"We are not going to be able to operate our Spaceship Earth successfully, nor for much longer, unless we see it as a whole spaceship and our fate as common. It has to be everybody or nobody." ~ Buckminster Fuller
Without a doubt, Bucky Fuller was a visionary and futurist. He cared deeply about humankind and this planet. At times he referred to our planet as Spaceship Earth and each of us as its passengers. He also reminded us that Spaceship Earth came with no instruction book. In other words, where we are headed as a species depends on how well we navigate, maintain and preserve the vessel upon which we are traveling and, to accomplish this, we need to work together at steering the vessel. When we make conscious and intentional choices to honor Mother Earth we move from being passengers to crew members on this beautiful blue pearl of a planet. In the process we are also ensuring that our children's children for seven generations to come will have safe and healthy passage aboard Spaceship Earth.
Having recently celebrated Earth Day, we don't have to wait until next Earth Day to be reminded that each day we are the one who makes the difference regarding the future of our precious planet. Bucky was correct in saying, "It has to be everybody or nobody." With the immensity of the problems our planet faces it can be overwhelming to consider the fact that we each have a role to play that is, in no way, insignificant. What can we do today to move from being a passenger to a crew member on Spaceship Earth? It begins by being mindful enough to make sure we are part of the solution, rather than the problem. We can start out by finding just one simple practice we can commit to every day that allows us add something positive to the planet. It might be something as simple as making sure our trash and recyclables get in the correct bins, or conserving water by turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth. Being a crew member on Spaceship Earth is not a difficult thing to do--it's really about living each day with a sense of gratitude for the gift of life itself and making reverence, mixed with a bit of humility, a daily mindfulness practice.
Consider the fact that the planet is a sacred living breathing organism, just as we each are, and we literally draw our life essence from it, breath by breath, one moment, one hour, one day at a time. This also includes the food we eat and the water we drink that sustains our body. In other words, with a bit of help from the Creator, all that we are physically comes from Mother Earth. The question is, are we treating her as well as she is treating us? No doubt there are countless ways to give back something that is life-affirming to the source which virtually sustains and gives us life so selflessly each day. Thinking about it this way makes every day Earth Day...and that is a beautiful thing.
Welcome to the crew.