Roots and Nature

Naturally, the lack of roots leads to a disdain for the earth; no roots, no earth.

Farmers are the base of our society, and yet they are ignored and debased, treated as if they are nothing. Agriculture has undergone harmful changes that have resulted in the production of foods that are poisonous, and which spoil and destroy the earth.

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On the island where I have a home, I see hotels constructing pools only a few steps from the pristine sea. I had thought the pools would go unused. Who would choose a pool over the calm refreshing sea before them? But I was wrong. The Aegean was empty. The pool, surrounded by shimmering lawns of fake grass, was full.

Cruise ships are developed in a way so that those on them never experience a moment at sea. The bridges have been reduced to almost nothing, and even then they are completely encased in glass, cut off from the fresh air, the cool winds, and the scents of the sea itself. Inside are only restaurants, so people can stuff themselves, and this is how they are advertised. Food, more food, always food. A nap beneath the sun, a sunrise or sunset at sea, the sprawling countryside of a foreign land. No. They don’t even know what those are. In short, nature no longer exists.

Everything is polluted, dirty, putting not just the earth but all of humanity in danger.

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As the Native American chief said to the Whites in the 19th century, “When you have eaten the last potato and drank the last drop of water, you will see that money cannot be eaten or drank.”

I am obsessed with the problem of water; my dream is to find a healing source. Is it possible that in the United States, in California, people cannot water their lawn because of the lack of water? How is it possible that an expanse of water as vast as the Aral Sea can be running dry?

Only a few years ago I was in Athens when air traffic throughout Europe was paralyzed. An Icelandic volcano had the absurd idea to erupt, and spread ash across an entire continent, something so extraordinary and out of place.

These changes, this evolution of nature, is not local. Nature itself has globalized. These phenomena, like the thawing of the Arctic ice sheet, have serious implications for the entire planet.

Natural disasters are increasing in intensity. Take the famous tsunami that ravaged South East Asia, for example, or the great hurricane that flooded New Orleans. It is almost enough to wonder if the earth is seeking revenge? In any event, given the negligence and disregard with which our planet it treated, it almost makes sense that in time the planet will respond in turn, proportional to the apathy we have shown.

Man truly believes he can control everything, yet nature so clearly shows how easily lost and paralyzed man can be.

The future is one of a changing climate, of over population, and of predictable catastrophes. Yet, I think man will survive these new conditions. While the earth may react, even violently so, I believe she will still remain generous.


by  Prince Michael of Greece