop. It’s not that one day I woke up and decided that because we are all connected I must be a tree hugger, no. It happened more unexpectedly and naturally. I was living in Mexico focusing on healing, and then I had reached a phase in my process where it was time to emerge from the cocoon and begin exploring. So one step turned into a nine-month long journey across Mexico, Central America and South America. I ended up traveling over 22,733 miles, almost the circumference of the Earth. The beauty of Latin America called to me and I was captivated by its natural, wild beauty of the landscapes. I explored mountains, volcanoes, jungles, cloud forests, the amazon, islands, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, oceans, deserts and ancient ruins in forgotten corners. I opened up to connecting with the Universal energy of nature, that I never felt or understood before. I ended up falling in love with nature and connecting with it. I spent a majority of my times hiking and being in nature across the Americas, from Mexico to Patagonia. In a way, the whole year was a traveling meditation. I learned so much through those experiences in nature and it opened me up to far more wisdom I could ever read in a book.
Being present in nature is the most transformative and healing experience for any human being. I know this to be true. The love we desire radiates in nature, the wisdom and lessons we need to learn are encoded in nature, the support we need is in the Earth. You don’t have to logically understand it, but I do encourage you to be present in it and tune into how you feel when you’re in nature. The truth is in the feelings and energy of the place. You don’t need to be enlightened or knowledgeable, nature is a gift and a resource to all.
If we continue to bulldoze, destroy, eradicate nature and its forms, we will be left with nothing. Concrete jungles and artificial food is not the reality we want to move towards. Nature is our everything. We take it for granted, but soon enough, if we don’t cherish and respect it and ourselves as natural beings, we will not have our home.
Healthy people want to live in healthy, natural environments. Sick people want to live in unhealthy, unnatural environments.
My hope is that as more people heal themselves, and become healthy and whole again, they will open up to their natural connection with nature and endeavor to respect and live in harmony with it…just as they are capable to do within themselves.
More on environmental challenges:
There are three main issues manifesting right now: 1. habitat loss, 2. over-consumption, and 3. waste and pollution.
Habitat Loss
The planet has lost 1/3rd of the world’s forests and rainforests due to deforestation for agriculture and industry. It is the equivalent of losing two U.S. countries full of trees and habitat for animals. Most of the world’s habitable land has already been claimed by humans for development. The problem is that animals have less and less land to live in and are dying out from pollution and decreasing food sources. In the oceans, animals also contend with massive overfishing, commercial nets and trawlers, and enormous amounts of plastic and chemical waste pollution destroying their natural habitats and killing food sources. When the layers of the food chain are knocked out, it throws the entire ecosystem off balance and leads to collapse. Each successive layer relies on each other. With humans towards the top, we will have nothing to stand on.
What we can do is to advocate for greater habitat protection. The world is already committed to protecting 30% of the world’s land by 2050…but as citizens we will still need to play our part by pushing for legislation and protection to hold governments responsible. Otherwise, they will not get there. In Ecuador, the citizens pushed the government to call a national vote whether to protect Yasuni (one of the most biodiverse parts of the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador) from big oil drilling. (As of August 20, 2023, the people of Ecuador voted out big oil to protect the Amazon rainforest). Ecocide is another global development, calling for the global and legal criminalization of environmental damage and destruction.
Over-Consumption of Energy and Resources
As I mentioned earlier, humans have been consuming 175% of the planet’s resources and what it can regenerate in one year. That means we are consuming what is available for this year + what is available for next year…which basically means that our natural resources don’t even have time to regenerate so we will soon have nothing left. We consume so much that we would need 5 more earths to sustain our current lifestyle at a population of 8.5 billion people.
The U.S. is the 2nd largest energy consumer in the world (consuming 17% of the world’s energy and resources), and is the #1 consumer of oil (consuming 20% of the world’s reserves), but yet the U.S. only represents 4% of the world’s population. China may top the list as the #1 energy consumer but the average U.S. citizen uses 2.5 times the energy of the average Chinese citizen.
What every single person can do is to dramatically decrease their energy usage to only what is essential. E.g. turn off the A.C. and open a window or turn on a fan. Unplug all of your electronic devices. Enjoy being outdoors or activities that don’t require electricity. Transform your home to be as energy efficient as possible. Walk or bike instead of driving. Minimize purchase of oil to the bare minimum. Stop purchasing and buying so many things. This will not only reduce the stress on the world’s resources, but it will also save you money as well.
Pollution & Waste Generation
We have a massive garbage and waste problem in this world. With so much consumption there’s so much waste. And the waste has nowhere to go. Current human solution is to bury it in the Earth. Trash and plastic can be found everywhere—in the oceans, inside animals, inside our food, inside our bodies. Yep there is microplastics in your body right now. Along with enormous list of pharmaceutical chemicals, poisons, toxins, etc. that leech into our global water supply. Waste and pollution is everywhere—we drink it, we eat it, we breathe it, we hear it.
The U.S. is the largest dumper of CO2 emissions in history. Contributing 25% of the world’s total CO2 emissions, and remains as the 2nd largest polluter in the world. Again, China may top the list as #1 but the U.S. pollutes almost 2 times the amount of China per capita.
The U.S. is also the #1 generator of waste in the world. And it holds the record for the largest landfill on the planet: Apex Landfill in Las Vegas at 2,200 acres. A giant swath of garbage land.
What every single person can do is to dramatically decrease purchasing items. And if you do buy something, shop locally, bring a reusable bag, or buy in bulk with minimal packaging. Bring reusable containers and bags for everything you purchase including food. Better yet, plant a garden and grow your own herbs, vegetables, fruit. Minimize meat consumption. Make your own yogurt, bread, pickles, condiments, jams, etc. Again, you’ll be saving a lot of money and you can have fun leaning new hobbies.
The U.S. pretty much tops every list as being the most consumerist, most wasteful, and most environmentally damaging country in the world. Not a big surprise when our governments, businesses and every aspect of our society is engineered to promote the singular goal of having the highest GDP in the world. And for awhile, the U.S. has served as an economic model for the world…and is a major economic leader and decision maker in global politics. But this greed is destroying the only home we have. And soon enough, that GDP will fall when there are no more resources to go around.
What it really comes down to is the decisions and actions we make now in our everyday lives. And those decisions and actions accumulate over time. Our decisions and actions are shaped by the way we think and perceive, and what we believe to be true. The only way to change those decisions and actions is to change what we believe. And what we believe and what we have believed over hundreds of years (believing and breathing capitalism as a lifestyle) has led us to this epic challenge of climate destruction and mass extinction. So what we must do is to change our beliefs, and instead choose to believe in a sustainable and cooperative way of living. We can reduce the usage of energy and resources, we can stop consumption and purchasing to only what is absolutely necessary, we can redefine what is considered ‘absolutely necessary’, we can minimize waste, and we can learn to let go of things we don’t really need. These seemingly insignificant decisions we make on autopilot everyday are what really matters. They compound. And when we can change our beliefs and perceptions, we can change our day-to-day decisions. That is where real change happens.
Let us allow ourselves to see and remember that what we have on Earth is special and important to protect and regenerate. It is our collective purpose to fight for ourselves and to fight for a future on this planet.