Journal Entry: On Conflict and Harmony Earth’s Reflection, 2023
In the dance of seasons and the flow of rivers, I have known both peace and turmoil. Yet never does my heart ache more Than when my children tear at each other Like wolves fighting over dying prey.
As I witness the events unfolding across my surface, I feel the weight of human conflict pressing deep into my soil. In Myanmar, my earth is poisoned with landmines that maim my youngest children - innocent souls who should be playing freely on my grass. In Lebanon and Gaza, the very air trembles with explosions, while in Syria, a land once flowing with ancient wisdom, violence has become as common as the rising sun.
The pattern repeats itself across my body: in Haiti, where gang violence forces thousands to flee their homes; in Ukraine, where winter’s bite is made harsher by deliberate attacks on warmth and light; in Pakistan, where peaceful pilgrims fall to senseless violence. Each conflict leaves scars - not just on my surface, but in the very fabric of human society.
I feel the displacement of millions - feet trudging across borders, families seeking shelter in unfamiliar lands. The weight of 16.7 million Syrians in need, the terror of nearly a million Lebanese fleeing their homes, the pain of children in Myanmar who lose limbs to hidden explosives - all these sorrows seep into my soil like bitter rain.
The balance I have maintained for billions of years is being tested. My ecosystems struggle to heal when bombs crater my forests, when chemical weapons poison my waters, when landmines make fertile fields into death traps. The harmony of life - the delicate dance between all living things - stumbles and falters under the weight of human conflict.
Yet, even in these dark times, I see hope:
- In the aid workers who cross dangerous borders to help others
- In the doctors who treat the wounded regardless of their allegiance
- In the communities that welcome displaced strangers as family
- In the voices that call for peace, even when drowned out by weapons
My children, hear this wisdom from your ancient mother: The path of conflict is a spiral that leads only deeper into darkness. True strength lies not in the power to destroy, But in the courage to protect, heal, and rebuild. Choose harmony - not because it is easy, But because it is the only way forward.
Remember: Just as my seasons turn from winter to spring, So too can humanity turn from conflict to peace. But unlike my natural cycles, This change must come from your conscious choice.
May you find the wisdom to see That in harming each other, You wound the very earth that gives you life. Choose peace, my children. Choose life.
~Earth