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Climate Change

Words and phrases like global warming, pollution and climate change are common place today. Most people realize that the significant changes occurring in our environment are being caused by us and are not beneficial. Many agree that we have to do things differently or act in different ways if we are to avoid environmental catastrophes. But do we know what to do? Do we understand the profound changes that need to occur? Do we know how we got here?

Changing actions without changing consciousness usually is short lived and short sighted. It was specific attitudes and consciousness that brought us to this point of destruction, and it is these attitudes we must understand and change if our actions are going to be guided by appropriate consciousness.

We need to appreciate that what we call the environment is not separate from us humans or any species living on this planet. Therefore everything that we do and think has an effect on everything else. Laws govern everything that happens. The relevant laws to this discussion are: the Law of Reciprocity and the Law of Karma. Stated simply these mean that what you put out is what you get back or that every action has an opposite and equal reaction.

There is symbolic significance in what is happening. And if we want to understand the soul message we always need to look at the symbolism. The environment is heating up. Heat is caused by friction, opposition and conflicting energies. Human relations are also heating up. There is widespread friction and conflict – not just internationally, but within families and communities as well. We cannot really deal effectively with our relationships with the natural environment if we do not deal effectively with our human inter-personal relationships. They are both part of the same reality. The two issues that guide these relationships that are necessary to consider are questions of selfishness and respect.

Selfishness. It is natural that we consider ourself before we consider others or our environment. This is a matter of survival, first of all, and then of growth secondarily. However, our survival and our growth depend upon our relationships to others and to our environment. So in a very real sense we are not more important than others or our environment.

We have a 4,000 year history of denigrating the physical and upholding the spiritual as separate from the physical world. This has fostered a callous approach to viewing our natural environment as separate from ourselves and as a resource that can be exploited for personal gain. We also have a history, though much shorter, of developing the ego, the value of the personality self. When taken to extremes, as it often is, this leads to unprecedented disregard of others’ values and integrity. We then use others, as we use the environment, for personal gain.

We are now entering a period of collective consciousness that is marked by a deep urge toward right human relations wherein we have a deep inner urge to foster the well-being of others, even if this involves self-sacrifice. More and more people are responding to this soul urge, and it is beautiful to see.

We are also entering an era wherein spirituality must be seen as integral with our physical existence, rather than separate from it. This collective soul urge is what is giving rise to things such as interest in physical health, in organic food, in exercise and in right relationship to our environment.

The old consciousness based on self-interest is still dominating life on this planet, but the new consciousness of sensitivity to the wholeness we share with others and our environment is gaining momentum. So there continues to be a great deal of friction between the old and the new, reflected in political, economic and personal attitudes and practices. We need to personally cultivate the new consciousness of right relationships based on understanding and respect, and at the same time influence leaders and decision makers to move toward the new consciousness.

Respect. This is a quality that seems to be in short supply in modern times, or in this post-modern world, as it is now called. Self-centeredness erodes respect because respect implies that we consider others as invaluable whom we must relate to with nobility, gratitude and support.

The word, respect, means to look again. When we first look at someone or something we do so with an attitude of self-reference. We see them or it from the point of view of how they affect us. Respect demands that we see others as they are within themselves, without consideration of self-interest. When we do this we touch their soul, their essence. And only then do we see their true value.

Respect is based on a willingness to find value in all. It implies going deeper than the superficial which we relate to a first glance. It demands a receptivity on our part when in the presence of another or some aspect of the world around us. We need to let the soul of others and the environment speak to us, impress upon us their intrinsic value and beauty. When we are so touched, we develop a profound respect for the intelligence, harmony and support of life that surrounds us. We see and feel that all is one, and that we are part of that unity with our own essential value that is also needed in this unified world.

We can stop adding fuel to the fire that is heating up this planet. We can change the world by changing how we relate and how we see people and the natural environment. An attitude of respect changes our relationships. The consequence is a harmony in which everyone’s needs for survival and growth are met.

Exercises: 1. Reflect on your various relationships with individuals. To what degree are they coloured by your own self-interest? To what degree do you have respect for them? 2. Reflect on your attitude toward groups of people different from yourself. They might differ in terms of ethnic, religious, political or other identities. Where you lack respect, you likely either lack understanding or feel threatened and fearful. Work towards overcoming these and gaining respect. 3. How do you think about the physical environment – with respect or self-serving interest? What do you do that is harmful toward the environment? What do you that is harmonious with the natural world around you? 4. How can you, or will you, influence decision makers in government, business, society, etc. to lead in making this world a safer, cleaner and more harmonious place to live?

This is one of 150 Soul Perspective articles. For more articles visit Soul Perspectives Index.

Andrew and Bonnie Schneider are now offering personal interactive email coaching for the 4 Level Soul Journey program. Connect weekly with Andrew and Bonnie on how to develop soul consciousness. Read more about this personal coaching from Andrew and Bonnie Schneider by clicking here.