the Earth is our home

An Ancestral Shrine in the Mountains of Togo, Africa

The Earth is our home. There’s not a single human being on this planet that can claim to be from anywhere else but the Earth. We eat from this planet, whether it is the fruits and vegetables farmed by the farmer or the meat from the various animals who also live on this planet. We drink from the waters: the rivers, ponds, lakes and streams. We even return to the Earth’s soil once our physical journey has ended. One can say the Earth itself is like a mother to humanity.

The relationship between a mother and a child, like all relationships, requires intimate interactions, or some form of dialogue. The duty of a mother is to ensure the survival of her family. Mothers provide not only nourishment but rules to guide our lives. Indigenous societies have known this reality for thousands of years, and have sought to fit into the reality imposed by Mother Earth in order to survive within it. What we call “culture” and the principles carried by indigenous societies have been the foundation for stability on this planet for a very long time. It is through the traditional education, also known as “initiation,” that humans have learned how to harmonize with the larger realities of Nature imposed on us by the Earth.

A mother understands the sacrifices needed to raise her children.

The modern society on the other hand is infatuated with the control of Nature instead of living in the realities that Nature provides, like a rebellious teenager who thinks they know better than those who came before them. If we are honest with ourselves for just a moment and remove the shell of comforts and pleasures of the modern world, are we in harmony with the planet? Have we traded stability and principles for toys and gadgets? We think we are advancing by continuously finding solutions for the many new problems we face in this modern futuristic world, only to create new problems at every turn.

Pollution, radiation, global warming, pandemics, and constant so-called natural disasters are all modern problems that have never been seen before in the history of humanity. Every new development brings with it a form of abuse to Nature and some form of instability within the environment. It is almost like we are being punished for our misbehaviors or inability to follow the rules of the house.

So what is the solution? History shows us that our society has not always been in danger of the constant destruction we face today. A traditional indigenous education, or initiation, teaches us how to fit into the realities and guidelines imposed by the Earth and the larger existence. It is how we bring back harmony and balance to our home, and ultimately ourselves.