A little poem in English I wrote for young children, a video in Italian including a 'filastrocca' and a reading for the adults too: so we can all celebrate the WWF Earth Hour.
When this web portal was created about one year ago, it was for connecting each other.
At the end of the Home page you find the quote 'We don't heal in isolation, we heal in community'.
Tonight, while we experience the dreads and challenges of the pandemic fatigue, we have an opportunity to honour our interconnectedness, by celebrating the WWF Earth Hour 2021.
Read this extract from Thich Nhat Hahn's book, to your kids too, and at 8.30 p.m., do switch off all lights, letting his words resonate within you, while you contemplate the dark as something healthy, something good. The poem and the video will help you involve your children even more :)
WE ARE THE EARTH -
from Thich Nhat Hahn, A love letter to the Earth
At this very moment the Earth is below you, around you and also within you.
You may be used to considering it simple soil, but the water, the seed and everything around us comes from the Earth. Everything outside of us and everything within us comes from the Earth.
It is easy to forget that the planet we live on has provided us with all the ingredients that make up our body. The Earth is not just the environment in which we live. We are her. We are part of her and she is in us, so we always carry her with us.
When we truly see that the Earth is part of us, we see something extraordinary. The Earth is alive. We are a living, pulsating manifestation of this beautiful and generous planet. When we see all of this, we transform our relationship with the Earth. We will walk differently on this planet, we will take care of it differently, we will fall madly in love with the Earth.
It possesses the virtues of patience, stability, creativity, love and non-discrimination. When you can recognize all of this, you will feel the connection between you and the Earth. If you look deeply and feel your connection with the Earth you will feel admiration, love and respect.
When you realize that the Earth is not just the environment, you will feel inclined to protect it personally. You are a child of the Earth. And the Earth is inside of you. You know there is no difference between you and her.
When I think of the Earth and my ability to walk on it, I think: “I'm about to go out into nature, savoring everything beautiful” and my heart fills with joy. The Earth gives me so much. I am so in love with it. It is a magnificent love. We entrust our heart to the Earth and she gives us her whole being.
The practice of mindfulness helps us to touch Mother Earth inside our body. The healing of our body and mind must go hand in hand with the healing of the Earth. This type of illumination is essential for a collective awakening. Mental awareness is an act of awakening.
We can awaken to the fact that the Earth and living species are in danger. Earth's awareness can also help us manage difficult, painful feelings and emotions. It can help us heal our own suffering and become more aware of the suffering of others.
With the awareness of the Earth we can elicit a pleasant feeling. With awareness we can manage a painful sensation or a strong, difficult emotion. When we practice mindfulness we are naturally practicing planet awareness. When we listen in awareness to ourselves and others, we are also listening to the planet.
By practicing compassionate listening with the Earth, we hear that the latter needs us to reconnect with her, and we need to reconnect with each other. There is no difference between healing ourselves and healing the Earth. Whenever we do something in awareness we are more in touch with our planet.
When we learn to listen with awareness we are able to listen to the Earth and hear what it takes to restore its balance. The Earth has long been unbalanced; as a species we have not given her back as much as we have taken away from her.
If we can restore balance to the environment, life can go on more easily. When we disturb the balance of the environment, we cause a lot of suffering. If we continue to be unbalanced we will cause a lot of destruction. The conditions that will help restore balance do not come from outside but from within us, from our awareness. A revolution must take place and it begins within each of us.
A poem for the children
A step after the other, we switched off all the lights, and it’s a kind of magic, the world feels slow and calm
A step after the other, my hand inside your hand, the Earth is thanking us and we’re thanking her back
If you’ll open the window, or go down to the street, or maybe you’ll prefer to stay warm on your soft couch
Play a game with the owl, a creature of the night, and just explore around, to breath deep in the dark
With your big owl ears, inside the greatest silence, from near and faraway, what sounds can you discover?
And with the eyes wide open, or closed within the dark, can you perceive that warmth that is deep inside your heart?
Or see the star up there, the sparkle of the lake, a shiver in your spine or a peaceful soft relief?
The darkness of this hour expresses deep respect for our beloved Planet we all need to protect
Now that you learned that darkness can be a treat to Earth, allowing her to rest out of all those shining lights
And thinking of the owl and creatures of the night, don’t you think that we all can become friends of the dark?
Good night my lovely planet, it’s time for me to sleep, I promise that each step on your ground will be my kiss!
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