Our story tells us of the sacredness of life, the astonishing complexity of cells and organisms, the vast lengths of time it took to generate their splendid diversity, the enormous improbability that any of it happened at all. Reverence is the religious emotion elicited when we perceive the sacred. We are called to revere the whole enterprise of planetary existence, the whole and all its myriad parts as they catalyze, secrete, replicate, mutate, and evolve. Ralph Waldo Emerson invites us to express our reverence in the form of prayer: “Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view. It is the soliloquy of a beholding and jubilant soul.”
Ursula Goodenough, The Sacred Depths of Nature
Liken the world of existence to the temple of man. All the organs of the human body assist one another, therefore life continues. Likewise among the parts of existence there is a wonderful connection and interchange of forces which is the cause of life of the world and the continuation of these countless phenomena.
Baha'i International Community, The Bahá'í Statement on Nature
Compassion may begin as a concern for other people, but if you cultivate it thoughtfully, there are two reasons why it will tend to expand beyond the bounds of our own species. First, the welfare of people is dependent upon the welfare of their environment, and that environment is composed in large measure of other living things. So even if the primary focus of compassion is humanity, it must still include the network of life that supports humanity.
The Earth Sangha http://www.earthsangha.org
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. Earth does not belong to us; we belong to earth. Chief Seattle
Consider how both our intentional actions as well as our habits – habits we take for granted – defy that which we are called to do by God in his Word. We are asked to realize that to truly protect life, as we are called to do, means protecting creation; honoring God means not putting our conveniences and habits ahead of following the commandments. Rev. Howard Snyder, pastor in the Free Methodist Church; professor at Asbury Theological Seminary
Each of us should carefully consider our choices and lifestyles. We live in a culture that prizes the consumption of material goods. While the poor often have too little, many of us can be easily caught up in a frenzy of wanting more and more - a bigger home, a larger car, etc. Even though energy resources literally fuel our economy and provide a good quality of life, we need to ask about ways we can conserve energy prevent pollution and live more simply.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
The Starfish Story by Loren Eiseley, from The Star Thrower
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that it was a young man who was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He called out, “Good morning! May I ask what you are doing?” The young man paused, looked up, and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean.” “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.” Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!” At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”
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