We are not going to be able to operate our Spaceship Earth successfully, nor for much longer, unless we see it as a whole spaceship and our fate as common. It has to be everybody or nobody.
~ Buckminster Fuller
Without a doubt, Bucky Fuller was a visionary and futurist. He cared deeply about humankind and this planet. Describing our planet as Spaceship Earth, he referred to each of us as its passengers. He also reminded us that Spaceship Earth came with no instruction book. Where we are headed as a species depends on how well we navigate, maintain and preserve the vessel upon which we are traveling and, to accomplish this, we need to work together at steering the vessel. When we make conscious and intentional choices to honor Mother Earth, we move from being passengers to crew members on this beautiful blue pearl of a planet—and we also ensure that our children’s children for seven generations to come will have safe and healthy passage aboard Spaceship Earth.
April 22nd is Earth Day—a day dedicated to the remembrance that we are each the one who make the difference regarding the future of our precious planet.
Bucky was correct in saying, “It has to be everybody or nobody.” With the immensity of the problems our planet faces, it’s overwhelming to consider the fact that we each have a role to play that is, in no way, insignificant. What can we do today to move from being a passenger to a crew member on Spaceship Earth? It begins by being mindful enough to make sure we are part of the solution, rather than the problem. We can start out by establishing just one simple practice we can commit to every day that allows us to add something positive to the planet. It might be something as simple as making sure our trash and recyclables get in the correct bins, or conserving water by turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth. Being a crew member on Spaceship Earth is not a difficult thing to do—it’s about intentionally living each day with a sense of gratitude for the gift of life itself and making reverence, mixed with a bit of humility, a daily mindfulness practice.
Consider the fact that the planet is a sacred living, breathing organism, just as we each are, and we literally draw our life essence from it, breath by breath, one moment, one hour, one day at a time. This also includes the food we eat and the water we drink that sustains our body. With a bit of help from the Creator, all that we are physically comes from Mother Earth. The question is, are we treating her as well as she is treating us? There are undoubtedly many ways to give back something life-affirming to the source that sustains and selflessly grants us life every day. Thinking about it this way makes every day Earth Day… and that is a beautiful thing.
Welcome to the crew.
Peace, Dennis
Hi Aldo…couldn’t agree more with your so-well-articulated response to my post. I feel your passion and honor your intention and input! Thanks for taking the time to respond in such a thoughtful manner!
Peace Dennis
I have learned a great deal from your posts.
We don’t always remember everything the Earth does for us. We should start from this awareness: let’s learn to take care of it, respect it and love it as it does us.
In such a delicate moment for the ecosystem, we must realize how the protection and safeguarding of the environment is essential not only for our lives, but also for that of future generations, of the poorest people on the planet, of species non-human, the least responsible for causing the problem.
Each of our individual actions has an ecological footprint, that is, an impact on natural resources and the environment. This means that our daily choices can help reduce the environmental impact of human life on Earth.
In addition to directing political actions, individual citizens can and must act to contribute to the fight against climate change by building more sustainable daily habits.
To return to the spaceship metaphor, I remember that a famous sociologist and philosopher said “There are no passengers on the “Earth Boat”. We are all members of the crew”.