Responsibility for ourselves and the planet that's our host?
The planet and all matter in the cosmos are living and animate. Doesn't matter that we might not be aware of the time scale in which their being animate, organic and living, becomes known. Or that we might never comprehend it, like many countless other things that we do not. The planet earth is a living thing. Just like each cell in the body has an independent life and the agglomeration of all cells creates a living body, so too, the planet is one living thing. We humans, all other matter that exists, exist as part of that larger living organism, the planet! And so similarly by extension, everything in the cosmos is organic and living. Even what we humans, in our limited understanding, call inanimate or inorganic. However, let's focus on the planet that is our host! Let us remember that we are guests and travellers! So, what is it that we might need to do, given that we are passing through, just like a bacteria in the gut?
Bacteria, as long as they don't threaten the body, will be allowed to exist. When they threaten the existence of the body, they are destroyed! Otherwise, the host is destroyed. The truth is, along with the host, the bacteria is also destroyed! In this case, the planet is far stronger than the human body is and will protect itself! For sure! And if it comes to that, we are most likely to go away far sooner than the planet. So all environmental protection efforts are not towards protecting "the planet!" It's about protecting life as we humans know it. And saving ourselves. Put that way, maybe people will be more responsible in their consumption. Let us behave like the good bacteria that help the body stay strong healthy and "happy!" If we behave like viruses we will be destroyed! And it starts with responsible consumption, less greed, and more responsibility for each of us! We need to start by consuming appropriately - consuming for the right reasons. A majority of consumption today is for "vanity" and that is behaving like a virulent virus! Consume what is needed and appropriate! Do not justify all kinds of consumption! Being minimalistic is useful.