The Earth Charter

2012 is over and only perhaps can we say that the most critical moment has passed for the inhabitants of Gaia, our mother planet.

Shift, change and evolution have been with us from the beginning, but now things are “soul size” as Christopher Fry declared in the play, A Sleep of Prisoners.

We live in a time when humanity’s individual and collective light is bright enough to invoke spiritual possibility.

Some scientists have told us for years that we need to pay more attention to the earth and its ecology—in the sense that ecology refers to a whole system and its patterns and interdependencies within the environment and the relationships organisms develop with one another. It is a science of life and it is far larger and more comprehensive than science can currently imagine.

When the Charter Became Public

The Earth Charter was started and implemented by the United Nations in 1997 and was unveiled in 2000. Written by an international committee, the Charter was supposed to consider the major influences shaping human ideas and values. The authors recognized science, international law, the wisdom of the world’s great religions and philosophical systems, and the reports and conclusions of previous UN Summit Conferences held in the 1990s.

Main Ideas of the Earth Charter

The Earth Charter was launched at the Peace Palace in the Hague on June 29, 2000. It has four key ideas:
• Respect and Care for the Community of Life
• Ecological Integrity
• Social and Economic Justice
• Democracy, Nonviolence and Peace

Source: http://www.wcupa.edu

Purpose

Its purpose is bring about a sustainable global society based on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice and a culture of peace. It has to be workable for all of us, not just some of us. It calls for people all over the earth to take responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life and to future generations.

Universal Responsibility

The Earth Charter is an important document and even though little is heard about it these days, it lays out some important principles. Akin to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a document that is far seeing and for the long term, it is like a flashlight that we have to use on a dark and foggy night far away from civilization.

One of the things we can do in a positive vein is to identify with the whole Earth community as well as our local community. We are citizens of different nations and at the same time we are part of one world and we are linked and inter-related with all life on this planet.

The spirit of cooperation and sharing, respect and compassion for other creatures are qualities we can choose to play our role in the shift. That is the great spiritual possibility that faces us!

The Earth Charter by Rebecca A Field
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