Taking Care of Impermanent Things

I am thinking about environmental sustainability tonight, and how we have to cope with a constantly changing physical world. It is true that the spirit never changes, but it is in an impermanent body that has to deal with environmental changes. Just because you are ultimately your immortal spirit, does not mean that you should not get up everyday, brush your teeth, take care of yourself and the earth. You should be grateful for the vessel that you are in, and the beautiful planet that is our home. Your soul cannot experience life without a body, and a body cannot experience life without the earth. Everything physical will pass, but we should interact with what IS in every moment. The earth is suffering right now, it is a reality. We have disrupted its balance, therefore, we need to work to restore the balance. Being in the present moment, means knowing everything in it thoroughly. Knowing what is happening fully conscious, and making the proper reaction to it. Many people on earth are currently ignoring the state of our planet; some for religious reasons, some think other things are more important, and many are just apathetic. If you do not act thoroughly in the present, there are consequences in the future. You cannot navigate through life blindfolded. We are currently creating an environmental disaster for our children in the future to clean up, because we are not fully aware of the present. We are wrapped up in dreams of the past and future, in selfish thoughts of how to gain the most we can. We are chasing after things that don't exist, and think they will give us permanent happiness. Experience the life you are experiencing right now. It is always passing phenomenon, but it is real. What is real is the people in China or India developing lung cancer from pollution, rising sea levels displacing people, droughts that cause starvation... and all because we weren't paying attention in the past. There is a passage from "the Little Prince", where the prince says we must uproot our baobabs before they grow too strong, tend to our garden. Baobabs are trees with really strong roots, and once they grow too big it is almost impossible to uproot them, and they are huge and would overtake the prince's tiny planet. The little prince uprooted the baobabs on his planet every morning, because he recognized the problem and the solution, and he was aware of the consequences.