Taking responsibility as children of the earth

Many years ago, when Amma was travelling through Tamil Nadu, she was giving rice, clothing, and other relief to those who had lost their homes and families to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. A very old man came up to her, and the moment the items reached his hands, the poor man broke down and wept aloud.

“O God, to whom am I to give this now? Who is left to me to cook a meal from it?” And then his tears completely engulfed him. The tsunami had carried away his house and all his dear ones. That face, and that sorrow, do not fade from Amma’s heart. For all the brilliant scientists the world over, no one could foretell the tsunami was coming; and even had it been foretold, nothing could have stopped it. Our home, our belongings, our parents, our children - any of it can be lost in the blink of an eye. We have seen the mightiest structures that human hands have raised collapse like a house of cards before nature’s fury.

This is happening because people blinded by arrogance and wealth have lost their sense of dharma; they are plundering nature for their own selfish gain. They have no regard for the destructive impact this will have on others. The harmony of nature is broken, and this is the root cause of most of the world’s disasters. Within our own lifetime we can see how greatly the seasons have changed. Because of our carelessness in guarding the soil, we have watched the great cities of Keralam go under in floods. Across the world, many creatures and birds once seen everywhere are nowhere to be found. Why is this happening?

In truth, we ourselves invite these calamities. So long as we are unwilling to cherish nature as we would a mother, such destruction will keep returning, like blows struck in the dark. Each disaster is an alarm bell, calling us to wake from a guilty sleep. And for all our cruelty, Mother Nature goes on loving us, even though today she lies ill. She who once gave us everything, like the wish-granting cow Kamadhenu, has become a starved and milkless cow.

Our numbers on this Earth continue to grow, and growth itself is not the sin - the question is how we take. There are three types of people: those of prakriti, who take only their own share and think no further; those of vikriti, who take their share and then snatch what belongs to others; and those of samskriti who take only as little as they need and give away as much as they can.

Look at Mother Nature Herself - she takes only to give back a hundredfold. If humanity is to survive, let us evolve as samskriti: learning to take only what we need to live peacefully and then share the surplus with those who are suffering. As the population increases, it does not need to come at the cost of ruin for all.

This Earth is the dwelling place of countless living things. It is a home that belongs equally to all, from the smallest of cells to the massive blue whale to humankind as its guardians. Under our vast sky of stars, let us delay no longer to take responsibility for our global family.

The rhythm of Nature depends upon how humanity proceeds. We see this in the many natural disasters we are facing and the sorrow this causes to those left behind. But after our grief, even if we are completely surrounded by darkness, we must keep the light within aflame and use it to show the path to others as well. Even if we cannot completely remove their suffering, despair lessens when it is shared with others.

Regardless of the destruction we have witnessed, we do not need to remain bound by our mistakes. Look forward with strength and hope. Each one of us can do our own small part to help restore the natural world. We should perform these actions with utmost faith and alertness, and yet with a sense of detachment. Don’t be attached to the fruits of your actions. That is in Mother Nature’s hands.

So let us move forward, one step at a time. We are children of the Earth and, therefore, must be grateful for and take care of everything She gives. It is our dharma as humankind, the most intelligent of beings, to care for all others, both sentient and non-sentient. When beauty, harmony, and love blossom in our hearts, a new age will dawn.

Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known simply as Amma, is a spiritual master and humanitarian who has given her darshan in the form of a motherly embrace to more than 4 crore people. Listening to the cries of the suffering, Amma leads the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, an NGO that reaches across more than 50 countries, working in the areas of healthcare, disaster relief, education, gender equality, and environmental restoration; Views presented are personal.