A new era and what next?

One era has now ended and a new one is beginning. There is a lot of ‘conversation’ about whether we should have a monarchy or not but there are far more important things to think about I feel.

How would you feel if you lived in a country which was now covered in water for around a fifth of its area? You would have lost your home and all your belongings and would be struggling to live on small ridges of higher land. Your food would have been swept away too. Would you expect help from others? Another scenario which is quite possible is the large eruption of a volcano which could darken the sky for months. This has happened before and is likely to happen again at some point.

We all need water and food to live and clothes to keep us warm. Fire is also generally essential. Yet the threat of our changing climate is not taken seriously. Politicians seem to think only about themselves, being seen out in public and making money for themselves. We have known that our climate could change quite drastically for many years. It’s not something new but this years extreme heat in many places and extreme rainfall in others has brought the subject sharply into focus for some of us at least.

We need to decide what is most important for us, decide what is most important to do, and whether we want our planet and its inhabitants, all of them, to survive. If this is our decision then we must start to do something about it today, not tomorrow or next week or month but now. Do you want to lose our birds and butterflies and other insects? They all play an important part in our ecosystem. We are not alone in this.

Respect

This will be a short blog post as I did not intend to write one this week but events have forced my hand as it were. Respect for others, for the opinions of others, seems to have disappeared from our lives. The death of a well known person who did her job as well as she could deserves respect as does anyone else who worked hard. It doesn’t matter whether you believe in what she stood for or not, she has passed and left behind a grieving family and deserves respect as does any other family in a similar situation of grieving.

Much of what is going on now in the UK is part of a long held tradition which many of you will never have seen before. Those of us who are older and born before or during the second World War, have seen many old traditions die and some others carry on. If you don’t like what is on your TV then change channel or switch it off. A shop or factory closing for a day in respect is something that will happen whether you like it or not. Respect that decision and do something else with your life. If you don’t like the way these things are done then you either accept it or work to change those ways. Being nasty to others who do not share your opinion is not the way to do this. Stand back and think carefully before you shoot yourself in the foot as the saying goes. There are enough others doing just that recently. Respect!

Are you ready?

There are a lot of changes on the way so are you ready for these? Are you prepared? It is much better if you have some idea of how to cope as the changes are then not such a shock.

The world we have known is falling apart and collapsing around us. Most of this is about material things but governments are not doing so well either and no-one in charge really seems to understand how important our planet is and how to protect it better. Humanity in the western world has always seemed to take things for granted. You want it and it is there for you. This will not happen for much longer and in many parts of the world it has never happened. We have just had one of the hottest summers on record with little or no rain, yet many still go on as before and do nothing about saving water in their daily use of it, still drive more than necessary and still fly on holidays abroad.

Many habitats have been destroyed by lack of or too much water in some cases. We can save water by using it sensibly so why don’t we? We can save electricity and gas by using it sensibly so again why don’t we? Do you need to wash your clothes every day? Do you throw away clothes after wearing them a few times and buy new ones? I still have clothes that are very old, like ten or more years old, but still wearable and I love wearing them. My mother taught me how to repair clothes so they are as new and I do this. Every little bit helps.

But one of the most important changes to come will be in how we treat others. We all come from the same source, we all have a spark of the divine and we are all equal in the eyes of Spirit. It is not just about us but about all of us. We need to make sure that we all have food to eat and clothes to wear and a roof over our heads. There should be no-one homeless anywhere. Homes should be built where they are safe and not likely to be swept away in a flood but we still build houses on flood plains.

The future seems uncertain but hold that vision of something for everyone living together in peace and working together to provide food and clothing for all. It will be different from now but it will be better. Hold that vision and stay strong!