Earth Ethics
Here at OPOA we believe that we desperately need to develop a new ethical framework that can effectively deal with the coming challenges and difficulties. We need a new understanding of responsibility and care for our fellow human beings and for the Earth.
The following represents our attempt to do just that. As times become evermore difficult, we will need profound spiritual-ethical discipline to ground the movement, and to defend the Earth and Humanity. We need an ethic of determination and of hope...
1) I vow to be HONEST
I vow to be a truth teller no matter the circumstance. I vow to use my voice and my mind to do what I know is good and right, despite what others say.
2) I vow to LOVE MY NEIGHBOR
I vow to be altruistic and compassionate. Understanding that every person is good at their deepest level of being, and desiring of what is right and just, I vow to see everyone as an ally and friend waiting to be made. I vow to do my best to help all those in need during the coming times, especially the poor and disadvantaged.
3) I vow to be SELF-RELIANT and AUTONOMOUS
I vow to learn how to become more self-reliant as an individual, and to help my family and community to become more self-reliant. I vow to practice and learn a skill that I might pass on to others.
4) I vow to be NONVIOLENT
Understanding that violence clouds the issues and leads to more violence, I vow to be nonviolent in my attempt to create a better and more just world. I vow to work to actively prevent violence by preparing my community and helping neighboring communities in the times to come.
5) I vow to be prepared for SELF-DEFENSE
I vow to defend myself, my family, and my community. I vow to train my body and mind to become strong and healthy so that they can become weapons of self-defense if they are needed. I vow to obtain the tools of self-defense and to become competent and confident in their use. I vow to defend the sanctity of future generations and the Earth from the greedy destructiveness of our own society.
8) I vow to have NO FIXED IDEOLOGY
I vow to keep my mind open and free of dogma. I vow to have no organization, political party, or government speak for me. I vow to always try to see from a larger perspective, and to speak from my heart and mind.
7) I vow to practice LEADING BY EXAMPLE
I vow to train and practice myself in the art of leadership. Understanding that honest and strong leadership on the local level will be needed in the coming times, I vow to cultivate the leader within. I vow to educate and enlist others in the defense of the Earth and Humanity.
8) I vow to have NO ELITE LEADERSHIP
Understanding that our current leaders are part of the problem and not part of the solution, I vow not to rely upon or be commanded by false leaders. I vow to respect only those leaders who respect the people they work for, who cultivate peace, justice, and sustainability, and who would share a meal with my family.
9) I vow to have RESPECT FOR ALL ELDERS
Knowing that elders are our society’s living roots to our own personal and collective history, I vow to cherish, honor, and respect the old. Knowing that elders contain much knowledge and wisdom, I vow to seek them out, to learn from them, and to thank them for sharing their knowledge and wisdom. I vow to care for the elders in my own life, and to never let them be neglected by others, who claim to be care-takers.
10) I vow to have RESPECT FOR ALL WOMEN
Knowing that women are the life-bringers, nurturers, and, often, the voices of reason and compassion, I vow to have respect for all women by supporting their reproductive rights, education, and liberty from patriarchal oppression and violence.
12) I vow to have RESPECT FOR ALL MEN
Understanding that men are the seed-bearers, and backbones of the family structure, I vow to have respect for all men by supporting their freedom from oppression and de-masculating and de-humanizing societies.
13) I vow to have RESPECT FOR ALL CHILDREN AND FUTURE GENERATIONS
Knowing that our fight to defend Humanity and the Earth is ultimately for our children and the generations yet to be, I vow to fight for what is good, right, and just. I vow to commit my life to defending the future generations to come.
14) I vow to have NO MORE THAN TWO CHILDREN
I vow to have no more than two children (preferably one or not any at all). Understanding that the human species, like a virus, is overpopulating the Earth to the extent that we are causing great irreversible harm; knowing that we may have overshot the carrying capacity of the Earth and that a dramatic reduction of the population is likely inevitable, I vow to take the responsibility into my own hands to help protect the environment and Humanity by having no more than two children. At the same time, I also vow to never let governments, states, or corporations decide who should or shouldn't have children. All population reductions should be voluntary or natural and never imposed by government, bureaucracy or any other authoritarian structure. And perhaps most importantly, I vow to treat all children as my own, and understand that they too are autonomous beings, deserving of my respect and care. I vow to be a teacher and a giver, especially to those who are most in need.
15) I vow to help STOP THE CORPORATE TAKEOVER OF DEMOCRACY
I vow to help stop the corporate takeover of our freedoms, democracy, and Earth. I vow to buy and support local farmers, local merchants, and local manufacturers whenever possible. I vow to put my hard earned money into the hands of good and honest people in my own community instead of giving it to the rich and powerful who are ruining the Earth and Humanity.
