THE world will be celebrating environmental day on June 5. The theme for this year is reimagine, recreate and restore, as this year marks the beginning of the United Nations decade on ecosystem restoration.

The fact that theme reimagine, recreate and restore has been chosen clearly shows that – unless there is need for a youthful, spiritual, universal, and ethical understanding of the environment – there will not be significant changes to preserve the environment for the next generation.

Western nations and their scientists used rationalism to show evidence of damage on various aspects of the environment and have initiated sustainable development goals that would help preserve the environment for the next generation.

However, it has basically left out the importance of a radical spiritual consciousness of interior life, rooted in love, that would help to see creation in its wholeness, respecting spiritual connectivity with the source of creation, with creation, and humanity as whole.

This is where the importance of God consciousness, and the respect for objective absolute truths that cannot be relativised to suit one’s subjective agenda, is vital.

For example, while the Western nations come up with objective scientific truths about climate change, they still indulge or use militaristic hegemonic adventures to preserve resources.

They go to war or support regime that damages the environment of the population.

The latest Israeli massive bombardment of Gaza, which had the support of prominent Western nations, did not merely destroy the infrastructure of a besieged city, but polluted the city with bombs.

The US, UK and Germany – who always espouse the importance of reducing carbon footprint – were supporting Israel by refusing to condemn the environmental damage from such bombardments.

Their relationship with Israel was far more important than the environment.

It is obvious that the relativistic attitude of certain Western nations of picking and choosing of how it projects its environmental credentials, and propagating it to world, shows the lack of spiritual consciousness.

There is a failure to see the world as interdependent and wholesome where environmental sustainability covers a wholesome aspect of unity of creation, that is beyond ideological and strategic interest.

Therefore, as we celebrate world environment day let us reimagine a wholesome world that embraces humanity with justice for all and even the unborn, recreate global, political and economic structures that respects the wholeness of common good, and restore the wholeness of human and environmental relationships that rejects every form of violence against human beings and the environment. – June 3, 2021.

* Ronald Benjamin is secretary for the Association for Community and Dialogue.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.