|
ESSAYS AND PAPERS |
|
| Alternate Earth Charter proposed by Leonardo Boff Petrópolis, November 13, 1998
Earth Charter We, human beings, men and women, have exiled ourselves from the homeland we shared in common, the Earth. We have forgotten that man was made from humus and that Adam and Eve, son and daughter of the Earth and our ancestors, came from Adamá, land of fertility. Power combined to recklessness has allowed us to create the beginning of our own destruction as well as the destruction of the biosphere. Life does not depend only on the forces of the universe and of the Planet itself, it must be a decision made by humans beings themselves. This time, there won't be a Noah's Ark to save some, leaving others to perish. Everyone must be saved or we will all disappear together, human beings as well as all living organisms. We must come back from exile to take care of the home we all share, which is the Earth, so that all humans and other beings, our brothers and sisters in this great terrestrial adventure, can all live happily in this home. There is too much unnecessary violence, injustice, suffering and poverty in our world. We must take a new course of action. It has become urgent that we find new patterns for civilization, where technical and scientific schemes are reinvented and where there exists a dynamic balance between having and being, resting and working, production and reward, development and conservation, unity and diversity, consumption and shared responsibility. It is essential that we establish management ethics, which can be applied at the global as well as the local and personal levels. These ethics must be based on a new standpoint, on a more integrated vision of the universe, of the Earth, of human beings and of their place in the larger community of living beings. We are fully aware that we are part and parcel of a larger Whole in evolution. There was a time when we were all together in this indivisible reality which was dense with energies and potentialities before it exploded; together we were afterwards, in the big red stars where all elements and energies which constitute the living beings of the universe, our planet Earth and ourselves were formed. A knot of interdependence is tied and tied again between itself and others, because everything is linked with everything on all points, at all times and in all circumstances. We truly form a big cosmic community. As the Earth is a fruit stemming from the history of the cosmos, life is also a fruit from the history of the Earth and we, human beings, are the fruit of the history of life. Life is just one of its multiple manifestations. The Earth is alive. She is our Big Mother, the Pachamama, the good earth of our native people, because she has engendered us and one day, she will welcome us in her bosom. As the sons and daughters of our Mother Earth, we represent the moment when she, the Earth has come to the point in her evolution, where she feels, thinks, loves and reveres. We, therefore, are the Earth, capable of spiritual actions. The cultures of all people are witnesses to the fact that human beings have always inquired about their origins, about their destiny and about this supreme Spirit who was at the origin of it all. Discover his presence in the greatness and magnitude of the universe, his presence deep inside every being and the enthusiasm that radiates from him in through the heart of each human being. We are living beings able to hear and understand the messages which come to us from everywhere, such as the Great Message which echoes from the magnificence of the universe and from the Earth. We feel humbled as we stand before this legacy of 15 billion years of cosmic history, and elevated for being able to recognize and welcome the supreme Source of all beings. From this perception has emerged, within ourselves, the dimension of the sacred expressed through reverential attitudes, respect and care. Without these attitudes, we will not be protecting life, which is always fragile, nor will we guarantee a promising future for the Earth. It is imperative that this vision and these ethics constitute the basis of our attitudes, of our societies and of the patterns for the production of our material goods and services as well as the foundation upon which our spiritual values are built. In order to reach this objective, it is necessary to establish an extensive re-education process for humanity in all aspects including at the personal, family, community, national and international levels. Enlightened by the supreme law of the universe, its synergy and complementarity, we, the tribes and the nations of the Earth, make a commitment towards an action guided by the following objectives which are all interconnected with each other: 1. Cultivate compassion and concern towards all human beings of the terrestrial community, develop a sense of responsibility towards socio-cosmic well-being, and put these principles into practice. It is the duty of every person, community and government to promote commonly shared goals in regards to the sustainability of our the planet and society, the elimination of mass destruction weapons, the establishment of social justice for all, world peace, respect and consideration towards each and every living being. 2. All that exists and lives deserves to continue existing and living. Respect Earth and everything that exists and lives on it. Recognize the diversity, the interdependence, the complementarity and the intrinsic value of all human beings. 