Life Changes ... Everything - November 22, 2013

As we bemoan the state of the earth's environment and generally move straight to coming down on humanity for our ignorance, greed, and lack of foresight, I've been reflecting on the impact of life on the planet and have come to the realization that since the very first moment that life was sparked it has been changing the earth and in some ways remarkably so, such as releasing oxygen which destroyed massive amounts of life, corroded minerals, and "poisoned" the atmosphere. I don't say this to let us off the hook, because our contribution to the equation is massive and we have a conscience and consciousness that allows us to make choices. We are a species developmentally in our adolescence and many of us are waking up to our adult responsibilities. May it be so, in time for us and many other species. If not, the planet carries on without us on its journey of continuous change.