Cut it Down!

Those words seem so terminal, so final. The saw rips through the bark, shavings fly in the air as the teeth of a saw whine into the trunk of the tree. There are no cries of pain. No yelling for help. Just the horrible scream of the saw as it takes the life away from a living being.

If only we thought of trees that way - as a living being.

Billionaires send celebrities up into space, spending thousands of dollars and emitting toxic pollution into the air. They are applauded as pioneers, innovators, geniuses. Sadly, they are none of these descriptions. Their quest is for wealth, and helping make it easier for those in power to destroy the world we live in for profit. After all, they have manufactured an escape door for all of us. A new frontier on a planet far, far away.

If they find a new frontier, it will only be affordable for two classes: the very rich and the very poor. The rich will colonize because they'll have the money and resources to pay for the trip. The very poor will follow as laborers. The rest of us will have to make do in the waste and destruction left behind.

There is no Planet B. This place that we are so rapidly destroying for economic gains was created for life.

I believe this planet is a test. A test to see how well we interact with others that are different than us. So far, we are failing miserably. We have enslaved many, committed genocide, pushed animals to extinction and still, continue with the hate and destruction today. How in the hell do we expect to survive in another place when we cannot even make it work here?

This planet is a gift. A gift that has everything we need to survive. Why can we not see the writing on the wall?

There is no heaven or hell. It exists here, on this planet and is determined by our actions.

Destroy where you live and you will have hell. Preserve, protect and cherish, and you'll have heaven.

There will be no 40 days and nights of rain, but there will be horrific weather events - fires, floods, hurricanes, droughts.

Our food, air and water will become ever-more tainted with toxins, resulting in increased disease. Life expectancy will decrease and our population will plummet.

These words may sound insane to those who believe we are superior to all other life. But we are not. Our actions of the past and today are evidence of the contrary.