cree prophecy

one of my all-time favorites. though the overall tone is a bit depressing, i think it would be wise to see this as advice; the kind of helpful advice that a older brother would give his younger ones.

only after the last tree has been cut down,

only after the last river has been poisoned,

only after the last fish has been caught,

only then will man discover that money cannot be eaten.

Sioux Prayer

Oh Great Spirit

Whose voice I hear in the winds,

And whose breath gives life to all the world,

Hear me, I am small and weak, I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.

Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.

Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.

So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my Spirit may come to you without shame.

Let's take back the Earth

Hope: emergence of a new faith, consciousness & way of life

Global warming, habitat destruction, ozone hole, (on-the-rise) carbon footprint… these have become clichés, thanks to the media (or most of it, anyway). TV channels, FM stations, newspapers, magazines, internet...you come across scary-sounding eco-jargon like these intended to convince us that our planet and all life (humankind included, of course) on it is doomed.

MEDIA OVERKILL in a very literal sense.

But there is no denying that these issues are real and should cause genuine concern (and most importantly motivate us to stand up and be counted in the war to protect the one and only home we have – the Earth). I have no problems with that.

But an irredeemably doomed earth? Now that is a mistaken notion; nothing could be further from the truth.

We can still take back the earth

Humanity is at the cross-roads and it’s time to take back the Earth. Let us start by trying to undo our foolishness and halt the runaway effects caused by it.

We are not doomed as long as we have HOPE.

We are not on the edge of imminent destruction; saving our home is not as complicated as the 'pundits of doom' would have us believe.

Lets go back to nature

The Native Americans knew it all. They were simple people who knew how to live; they may not have been very advanced or cultured or sophisticated. For instance they hadn't even invented the wheel, let alone developed a script of their own. But ironically their simple and intuitive traditional way of life may well turn out to be the only option to save a 'technologically advanced' like ours.

They lived according to a few simple principles. These were not consciously learned or taught but instinctively realized by each and every individual, and followed all throughout their lives – from womb to tomb. What was handed down the generations was a rich collection of stories, sayings, proverbs, songs, dances, art, artifacts and other cultural symbols that were centered around the way of life of that particular tribe.

and this could be our best chance yet

Let us live the Native American way of life by following these simple beliefs/priniciples:

The Earth is our Mother; care for Her

Open your heart and soul to the Great Spirit

All life is sacred; treat all beings with respect

Take from the Earth just what you need and nothing more

Do what you need to do for the good of all

Thank the Great Spirit for each day

Speak the truth but only about the good in others

Follow the rhythms of nature

Enjoy life’s journey; but leave no tracks

In other words,
lets simplify our lives, go back to the basics.