BY FR. SHAY CULLEN
HOW BLESSED we are to exist at all. We are still unsure of exactly how life came to be, how we evolved and why we are the species with the most developed intellect and awesome power over life and death on the planet.
In his now-famous Encyclical Letter of 2015, Laudato Si, Pope Francis raised our awareness of the beauty of the Earth and the universe and the integrity of creation which we are called upon to love and protect and warned of how humans are destroying it.
Most people do not value the earth, our home, our source of being and life. Most do not contemplate the value of life, are unaware of the creation, the earth, the natural world, the biodiversity of life, the universe, or themselves.
Many humans live in an unknowing and mindless daily routine as they struggle to survive in poverty while others, equally mindless, have an abundance of material things and are disconnected from themselves, each other and the natural world of the earth. This is the great tragedy of human life, the only species with intellect, intelligence, knowledge, spiritual values and dignity and human energy are all largely wasted on trivial, useless pursuits.
The human species, with intellect, are living self-destructive lifestyles and economic and industrial activities to the point of destroying the sensitive climate and ecosystems of the Earth, and in the process, are destroying each other.
The desires of humans to pursue vast material wealth and power and gain domination over others lead to conflicts and destructive activities leading to the extinction of many species and life on the planet. The extraction and burning of fossil fuel are excessive and is bringing the earth to the point of climatic global warming where there is a tipping point, a point of no return. Then when reached, warming will continue past 2 degrees until the earth is uninhabitable. Most food crops cannot grow in excessive warm climates.
The majority of people are tragically unconcerned about the looming catastrophe because of misinformation spread by powerful agencies, multinational corporations and their executives. They spread climate change denial and debunk the truth of science to protect their own industries.
These fossil fuel industries need to be phased out for replacement by renewable energy sources. The corporate tycoons’ lobby and control politicians to block legislation that promotes renewable energy sources and bans fossil fuels, oil, gas and coal.
Most people are unaware and do not appreciate the complexity of the interdependence of all life forms on earth of which the human species is an intimate part and whose destinies are intertwined with global warming and life together on the earth. Too many humans are bent on killing the other species and each other. (To be continued)/PN