16) I vow to QUESTION AUTHORITY
I vow to question authority, including the authority my own government that purports to speak for me. I vow to stand up for what is good and right even if I am persecuted for it. I vow to question academics. I vow to question specialists. I vow to question the media. I vow to question politicians. I vow to question religious authorities. I vow to be my own authority and to seek the wisdom of higher moral and ethical laws.
17) I vow to SUPPORT LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE FAMILY FARMERS
Understanding the importance of fresh, local, and sustainably grown food to my body and my children’s bodies; understanding the importance of supporting hard-working family farmers who have been systematically threatened and destroyed by agricultural corporations, I vow to support local, sustainable food production.
18) I vow to EAT LOWER ON THE FOOD CHAIN
I vow to eat lower on the food chain. Understanding the great strain on the environment that growing livestock causes, I vow to abstain from meat, dairy, and egg products except those that are grown in a sustainable, humane fashion. If I choose to hunt, I choose to do so with honor and respect toward the animal, and to never kill more than is necessary. I vow to protect the animals who give of their meat from overhunting and exploitation.
19) I vow to HONOR MY PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING
Understanding the importance of being physically and spiritually vital, I vow to adopt practices that cultivate health and care of my body and spirit.
20) I vow to GET RID OF ALL ADDICTIONS
I vow not to drink, smoke, or use any drugs that cloud my mind and harm my body. If I choose to smoke or drink, it must be from plants I grow or harvest wildly, and from alcohol fermented locally. I vow to get rid of all pharmaceutical drugs except those that are necessary for life functions. I vow to get rid of my addiction to oil.
21) I vow to LIVE SIMPLY SO THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE
I vow to live simply so that others may simply live. I vow to voluntarily adopt the principle of simplicity knowing that it is vital for the health and vitality of myself, the Earth, and for the rest of Humanity.
22) I vow to GIVE OF MYSELF TO THE COMMUNITY
Understanding the importance of the community, I vow to give my time, talents, and money back to the community to support a healthy environment for all my neighbors.
24) I vow TO ALWAYS SUPPORT THE LOCAL ECONOMY
I vow to always support the local economy by buying locally from honest and hard-working farmers, business-people, and manufacturers. I vow to support the introduction and use of community currencies.
25) I vow to SUPPORT RENEWABLE AND LOCAL ENERGY
I vow to support renewable and local energy. I vow to reject coal and nuclear as the answer to our energy problems. I vow to use as little energy as possible to satisify basic needs and no more. I vow to encourage and help my community to get local renewable energy for all people in my community.
26) I vow to BUILD THE BETTER WORLD THAT IS POSSIBLE
I vow to start to build the better world that is we know is possible. Understanding that reactionary and protest movements are inherently limiting, I vow to take constructive action to bring about the new and better world that is possible. I vow to not be discouraged or to give up. I vow to be bold. I vow to dream the impossible. I vow to never let the bastards get me down!
27) I vow to have DISCIPLINE
I vow to have the discipline to uphold these vows and the ethical commitments. Knowing that the world may become a difficult place and that I may often find myself in difficult places, I vow to work hard to secure the goodness of my person, my family, and my community. I vow to grow strong on less, question authority, and love my Neighbor everyday with the whole of my heart, mind, and body.
Perhaps some of these goals seem out of reach? Don't be discouraged. The process of transforming our earth and our hearts cannot be accomplished in a day. We must create change at a pace that is both practical and necessary for the coming times. Take what steps you can today, and keep the vision of a better tomorrow always in your consciousness. Be mindful.
Without a sense of ethics, responsibility, and care, we cannot hope to accomplish much, let alone face the formidable challenges before us. However--if we commit our lives to upholding the highest values of ethics, responsibility, and care--we can empower ourselves and the movement to defend the Earth and Humanity during the coming times by uniting ourselves under a common flag of commitment and action.
Edward Abbey has written that, "sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul." Here at OPOA we believe that, together, we can unite sentiment and action by formulating concrete strategies to defend the Earth and Humanity and creating a more beautiful and sustainable Ohio, and world.
WE NEED YOU!
Here at OPOA we are trying to transform crisis into opportunity. If you think that the mission and material that OPOA provides is useful and much needed during this coming time of crisis, we ask that you give what you can to support a truly grassroots movement to protect and defend the Earth and humanity during the coming times. With two full-time staff members, practically all funds are used exclusively to further our mission to help prepare the Ohio area for the coming times and to distribute free information about how individuals and communities can prepare for the coming times. Without your kind donations we wouldn’t be able to survive! To donate or find out more about how you can get involved please follow this link. Voice your opinions, solutions, inventions, suggestions, insights, strategies, and analyses at www.RelocalizationWiki.org.