Wisdom of the Earth
Have we lost Chief Seattle’s Wisdom?
We can make a difference!
How can you buy the sky?
How can you own the rain and the wind?
My mother told me, “Every part of Earth is sacred to our people. Every pine needle. Every sandy shore. Every Mist in the dark woods. Every meadow and humming insect. All are holy in the memory of our people. My father said to me, I know the sap that courses through the trees as I know the blood that flows in my veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us.”
The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the great eagle are our brothers. The rocky crests, the meadows, the ponies, - all belong to the same family. The voice of my ancestors said to me, “The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not simply water, but the blood of your grandfather’s grandfather. Each ghostly reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of memories in the life of our peoples. The water’s murmur is the voice of your great-great grandmother. The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. You must give the rivers the kindness you would give to any brother.”
The voice of my grandfather said to me, “The air is precious. It shares the spirit with all the life it supports. The wind that gave me my first breath also receive my last sigh.” You must keep the land and air apart and sacred, as a place where one can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers. When the last Red Man and Woman have vanished with their wilderness, and their memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will the shores and the forest still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left? My ancestors said to me,”This we know: The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth.
The voice of my grandmother said to me, “Teach your children what you have been taught. The earth is our mother. What befalls the earth befalls all the sons and daughters of the earth. Hear my voice and the voice of my ancestors. The destiny of your people is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men? When the view of the ripe hills is blotted by talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone. Where will the eagle be? Gone. And what will happen when we say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? It will be the end of living and the beginning of survival.”
This we know. All things are connected like the blood that unites us. We did not weave the web of life. We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the strand, we do to ourselves.
For we love this earth as a newborn loves its mothers heartbeat. So if we sell our land, love it as we’ve loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you take it. And preserve it for your children and your children’s children. Preserve and love it.
Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of the earth. If men spit upon the ground they spit upon themselves. The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. This we know.
The wisdom of Chief Seattle’s words hold true. What can we do as individuals to protect our Earth?
Here are some ideas to make a difference in your own home:
https://www.fittolivetoday.com/blog/2019/7/27/why-zero-waste-is-important
https://www.fittolivetoday.com/blog/2019/7/11/what-is-recyclable
https://www.fittolivetoday.com/blog/2019/9/5/zero-waste-tip-1-make-a-difference-in-your-home-1