By Hadrien Coumans
With any bit of discernment it’s abundantly clear that we are rapidly heading towards catastrophe. Earth has a fever and is heating up. The scientific evidence of feedback loops, severity of storms, rising temperatures, rising oceans, disappearing of fresh water, acidifying oceans, species extinction, all point to a collision of contemporary civilization with reality. This is the result of humanity having created a uncalibrated, artificial existence to feed on an organic Earth. And yet an organic Earth in which humanity is undeniably a part of. We are entirely made of Earth.
An organic or Earth-centered existence, such as indigenous ways of life, is based on fundamental natural laws of reciprocity, balance and harmony, in other words, the very same definitions of health.
Earth is balancing our artificial human existence with climate change. In simple terms what we give to Earth, she gives back to us. We exist in her system and we are suffering the consequences of our own doing.
In current politics, the direction which Trump has taken up of “America First” policies of economic isolationism, xenophobia, anti-immigration and border walls on a political level clearly appease his base. A base of fear and anger –fueled often struggling lower and middle classes who have been fed the scraps of hyper-capitalism. There is poverty in the U.S. and as the saying goes in America, “someone’s got to pay.”
This toxic mixture of poverty and abrahamic style vengeance is igniting racism that has always been, at best, smoldering in the fabric of America. America First is terrifying and sickening, and familiar sounding to those of us who heard the stories of the horrors of the World Wars, Native American genocides, apartheid and slavery. It adds a permanent stain to the current U.S. human rights record. It’s 2018, children are missing and locked in cages after having been ripped from their parents’ arms.
The current human rights violations are reminiscent of the worst of the 20th century, but it is a different period.
The difference is that today these oppressive forces seek to maintain a dominance of artificial existence over Earth, in the face of climate change.
Science isn’t only working in and for academia. The U.S. intelligence body has known about climate change and its effects for a long time. They have models predicting outcomes, and it is doubtful that a rosy picture emerges for the coming decades in the classified research besides what’s been made public.
America First is the writing on the wall.
The U.S. will maintaining a position of extreme nationalism and isolationism in the storms of climate change. In the great disruptions of the disappearance of entire areas such as Florida and other coastal areas, massive drought in the center states, calamity will prevail and resources won’t be used for anyone else on Earth. Aid will only be allocated to citizens born on U.S. soil. Many nations such as India, running out of water and yet drowning under oceans will be left to manage on their own.
Massive movements of populations from coasts and areas literally on fire or too hot to sustain human life, will cause massive migrations across continents. The U.S. is anticipating massive internally displaced peoples and many attempting to enter the country. After all, the U.S. has been selling the American Dream for centuries and shouldn’t be surprised by the success of this campaign nor blame the consumers of this brilliant marketing.
The reality is that America is absolutely not ready for what is to come. It will inflict more suffering than is necessary.
As evidenced by Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the U.S. consistently showed it’s mighty mythology to be a projection of a sad and ineffective mouse. This is not a criticism of heroic individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty for country, it’s a spotlight to the bluff of a Nation which isn’t ready for receiving the destructive forces it has unleashed on Earth- for centuries. We exist in Earth’s system, therefore what we do the system, it is given back to us.
A revolution isn’t the answer. That would lead us to more of the same fragmented artificial ideas of political, economic, social “solutions”
We don’t have the luxury of time of indulging in more human attempts of artificiality separating ourselves from Earth.
We need a healthy existence which is Earth-Centered. We need to evolve.
There are people on Earth who have the knowledge to design a human existence from a blank slate, but the roots of knowledge run deep. They are the people who don’t subscribe to the Western constructs of humans separated from Earth, and understand that life is only because of Earth. They are the people who have always lived Earth-First.
The current leadership of the U.S. must get out of the way and let original, indigenous peoples step in and take the wheel, along with those who understand biology, ecosystems and natural laws.
Earth-First is our only future and we are running out of time.
Hadrien Coumans , Co-founder and co-director of Lenape Center – www.thelenapecenter.com
