Check this out

[helen99]

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/ecuador-ecosystem-rights.php

Ecuador has voted to give nature constitutional rights.

I have such odd feelings about this.

On the one hand, why does nature require protection with man's laws, when it existed for millennia prior to the existence of those laws.

On the other hand, if it's not protected by humans, it will probably be cannibalized by same.

On the other, other hand, such a law will most probably not be recognized by corporations whose profits depend on exploitation. These corporations have their own armies now, so whoever has the largest mercenary force will just keep happily doing whatever they've been doing.

On the other, other, other hand, maybe this is representative of a spark of insight awakening in the oversoul of the human race.

Ecuador has my attention...

Comments

[chevlinath.livejournal.com]

i have to agree, ecuador has my attention as well, it will be interesting to see how they enforce these rights..

[arahitogami.livejournal.com]

Definite food for thought............

[elven-ranger.livejournal.com]

I choose to think the last option. :)

[historychick49.livejournal.com]

I think I want to know why you have four hands. ;)

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I grabbed the nearest innocent bystander (you) and used their hands! Bwaha!

[historychick49.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but... who said I was innocent?

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

And here I was thinking you merely had two minds, and therefore four hands to go with them...

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm an exact duplicate of myself...

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

I suppose that would also explain the four hands thing...

[arethinn]

Something about Indian deities comes to mind.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

It's a hopeful first step. It remains to be seen what happens next, but things are definitely better than if this hadn't happened.

[ele-eternal.livejournal.com]

Have you read the recent dolphin news? http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6973994.ece

Perhaps the world really is waking up a little.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link - I hadn't seen that one. It's a hopeful step to recognize intelligences that are sort of similar to human. The next step would be to expand that to to other types of intelligence that may be completely different. A lake or a forest has an intricate communication network that took a long time to create. While it isn't considered 'bright' in the conventional sense of the world, it knows how to create an intricate balance. I don't think any human-created structure or method knows how to do this yet...

[chiashurb.livejournal.com]

Nature doesn't need our protection. We can't undo nature, and it will be around long after we extinct ourselves.

On the other hand, a form of "nature" that humans idealize and play nice with, *does* need our protection from ourselves. As do many of the species currently in existence.

Still, after we are gone the parking lot will crack and bloom again.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

If Chernobyl is any indication, this is true - it will not only bloom, but will bloom vigorously, and will be immune to/thrive upon all the poisons we so graciously left behind for it...

[ahril.livejournal.com]

Maybe they saw Avatar. ;)

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Maybe they did. From what I'm seeing, a good portion of the world is in love with Pandora, Neytiri, and the blue Aussie...

[sa-arine.livejournal.com]

Nature needs an army.