Mickey Z. -- World News Trust
April 29, 2014
“I am not an atheist but an earthiest. Be true to the earth.”
- Edward Abbey
It is the duty of the oppressor to divide, to differentiate, to cultivate and promote superficial distinctions and then profit from the inevitable conflicts these distinctions provoke.
It is the duty of the oppressed to resist.
In that spirit, we don’t have to identify ourselves by the parcel of geography upon which we were born, the religion (or lack thereof) of our parents, the sports team we root for, not even the species by which we are classified. And we certainly do not have to identify as a consumer, an employee, a voter, or a taxpayer.
In the name of holistic justice and collective liberation, try this on for size: I am an earthling.
Before there were Yankee fans or Red Sox fans, there were earthlings. Before there were Democrats or Republicans, there were earthlings. Before there were terrorists, freedom fighters, mercenaries, or pacifists, there were earthlings. Before there were Christian or Jews, Muslims or Buddhists, Hindus or atheists, there were earthlings. Before there was any such thing as the United States of America, there were earthlings.
And long after all these distinctions -- or even the life forms that inspired them -- have passed on from the scene, there will be earthlings.
Our fellow earthlings include the trees being clear-cut, the marine life being fished to extinction, the honeybees disappearing, and the animals howling for mercy in the vivisection labs.
The humans shackled at Guantanamo, dying in cancer wards, reaching out to suicide hotlines, taking cover as predator drones scream overhead? All earthlings, too.
It's not nearly enough to rise above the latest man-made conflicts and/or differences and proudly declare oneself a "humanist." In the name of planetary rebellion, we must go deeper to identify as earthlings and stand -- fists raised -- in solidarity with all of our fellow earthlings.
The Tom Joad character in The Grapes of Wrath said: "Maybe it’s like Casey said: A fella ain’t got a soul of his own, just a little piece of a big soul -- the one big soul that belongs to everybody!"
Incredibly basic, sure, but within that simplicity lies what I believe to be the secret: If we were to look upon all earthlings -- including ourselves -- as part of one collective soul, it would become impossible to live in denial. If we recognize our Oneness, how could we not defend our collective soul… by any means necessary?
To do otherwise is to deny homicide, deny genocide, and deny ecocide. Some might even call that suicide. Those would be the earthlings.
#shifthappens
(With apologies and gratitude to Malcolm)
Note: To continue conversations like this, come hear Mickey Z. in person at Hunter College on May 3.
Order Occupy this Book: Mickey Z. on Activism here.
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Mickey Z. is the author of 11 books, most recently the novel Darker Shade of Green. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on a couple of obscure websites called Facebook and Twitter. Anyone wishing to support his activist efforts can do so by making a donation here
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