“We Are All Citizens and Stewards of the Earth”

Ilchi Lee suggests that we all reconnect to the earth as a source of hope. The earth is our one common value, and it can be the means of uniting humanity. No matter how different we look or how strange one culture may seem to another, all rely completely on the earth. We speak sometimes of being Americans or Koreans or Brazilians or South Africans, but in reality, we are all really Earth Citizens. Having the earth as the highest common value among all humans can override our loyalties and self-identification with race, nation, or religion. We need to consider ourselves as Earth Citizens first in order to work together to manage the earth’s resources.

An Earth Citizen culture that can result from adopting the earth as a common value can take many different forms, but basic respect for the earth and all of humanity must remain at its core. It will inspire people to develop or recover their natural Hong Ik spirit and express their innate human desire to benefit all humankind, rather than live only for their individual desires.

To create new values based on appreciation for the earth, we need a definite paradigm shift from human-centered to earth-centered living. To generate this shift, we must redefine our professional and cultural lives to focus on the concept of Earth Citizenship; we must find ways to fulfill material needs while also honoring the earth and our common humanity.

Earth Citizenship also emphasizes the important roles that humanity plays in relationship to the earth. We should have the most humble mind as the earth’s children, but we should also demonstrate infinite responsibility as her guardians and protectors, and help her recover her natural harmony and beauty. Using our brains wisely we can manage our common resources to create an environment of health, happiness, and peace on the earth.