The following thoughts were written by Gary Zukav, an American philosopher, and taken from his book, Evolution and Business:
As the human species awakens to itself as a collection of immortal souls learning together care for the environment and the earth will become a matter of the heart, the natural response of souls moving toward their full potential.
By placing itself at the pinnacle of the hierarchy of life from the point of view of the five senses, and assigning maximal value to that position, humanity has created a world in which exploitation of the environment appears natural. The results of this orientation now confront us in every aspect of our environment—air, water, soil, and everything that grows.
This is the learning domain of the five senses at work: We are facing the consequences of what we have chosen in the past, and, simultaneously, being given the opportunity to choose again. Each choice that we make now determines our experiences in the future, and so on. This process is continual, we are surrounded by what we have created, and, through our responses, creating anew.
The lack of reference for all of life that allows the CEO to be more important than his driver, the physician to be more important than her receptionist, and the engineer to be more important than the welder also allows the needs of humanity to be more important than the needs of the species with which it shares the earth, and more important than the environment.
As individuals begin to recognize themselves and others as immortal souls, and as they begin to function as multisensory rather than five-sensory humans, they begin to see life wherever they look, and to revere it where they see it. This leads naturally to an attitude of care and protection for the environment that is based not only upon the realization that our physical survival depends upon it, but upon the desire of the soul to care for life, to contribute to it, and to value it in all its forms.
As businesses and employees awaken to the deep bonds of life that connect them to each other, they awaken also the deep bonds that connect all life. The environment and the world—our tiny precious planet—become important not as resources, but as the home that we as immortal souls have chosen for our learning and that now terribly needs care and healing. As the human species awakens to itself as a collection of immortal souls learning together, care for the environment and the earth will become a matter of the heart, the natural response of souls moving toward their full potential. Businesses will strive to heal the earth, rather than to exploit it, because business will no longer reflect the pursuit of external power, but the authentic power of each of the individuals within the business community, now expanded to include all souls that the business touches through its activities, products, and services.
In light of all the discussion about “Climate Change” and in light of Pope Francis’ Encyclical, “Laudato Si,” “On Care For Our Common Home,” may these words provide an opportunity for us to reflect a bit more carefully on life, all creatures, and the created world in which we live.
May we always engage ourselves in being sensitive and careful stewards. All is pure gift. It is not ours. We are given the privilege of enjoying this world only for awhile!