I’ve been by the sea this week, and I had this aha about water. Water is the vital molecule that sustains all life and from which all life began.
The sea holds so many stories. Our story is from single celled amoeba to water dwelling creature, to flowering plants and ultimately land mammals.
We evolved from dancing in the water, and we are made up heavily of water. Yet few waters are still held sacred. The ganges river in India, although hailed as super spiritual is infact a deadly toxic cocktail.
We are losing our reverence for nature.
The amazon jungle is one of our most significant oxygen providers and carbon stores. Yet our children equate amazon with items on demand and next day delivery.
How do we teach our children that nature is supreme over human design, over our living, over health and over food?
How do we pass on the respect for and affinity to nature when we ourselves are so preoccupied by amassing man-made and synthetic stuff?
Material possessions and digital devices seem to matter more than unpolluted water and the diversity of the entire animal and plant kingdom.
How can we touch our children’s hearts with a care for our world, when their micro world is a daily rush from a to b, with stopovers for sugar and screens?
While we live so connected digitally, there must be a way to impress upon our children the macro world concern for all our population and planet.
Let’s look at how the planet can matter to our children.
The potential to instill a reverence for our planet is far stronger than in former times. Children no longer grow up in little silos, they grow up faster than ever before, becoming more aware and worldly than in previous generations.
It is for us, the caretakers to balance out material goods with opportunities in soil and sand and sea.
It is for us, the guardians to guard food, screen and possession consumption with an appreciation in life of all forms.
We can model for our children the noticing of the beauty in nature.
When we take our children outside, we can together admire the light, the trees, the seasons. The sound of the birds and the wind.
Our children will remember the times we all go outside and
soak up the rainstorm,
stargaze on a clear evening,
spot shapes of clouds together,
are greeted by a rainbow
behold the beauty of a shared sunrise or sunset.
Let’s put the sea and nature back into the schedule.
Yours,
Anna
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