Our first UU Principle asserts "the worth and dignity" of every individual, and Gandhi also included the worth of all living things, including our Earth.
Gandhi was a philosopher, an educator, an activist, and a patriot. He is perhaps best known for helping engineer India's successful break from Colonial Britain (people of India finally achieved their independence in 1947).
Throughout his long life, Gandhi stressed the importance of treating everyone and everything with respect, and that included our Earth home. Respect means using our resources carefully, not overusing or abusing them. Gandhi foresaw that increased exploitation of our people and resources would lead to environmental systems breaking down. And that is happening now. Cat.4 hurricanes and bomb cyclones, year-long fire season in California, and record flooding along the Gulf and East Coast. Climate change.
Gandhi recognized that all living creatures have needs, and we're fortunate to live on a planet that can provide enough for all. And he saw greed--wanting more than you need--as a factor that often leads to that overuse and abuse. Global Warming is one result of that bad behavior, and it will take much work to reduce damage to our home.
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