September 2002

So why care about the loss of species?

I have been searching for reasons to stop extinction for a very long time. For reasons strong enough for us to make the sacrifices needed to preserve those species that still exist. I looked at human and individual survival strategies, major and minor religions, economics, politics, and other sources of what we value and how we act. I struggled with what to say to the average person in the United States...China...Zambia...

Finally, I came to the conclusion that the answer lies in our spiritual relationship with all life - becoming conscious of the Spirit that all life is made of and what this means to our journey here on Earth.

A spiritual relationship helps us transcend our narrow, ego-centric, separate, Me-first way of relating to the world and others. It helps us go beyond our humanness to that Spirit which is greater than us and of which we are a part and are made. As we embrace life that is not us, we grow in our relationship with Spirit and our capacity to do so.

Being spiritual is different than being religious. Religion has more rules, is more formal, and frequently excludes those of different religions. Spirituality embraces all existence in its varied forms and ways of relating to the Greatness that is beyond us.

We know that life on earth has evolved and disappeared in cycles through millions of years and expect this will continue. A million years from now humanity could be long gone and the earth recovered and filled with new species. So in the long run, what does it matter if the eagle or lion disappear, since they probably will anyway?

The answer is that we are eternal and we are connected to all other life which is also eternal and part of Spirit. The damage we do today affects us and our relationship to Spirit until we have made amends. Until we have grown spiritually to the place where we can respect and relate to life beyond ourselves.

Our journey through this life and what comes after is a spiritual one - it is about that part of which is eternal. Maturing spiritually is the most important thing we can do in this life. Respect for the Spiritual existence of all life is part of our growth as spiritual beings.

So, in the end, saving species is saving ourselves. Not the self that eats and sleeps and goes to work each day, but the self that lives beyond this life.

Do I live this way all the time, every day. No, of course not, I am on the journey, too. I am trying to grow into this vision, learn what it means and how to live it. But, the first step is to be conscious and once conscious, learning will come.