Consider the Earth

By Duane Herrmann

An exchange of ideas reveals how small acts of awareness can shape the world around us.

“What does the following statement mean to you?”  Terrin asked the group of youth when he began to read:

“They should conduct themselves in such manner that the earth upon which they tread may never be allowed to address to them such words as these: ‘I am to be preferred above you. For witness, how patient I am in bearing the burden which the husbandman layeth upon me. I am the instrument that continually imparteth unto all beings the blessings with which He Who is the Source of all grace hath entrusted me. Notwithstanding the honor conferred upon me, and the unnumbered evidences of my wealth -- a wealth that supplieth the needs of all creation -- behold the measure of my humility, witness with what absolute submissiveness I allow myself to be trodden beneath the feet of men....’”

​

“That we should respect the earth,” Imala replied.

“That we shouldn’t do anything the earth will be ashamed of,” Gan added.

“We need to be conscious of what we do to the earth,” Kekona offered.

“The earth might get tired of being mistreated,” Loritz said.

Terrin listened thoughtfully as the group responded.  He had wanted to get them thinking about their actions, their behaviors and how they made an impact on the planet.  They could see their actions carried a moral responsibility.  After all, this was the Word of God they were studying.

​

“It means we have to remember that everything we have comes from the earth,” Veda said.

“Not just our things, but our food too,” Kynan added.

“The earth supports us,” Imala said.  “Without food grown on the earth, from the earth, none of us could be alive.”

“Without the earth,” Heniek added.  “We couldn’t exist.”

“So,” Terrin asked.  “It’s a good thing to respect and take care of the earth?”

“YES!”  The entire group resoundingly answered.

“Who is the ‘they’ the statement is addressed to?”  Terrin now asked.

“Everybody,” Gan answered.

“Yes,” Terrin answered.  “The statement applies to everybody, but it is addressed to certain people.”

“Certain people?”  Several in the group asked themselves.

“Holy souls!”  Imala eagerly answered.

“Yes,” Terrin agreed.  “Holy souls.  And, who are holy souls?”

Several of the class looked blankly at each other.

 “Anyone can be,” Loritz offered.

“Yes,” Terrin agreed.  “Anyone can be a holy soul.  But, are most people?”

“We can’t know that,” Kynan objected.

“We’re not the ones to judge,” Veda added.

“Exactly,” agreed Terrin.  “We don’t necessarily know, and we certainly can’t judge, but there are some indicators.”

“They’re selfless,” Kekona offered.

“They’re concerned for others more than themselves,”

“Right again,” Terrin exclaimed.  “People who are selfless and self-sacrificing.  And, in an earlier part of the statement, which I didn’t read, there’s another clue to who they are.  Can somebody find and read that sentence?”

The entire group eagerly began reading from the beginning of the statement.

“The conversation carried by these holy souls should be informed with such power that these same atoms of dust will be thrilled by its influence,” Loritz read.

“Exactly,” Terrin agreed.  “We can tell by the way people talk, their conversation.”  He paused to let them think about this for a moment.  “How can you tell if a conversation has power or influence?”

“If it has an effect on someone.”

“If it encourages someone.”

“If it motivates someone.”

 “If it makes a difference in someone’s life.”

“Those are all signs of a conversation that has power,” Terrin replied.  “Now, don’t answer this question out loud, but think about it.  Are your conversation like that?”

The group sat silent.  None of them had ever thought about their conversations before, at least not in this way.  They realized that much of their conversation was pointless and meaningless.  They would never have any impact on the world that way.  Some of them began to regret some of the things they remembered saying.

“What does the rest of the statement, the beginning, say about these holy souls?”  Terrin asked after a time.  “Will you read it, Daron?”

“They who are the beloved of God, in whatever place they gather and whomsoever they may meet, must evince, in their attitude towards God, and in the manner of their celebration of His praise and glory, such humility and submissiveness that every atom of the dust beneath their feet may attest the depth of their devotion.”

“So, it’s reflected also in the reverence given to God, how we celebrate and praise God, and how we’re humble,” Terrin summed up, then asked, “Who can be a holy soul?”

“Any one of us.”

“Each of us.”

“All of us.”

“Each human being, male, female, no matter what color or where we're from.”

“All the human rainbow!”

“We're all made by God; we all breathe the same air, drink the same water, and have the same emotions.  We all love, and laugh, and hurt, and cry.”

​

“We're all leaves of one tree and flowers of one garden.”

“If the flowers in a garden were all the same, the same kind, the same color, the same size, the garden wouldn't look very interesting.

“But, when the garden is full of all different kinds and shapes and colors of flowers – it's a beautiful garden!”

“Exactly,” Terrin agreed.  “Now, what project are we going to work on today?”

The group eagerly began to explain their new project of cleaning the roadside and planting flowers, and the afternoon proceeded.

Duane L. Herrmann, a reluctant carbon-based life-form, was surprised to find himself on a Kansas farm in 1951. Still trying to make sense of that, he’s grown fond of grass waving in the wind, trees and enchantment of moonlight. His work has been published in print and online, in several languages and more countries. This, despite a traumatic, abusive childhood embellished with dyslexia, ADHD, cyclothymia, an anxiety disorder, a form of mutism, and PTSD