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Saving the Earth, Saving Ourselves

Saving the Earth, Saving Ourselves

Last updated on: March 6, 2019 at 11:26 am by Stephenie Bushra Khan

Saving the Earth, Saving Ourselves 2019-03-06T11:26:32-06:00 Stephenie Bushra Khan

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saving earth ourselves

Photo by RawFilm on Unsplash

The rain falls like an ocean of love upon the earth, each drop a universe in itself. Each glistening branch reaches it darkened fingers up toward God. The ground is soaking. The rain is quenching the thirsty earth with its life-giving touch. It flows into me and invigorates me as I listen to the rain. My soul is nourished. Gratitude springs up into me. The chirping of the birds fills up the air. The rain purifies me. I reach up and open my palms. I let the rain refresh and purify my face and limbs. I feel alive. I whirl in ecstasy and joy within it.

There are mysteries of the wet forest. Trees communicate through roots and groans. Nostalgia exists when we remember our childhood. Here within the deep forest, lovers seek the oneness of God. Ponds are filled with pink water lilies and reflect the sky. Life is abundant. Even the stones, inanimate objects, are living and singing. Each wild flower unfolds within its own season. The light changes on each stage of life. Beasts dance within this sacred light.

Humans are disconnected. Only the superficial and material things of this world interest us. The world is industrialized. Its wastes pollute the air. Humans are detached from rivers, from the heart of life. We delude ourselves into thinking that we are gaining something. For them, they have forgotten, and life is not worth living.

We are connected to our cell phones and live isolated in urban and suburban cages. We become numb. For many, life is not cherished. We forget simplicity and complicate our lives. We are isolated from others and are lonely and distant, and don’t communicate with others. We can’t tolerate what our different races and cultures contribute. God says that we can learn from each culture and race. We are disassociated from each other. Some become the destroyers of other humans and nature, distracted by greed and hatred, and lack of conscience.

Bow down in worship and feel the pine needles sting your knees. Smell the musky soil. Lie down upon the forest floor, and wake up.

We do not believe in climate change. We deny it. It is ruining our lives and destroying species of living things; there is a great risk of extinction. We place a cloud of hurt in front us and deny God. But God, through that cloud, is watching.

We live in a mental wasteland. We forget and cannot focus on what will save us— what has always been there. We are blind to it. It eludes us. We seek to destroy it through our greed. This beautiful earth is dying, with all its complexities. It will die an unbearable death. It will be gone, unless we stop the mass destruction of it through pollution and waste. We are on a sinking ship upon polluted waters. Our Mother… we have destroyed, and we will not gain it back. We will long for it.

We still have a chance before it’s too late. We should value it now. We should stop pollution and global warming. We should interact beautifully with all living things. We should bathe with that river of Life, and hold it sacred, and be grateful before it is gone.

If we lose it, our bodies will be soulless and forgotten. God will not forgive us. If we destroy this earth, we will be buried in a wasteland, abandoned. We will be gone forever and forgotten.

There is nostalgia, mystery and romance hidden beneath each shadow and leaf. We should hold it sacred. The earth is a mosque, a sacred place of prayer. It is our true place of worship. We played here innocently as children. Our whole world was a playground. We were one with it. But we have lost that innocence by becoming victims and victimizing.

We still have a chance before it’s too late. We should value it now. We should stop pollution and global warming. We should interact beautifully with all living things.

We should stand up for it. It is worth everything to save tomorrow. We must save our children’s future before it is too late. You should open your eyes to the sky and embrace it. Breathe each flower and let the life flow into you. There is Grace and Enlightenment in it. It was given without asking. The trees and sky will become luminous.

Bow down in worship and feel the pine needles sting your knees. Smell the musky soil. Lie down upon the forest floor, and wake up. The aspen will whirl over your head and the green, damp ferns will delicately feather your body. You are in a sanctuary within the silence of Great Peace. The only other sound is the of the churning river, and the rustling of the wind through the leaves, and the sound of the choir of birds. The trees are communicating through groans. In the blessing of the breezes, the beasts sing.

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About Stephenie Bushra Khan

Stephenie Bushra Khan is a converted Muslim, a poet, and local artist in Temecula, California. She is originally from Winchendon, Massachusetts. You can read more about the author here.

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