3. Ensure the conditions which will make it possible for human species to continue coexisting, reproducing and evolving together. Promote the well-being of the human family as a whole, in all of its diversity and in communion with the well-being of the entire community of life, as well as its physical and chemical support system. 4. Take care of all ecosystems. Protect and restore the diversity, the integrity and the beauty of ecological niches. Carry out preventive actions whenever the risk of serious and irreversible damage to the environment may be present. 5. Live according to sustainable principles. Promote and adopt responsible consumption patterns. Produce and distribute goods and commodities in ways which respect human rights and are ecologically sound, using methods which will help conserve the regenerative capacities of the Earth. 6. Create the conditions which will allow all people to enjoy adequate standards of living, including the material, psychological and spiritual aspects, beginning with those who have been most heavily penalized socially. Always establish a link between social justice and environmental justice, which presupposes: making discrimination based on gender, race, illness or disability, ideology, etc., a thing of the past; show compassion and solidarity towards those who suffer and those who are left unprotected or feel excluded; let people who have been colonized and enslaved become a central group; guarantee the rights of native peoples, former victims of genocide and extinction, to their territories, their culture, their own spiritual roads, and their own traditional ways of production for sustenance and livelihood. 7. Protect the biodiversity of land and oceans, including the stocks of genetic species and the diversity of the different ecosystems. Promote the replacement of endangered species as well as the protection and the restoration of their natural habitats. 8. Always seek the right measure between conservation of nature and development in order to maintain the natural capital, and trust the capacity of human beings for creative intervention. 9. Advocate equity among nations, men and women, rich and poor, present and future generations in matters which concern the sharing of benefits derived from the use of natural resources and the right to a healthy environment, taking into account the environmental, social and economic costs related to this process. 10. Define the laws of genetic manipulation in the sense of strengthening the sacred unity of life for the benefit of the biosphere and never in detriment of one species or a specific ecosystem nor to the advantage of lucrative interests. 11. Guarantee future generations the right to inherit a sustainable planet which will be able to satisfy their needs adequately, and at the same time preserving its integrality, as well as its natural and cultural beauty. 12. Encourage social development and institute economic systems which will help create and maintain sustainable means of livelihood, eradicate poverty, promote international collaboration and strengthen local communities. 13. Recognize that any economic growth is built in part for the development of the Earth-system and principally for the full and multidimensional development of each individual and each human community, from the actual resources and potential of the above, in respect of the diversity of the material and spiritual attributes which characterize the human species. 14. Practice active non-violence by recognizing that only through pacific methods can long-lasting peace be established as a result of harmonious and balanced relations, first with ourselves, then with others and the different forms of life, as well as with the Earth and the creative Source of all beings. 15. Strengthen the means which facilitate access to information and enable people to participate in the decision making processes, thus ensuring transparency through the obligation for governments to give accounts of their actions as well as for the various sectors of society to explain how they are being managed. 16. Recognize that equity and reciprocity must be established between genders as a requisite for the sustainability of humanity. 17. Ensure the right to sexual and reproductive health, giving particular attention to young women. 18. Encourage the participation of young people, as agents who can help promote change, focusing on sustainability at the local, regional and global levels. 19. Equal opportunities must be given to all people in order to ensure that it is possible for everyone to acquire the knowledge, the values, the abilities and the practical skills which are necessary for people to build sustainable communities. 20. Treat all living creatures with kindness, care and compassion and protect them from cruelty and extinction. 21. Do not do to the environment of others what you would not want them to do to your own. These objectives aim to inaugurate an alliance of lasting peace with the Earth. Never more shall we exile ourselves from the Earth again but we shall share life with her, in synergy and in solidarity, under the rainbow which begins at the same place and leads to a commonly shared destiny. We want to love this beautiful and splendid Planet. It is the only place we have, where we can live and exist. We deeply believe in the energies hidden inside every human being, in the spirit motivating us towards re-educating ourselves so that we can find our way Home again. It has become crucial for us to understand and to feel our profound relationship and belonging to the universe and to our Mother Earth. Yes, we will feel and we will love, we will love and we will make commitments, we will make commitments and we will save ourselves, life and the Earth. |
|