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EARTH DAY REFLECTIONS

We, at The Interfaith Peace Project, thought it might be a good idea to reconsider and ponder the Earth Charter over the next several months in honor of Earth Day, April 22, 2019. We will publish a portion of the Earth Charter over the next several months. This is the third installment of the series.

The Earth Charter
Principle 1:
Respect and Care for the Community of Life

1. Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.
   1. Recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings.
   2. Affirm faith in the inherent dignity of all human beings and in the intellectual, artistic, ethical, and spiritual potential of humanity.
2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.
   1. Accept that with the right to own, manage, and use natural resources comes the duty to prevent environmental harm and to protect the rights of people.
   2. Affirm that with increased freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased responsibility to promote the common good.
3. Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.
   1. Ensure that communities at all levels guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms and provide everyone an opportunity to realize his or her full potential.
   2. Promote social and economic justice, enabling all to achieve a secure and meaningful livelihood that is ecologically responsible.
4. Secure Earth’s bounty and beauty for present and future generations.
   1. Recognize that the freedom of action of each generation is qualified by the needs of future generations.
   2. Transmit to future generations values, traditions, and institutions that support the long-term flourishing of Earth’s human and ecological communities.

In order to fulfill these four broad commitments, it is necessary to:

(Continued Next Month)

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Next Month (Part 4):
The Principles – Ecological Integrity

For the whole Earth Charter go to:
http://earthcharter.org/discover/the-earth-charter/