metta development

While my son Julian was eating his piece of toast with Grandma's homemade blueberry jam and Haeja called for a substitute between coughing fits this morning, I sat at the kitchen table reading the Earth Charter. One thing became clear.

The Millenium Development Goals that are all the buzz are just that -- goals. Yes, they are good goals (though I confess that it is hard to get wildly enthusiastic about reducing by half the number of hungry people and leaving the other half to suffer and die...). But what is missing is the how. How do we get there?

The how is vitally important since the hows of our political and economic systems, as well as those pesky human flaws such as fear, selfishness and greed, are what got us in this predicament.

The Earth Charter gives the principles that can guide the how for meeting the Millenium Develolpment Goals!

In the Preamble it says -- "To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny." You see, the Charter provides the poetry, the heart.

In describing the global situation -- "The dominant patterns of production and consumption are causing environmental devastation, the depletion of resources, and a massive extinction of species. Communities are being undermined. The benefits of development are not shared equitably and the gap between the right and poor is widening."

So, yes, as we move toward water for all, halving the number of hungry, health care and education toward points on a chart, let us study and absorb the Earth Charter and its call to four broad commitments:

* Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.
* Care for the communikty of life with understanding, compasssion, and love.
* Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.
* Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations.

Getting us to meet these commitments and any of the Millenium Development Goals require means with heart:

* Preventing harm through the precautionary approach
* Revamping patterns of production and consumption
* Ensuring economic activities serve the ends of sustainability
* Guaranteeing gender equality in the process
* Upholding broadly defined human rights
* Strengthening democracy

All while promoting a culture of tolerance, nonviolence and peace which ultimately comes through right relationships with oneself, other persons and cultures, other life, Earth and the larger whole of which all are a part.

Finally, the Earth Charter points us toward universal responsibility -- "To realize these aspirations, we must decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as well as our local communities. . . . The spirit of human solidarity and kinship with all life is strengthened when we live with reverence for the mystery of being, gratitude for the gift of life, and humility regarding the human place in nature."


Learn about how it came to be and download the Earth Charter (it is only six pages) at http://www.earthcharter.org

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