Spiritual Response to Environmental Crises
The environment of the planet we all live in is a complex system that is balanced by natural forces. But over the last century human activities have drastically impacted the global environment and today we live in a world that is grappling with huge crises of climate change, global warming, air pollution, ozone layer depletion, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and many more ecological imbalances that are affecting every nation, people, animals and plants. To embrace that full scope of the environmental crisis, it is necessary to understand the quality of human consciousness that defines the quality of change we want to bring in the world.
At a deeper level, the problem or environmental degradation is related to the decline of spiritual values. It is not just a debate of depleting natural resources and non-renewable energy. It stems from the core of human life, the soul, which has been polluted with vices like greed, ego and anger.
Nature reflects human nature. The violation of the innate qualities of the human soul such as truth, purity, peace, love and respect has led to the violation of natural law and order. As the harmony within the soul got disrupted, the harmony between nature’s forces also got disturbed. There is so much violence and discord in human minds that nature too has started striking discordant notes in the form of storms, earthquakes, hurricanes and famine. Poisoned to be like varnish on cracked surface. We need to look deeper and remedy the cause of pollution.
About the difficult situation the world is in, theoretical physicist David Bohm has said: “ People have been dealing with this piecemeal-looking at symptoms, saying that we’ve got to solve this problem or that problem or that problem. But there is something deeper, which people haven’t been considering, that is constantly generating these problems. We can use the analogy of a stream, where people are poring pollution upstream at the same time they are trying to remove it downstream. But as they remove it, they may be adding more pollution of a different kind. What is the source of all this trouble? The source is basically in thought”.
On growth, profit, technology and industry has disregarded the holistic view of earth as a complex, integrated system in which all elements of nature and creatures are co-existing in a symbiotic resilient way that supports the well-being of all. Local and indigenous communities have long understood the delicate balance between human life and natural systems.
Spirituality has always played a vital role in environmental sustainability. All ancient societies in India supported their environment with lifestyles that were based on values like respect for nature, simplicity and harmony. If we live simply and in harmony with our inner and outer nature, it will create a sustainable world.
Our behaviors, lifestyle choices and attitudes are accountable for the crisis we are facing. We create boundaries in order to define rules, regulations, systems and customs, and laws that support social protocols. However, in terms of nature, all of us exist in this world as a family free of boundaries and borders. Birds, fish, air, ecosystems, people, even our bodies, do not have the same air as each other.
Spirituality by its nature is integrative Spirituality enables us to strike a balance in being as well as doing. Spirituality views life at the level of awareness, intention and attitude. It views things as part gratitude and compassion for all people and nature around us. Our entire way of managing resources, our methods of production, marketing and consumption wellbeing of all creatures and nature.
Soul consciousness is a practice of being aware of the self and other people as spiritual beings enacting their roles in physical bodies. Meditation is a tool to further this awareness by belonging in mind and heart to one infinite source of all wisdom, purity and love – the Supreme Soul. Such awareness will enable us to go beyond our egocentric worldview that has disintegrated and fragmented our relationships with the self, others and nature.
Spirituality guides people to reconnect with their inner self through reflection, silence and introverted observation. When we become aligned with our original nature of peace and love, we feel connected with all and support the we being of the world around us. The answers to environmental crisis will come from a change in our attitude and lifestyle aimed at promoting energy-efficiency, moderate consumption and holistic development through cooperation instead of competition.
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