On Planet Earth... Love, The Only Hope To Solve Global Problems

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Planet Earth

Love, The only Hope To Solve Global Problems

 

           A massive environmental crisis could lead our planet earth into a major catastrophe. Twenty-eight named storms and fifteen hurricanes including Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005, for example, had destructed in the U.S. that more than 1,700 were killed and more than $100 billion worth of damages were extensively devastated (Crowley). For a century, scientists have been studying global problems that are interrelating with our daily lives on earth and producing unexpected harmful consequences. on this dire state, how we human beings can solve these problems? While contemplating where the problems are coming from, we can perceive the solution from The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran, a poet, philosopher, artist, prophet and writer. Gibran engages us in a light of hope that only love is the solution for the global problems.

 

           The Prophet is Gibran’s masterpiece that beloved since it has been published in 1923. Gibran speaks to us the truth between birth and death that we can give it unto our children, and it shell not perish; Gibran profoundly inspires us to perceive the truth on love, children, giving, work, buying and selling, laws, freedom, reason and passion, self-knowledge, time, good and evil, religion, death, and many more essential elements of our precious daily lives. Especially, Gibran encourages us love on work in The Prophet:

 

           “And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,

           And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,

           And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,

           And all work is empty save when there is love.”

 

           Gibran warns us at first, “Life is indeed darkness save when there is urge.” If we do not have a strong impulse for our life’s goal, we will lose right directions of how to live and what to do for our lives. Al Gore, a former Vice President, founder and chairman of The Alliance for Climate Protection, author of An Inconvenient Truth that won the 2007 Academy Award for Documentary Feature and received special recognition from the Humanitas Prize, states, “Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb.” From this astonishing statement, we can open our hearts and listen to what is going on in this world. When we are deeply looking into a big picture of our daily lives, each one of us, as a consumer who buys products from manufactures and/or enjoys hi-tech inventions, causes environmental pollution and ecological disruption. When we notice the urgency on our earth, every one of us will deeply acknowledge the responsibilities for the global problems and will desperately seek the solution. “Our climate crisis may at times appear to be happening slowly, but in fact it is happening very quickly—and has become a true planetary emergency” (Gore). If we do not see the urgency on our planet earth, our lives will indeed fall into darkness. Are we aware of what our global problems are?

 

           Gibran stimulates us, “All urge is blind save when there is knowledge.” If we do not have knowledge where the global problems are coming from, we cannot notice the urgency in the planet. Glenn D. Paige, president, professor emeritus of political science, University of Hawaii, author of Nonkilling Global Political Science, stated in his essay, Buddhism And Nonviolent Global Problem-Solving, “Since global problems are interconnected, solutions cannot be sought in isolation.” Paige indicates the needs of universal education along with compassionate nonviolent action, since global problems are interrelated each other and affected one after another either directly or indirectly. on the other aspect of understanding the global problems, Richard H. Robbins, an anthropologist at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, addressed the origins of global problems applying anthropology in his book, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. Especially in Part Two, Robbins illustrates an anthropological perspective that spread of capitalism brought into a mutually dependent or reciprocal relationship into global problems. Obtaining knowledge from various perspective on global problems, we will recognize all of our works are related one another. None of them are solely occurred nor will be solved alone. Do we work efficiently as we apply our knowledge appropriately?

 

           Gibran clarifies us, “And all knowledge is vain save when there is work.” Without action, there is no use of knowledge. “The important thing is not just understanding or realizing, but living as the way of our awakening.” This statement is from, Dandelion Does Not Envy Rose, an another letter to the world by Hwang Dae Kwon, an eco-anarchist and an author of Wild Plant Letter. Hwang provokes every one of us who are awakened from the knowledge, yet do no action. Reflecting our own mirror images, Hwang admonishes the intelligent, who lead our community, who are well aware of ecology and who just live in their own safety system without any true action for the better place to live. Accustoming on our convenient daily life, we ignore the immense consequences that will be harm for our next generations. Moreover, we procrastinate the real action where we desperately need it for the very moment even knowing what is right and what is wrong. If we continue to close our eyes and cover our ears against what we have learned about current problems on our planet, the world has no hope for the future and no place for our children. Do we really have true heart for mankind?

 

           Finally, Gibran inspires us the solution, “And all work is empty save when there is love.” Without love, none of the action can solve any problem. Without love, all work is in vain. Gibran points out us to discern a true love stating, “You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.” True love is coming from nature where supplies clean air to breathe, abundant crops to eat and comfortable place to dwell. When we appreciate what nature freely gives us the most essentials for life, we will find the way to preserve our nature and to protect our planet earth. An Inconvenient Truth, based on An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It, is featuring the irrevocable consequences that we cannot avoid unexpected disasters if we continue to ignore the ecosystem. Furthermore, Gore presents the stirring truth that the only way to solve the problems and to reach the true love at the same time, stating, “The two side by side raise hands together to find what one cannot reach alone.”

 

           Perceiving Gibran’s love, we attain the way of working as our true hearts lead to the true love accomplishing knowledge from the urgency of our global problems. Re-setting the course of life, Gore, who has been nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, leads us to focus on the planetary global emergency demonstrating himself as a true leader to endeavor for saving our planet. Achieving the solutions of our global problems, Hwang provokes us to find the true ways of living through his letter to the world and asserts a new idea stating, “The place where no one has not yet gone the way, there is a new hidden power.” only the place where we practice the real action reciprocating with nature, each one of us can reach the purpose of our precious lives and can accomplish the true love for mankind and for our Mother Nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Bannister, Trevor. Kahlil Gibran online. Sept 2004. 13 May 2007

<http://www.kahlil.org>.

Crowley, Brian E., Gomez, Alan., Kam, Dara. “Our Tsunami.” Palm Beach

Post on the Web 31 August. 2005. 13 May 2007

<http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/storm/2005/atlantic/

katrina/post_archive.html>.

Gibran, Kahlil. The Prophet. 1923. New York: Alfred·A·Knopf, 1996.

Gore, Al. An Inconvenient Truth. Hollywood: Paramount Classics, 2006

<http://www.climatecrisis.net>.

---. An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming

and What We Can Do About It. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Books, 2006.

Hansen, James. “Time 100 Scientists & Thinkers: Al Gore.” Time 14 May

2007: 110.

Hwang, Dae Kwon. Dandelion Does Not Envy Rose, Seoul: Yollimwon,

2006.

---. Wild Plant Letter, Seoul: Dosol, 2002.

King, Robert P. “Nature Can Still Win.” Palm Beach Post on the Web 1 Dec

2005. 13 May 2007 <http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/nation/epaper/2005/12/01/a2a_Hurricanes_1201.html>.

Paige, Glenn D. Buddhism And Nonviolent Global Problem-Solving. 1991.

13 May 2007

<http://www.globalnonviolence.org/docs/buddhism/chapter16.pdf>.

Robbins, Richard H. Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. 3rd ed.

Plattsburgh: Allyn & Bacon, 2005. 13 May 2007

http://faculty.plattsbrugh.edu/richard.robbins/legacy/default.htm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Sharp

English 300

24 May 2007