In many Native American traditions, there is an ancient wisdom that says that what we do today affects the lives of our descendants for the next seven generations. By living this wisdom, passed down for thousands of years, indigenous peoples managed to live a sustainable lifestyle, in complete balance and harmony with nature.

This same ancient wisdom applies to us in today's world. The choices we make today also affect the lives of our children for the next seven generations. And given this truth, the question becomes: "Can we, as 'civilized' people, learn the wisdom to act with the same great respect for our Earth as those who came before us?"

So far, it seems that the answer to this question is "no" -- that our collective ego could care less about what happens to the life on this planet. And this general disregard for our Mother Earth has led us to a point where the damage we have done seems irreversible -- at least, from a scientific standpoint.

That is why we are starting our magazine with this theme. The potential death of our planet makes all other problems irrelevant. And yet, alarmingly, our greatest scientists hold the view that "official science" alone cannot solve this problem. So in this volume of the Spirit of Ma'at we are going to explore "unofficial science" -- approaches to thinking and living that, we feel, may have a chance to heal our dying Mother.

But we recognize that it is first our job to convince you that this situation is as crucial as we believe it to be.

You have been told by your media that the environmental problems are not that serious. And so we acknowledge that before you will totally change your way of thinking and living, you need to have convincing evidence that these changes are necessary. So read on, and listen -- and then decide for yourself whether you want to continue to lead your life in the same way.

"... most of you probably have never even seen what may be the most important document that has ever been written in the history of our world."

In June of 1992, governmental bodies from almost every country in the world came together in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Here, the greatest scientific minds on earth were assembled to discuss the seriousness of the global situation. Their intent was to join forces, pinpoint the problems, determine the extent of the damage, and then find solutions.

They did not find solutions. Or, rather, they did not find solutions that could be implemented by governmental or scientific bodies. It was going to take, they discovered, the cooperation of all of us, and a change in our mindset, to reverse the destruction of our planet. And they listed 27 principles which, if followed by the peoples of the world, could bring about the return of environmental balance. (See Rio Conference Document.)

A few months later, seeing that little was happening as a result of the Rio meeting, 1500 of the world's most elite scientists joined forces to create "The Union of Concerned Scientists." This group, which included a majority of all Nobel prize-winners in the sciences, then formulated a statement to be sent out to the world, informing us of the truth so that we, knowing this truth, would take action to save our Earth.

"No more than one or a few decades remain ..."

Written by UCS chairman Henry Kendall and signed by all 1500 of these prestigious scientists, this document states: "Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course. ... No more than one or a few decades remain before the chance to avert the threats we now confront will be lost."

The document's purpose was to assure us that the danger is real, and hopefully shock us into taking seriously the remedial actions it suggests. But the "one decade" spoken of has almost drawn to a close, and we are still on the same "collision course" with nature.

Instead of responding to the scientific warnings, the United States government, steward for the biggest polluter of all, instructed the news media that this document was not to be shown to the American public. Defending the indefensible, the New York Times stated that this world-shaking treatise was "not newsworthy" (see David Suzuki's The Sacred Balance, Prometheus, March 1998 - Books).

And so it is that most of you probably have never even seen what may be the most important document in the history of our world, in which the world's top scientists state unequivocally:

"We the undersigned, senior members of the world's scientific community, hereby warn all humanity of what lies ahead. A great change in our stewardship of the earth and the life on it is required if vast human misery is to be avoided and our global home on this planet is not to be irretrievably mutilated." [Emphasis added -- ed. To read this remarkable document in its entirety, see World Scientists' Warning to Humanity".]

"If your mom were in the hospital in critical condition, would you continue your life as though nothing were happening?"

Recently, another very public and unprecedented attempt was made to reach our hearts concerning the crucial nature of the environmental problem. On April 22 of this year, Time magazine, despite the unpopularity of such warnings, went to the wall in a groundbreaking Earth Day Special Edition, stating that our planet's ecosystems are "strained to the limit" and rating the Earth's health as "critical."

But Time's efforts have seemingly had little effect. A satirical story made the rounds of the Internet, stating that most copies of the Earth Day Special Edition wound up in a landfill, creating more pollution. This untrue story has attracted much interest -- many even believe it. But the Special Edition itself seems to have just faded away (but see our update at Who Doesn't Want Us to Know the Truth?).

The Earth is our Mother. She is alive. She is not only our home, she is our body. Without her there is no future. If your mom were in the hospital in critical condition, would you continue your life as though nothing were happening?

And yet, despite the scientific proof that the planet we live on is dying, and that we have very little time to act -- most people are still casually making plans for a future which may not even exist.

"We are more than we know. As we stand together with the living Spirit, we can change everything..."

I believe that life itself is sacred and beyond the reach of human beings to profane it. I believe that Great Spirit's consciousness is within us and all around us, and that when we allow God to work through us, all things are possible -- even the healing of something so large as a planet.

And so I believe that if we are to continue as a human race, we need to expand our consciousness in such a way as to enter into the same awareness that was formerly only reached by saints and holy ones.

I further believe that at this moment, as we speak, we are on the verge of a great awakening. I see in us a monumental power that can change the world from pollution and fear to innocence and love.

If you can resonate to what I am saying, and if you can know and feel in your heart that change is possible from within, read on and see what we believe the human spirit can accomplish.

We are more than we know. As we stand together with the living Spirit, we can change everything, not only this polluted Earth but the very quality of life itself. We can make life beautiful again, now, and for the next seven generations.

In love and service,
Drunvalo Melchizedek