Transcript of Thought For the World's thought for the day

Mandy Evans Ewing

4th March 2008

It's a funny old life - as me mother would say! The journey of creating this podcast began over a week ago with the full intention of writing about love and loving one another, about why the promotion and enaction of them is a major ethical issue and imperative at this juncture in the story of humankind, and about why if we don't make them the utmost focus and priority in all that we do "we're doomed" in the famous words of Private James Frazer. And let's make it clear - because for some there's an instant association with sex, for some it's a dirty word, and for others it's a place that seems to scare them terribly - when talking about love it is in the sense of patience, kindness and compassion, as an inspired form of giving, and as a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and consideration towards each other arising from consciousness of kinship, and a sense of underlying oneness.

By the time the deadline approached the only feeling about me was anger and upset and the only thought that of a conversation had that day about fear and a how it holds us back. They say that depression is anger turned inwards, so I got over myself and wrote about one of the things that's bugging me and say what has to be said - there's a lot of talk about saving the planet however we need to WAKE UP, it's not the planet that needs saving, it's us! The planet is tougher than us, she will survive after we're long gone, we may upset her for a while, and destroy ourselves into the bargain, though have no doubt, she will regain her beauty and composure, while we will be dust.

I have been reading: 'Do good lives have to cost the earth?' and the answer is clearly - no; and the reading of this book cannot be recommended highly enough as a transformational tool in these times, however if we also ask: 'Do good lives have to cost the existence of humanity?' - that's the lives of you, your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren - then the answer can still be - no. The myriad of creative solutions and highly ethical notions and principles in this book, the vast threads of good work going on in the world, in whatever name, that create a critical mass, and the fact that a main reason for waking joyfully of a morning is that, even on the least pretty of days, I have the innate capacity to see the good in life, as we all do, means that we can save ourselves.

So, let's get on with it.

Let's have faith in humanity to get over itself and get on with being it's own salvation, don't think of the sacrifices, think of the gains, the biggest of which is life; and let's get back to where we started: to secure a future, prioritising love and loving one another are not just ethical imperatives, they are the elements of moral magic and ethical enchantment.

May good be with you.

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