Catherine Greenfield-- Another form of Matrimony-- In relation to A Continuous Harmony.

"If we apply our minds directly and competently to the needs of the earth, then we will have begun to make fundamental and necessary changes in our minds." A Continuous Harmony

Like in a romantic relationship, it is important to remember the needs of the other as well as your own needs. Doubtless, it is important to make sure that you yourself are at ease and comfortable. But it is similarly important (and, in a healthy relationship, not at all mutually exclusive) to make sure that the person you are in the relationship with is similarly at ease. For example, if you are hungry, you eat, but you also ask if the other person wants some food as well. If you are upset with a situation, you say so, but also ask if the other person is having similar feelings in regards to the issue. If you are cold, you ask before turning up the heat. If there is only one helping of Mac&Cheese left in the pot, you ask if the other wants to share it. This isn't just in a romantic relationship so much as common courtesy, but you get my point (I hope).

The same goes for our relationship with the earth-- if we are hungry, we don't just over-plant-- we fertilize the earth, and try to rotate our crops to keep the earth healthy. If we are feeling cold, we shouldn't just chop down every tree in sight and make a bonfire-- we should use what nature has dropped on the earth for us, or only take what we need. Similarly, if we are hungry, we oughtn't kill a surplus of animals just in case we are hungry later-- we ought to take what we need, save what we don't finish, and use ALL of the animal as best we can. These are the things we ought to do-- whether or not they can be implemented in modern society is up the majority, and looking at it as it stand, the future in that respect doesn't look all that bright.

What we can do is try to cut down on our greenhouse-gas emissions, on our fossil fuel use, on our electricity usage, on our non biodegradable waste, on our wastefulness in general. It's a simple, in some ways, as buying products made from recyclables, as buying a light bulb meant to last for ages, as buying a car with more miles to the gallon or, even better, getting a bike instead. It's not EASY to be kinder and more thoughtful to our battered wife, mother Earth, in this day in age... but we can at least show her some sympathy, and try to balm her wounds somewhat. Who knows? Maybe she will be able to find it in her heart to forgive us.