The basic principles of the deep ecology movement (as told by Sessions &Naess) may help solve the problems that our planet and our society are having today. The first part of the first basic principle, seems so basic, yet it is seldom found in the world. "The well-being and flourishing of human and nonhuman Life on Earth have value in themselves. These values are independent of the usefullness of the non-human world for human purposes." It seems so easy to just respect and want to protect other life forms, and other forms that may not be biologically "alive" but still are in some ways, for example watersheds &ecosystems. These are the things that coexist with us, and as moral human beings, we should feel the need to use our power, not to conquer and destroy, but to watch over and protect.
The second part of this first principle is a concept most people have trouble grasping. Most find it so hard to care for and want to help something that is of no use to them. I feel as though helping something that is of no use to you, will eventually help out the world, and we're all a part of that. Usually, though, it takes time to see the progress made in the overall well-being of the planet and its inhabitants. Most people don't seem to have the time to focus on the planet. This basically just all comes back to immediate gratification.
If we could push ourselves past our need to see automatic results, if we could help the planet selflessly, if we could respect everything [living/nonliving] for what it's inherent value is... the world could be closer to a solution.
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I completely agree and also feel as if not enough people truly care about the environment. The things that don't directly help or affect us can still be beneficial through visual means. There can still be comfort found in merely observing and existing in conjunction with natural environments and we should protect and watch over them as you stated.
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