The world of Tzu Chi March 2023 (Vol.145)

TZU CHI 145 01 z z By Dharma Master Cheng Yen Translated by Teresa Chang aster’s Teaching Our world needs as many people as possible willing to give with Great Love, an unselfish love that embraces all humanity. It is a blessing to give, and wisdom to give unconditionally. Every act of kindness we perform increases the value of our lives. Saving the Earth Starts With You O ur Earth was sparsely populated a few million years ago. People back then lived a simple lifestyle. But now, though the planet has remained the same size, the population on it has grown exponentially. In fact, the world’s population topped eight billion on November 15, 2022. Our average lifespan has also greatly increased. I am concerned with how much we are overtaxing our planet. I have been keeping a daily tab on the Climate Clock in New York for a while now. The clock is a countdown of the time we have left to take action to prevent the effects of climate change from becoming irreversible. There are now less than seven years until the clock reaches zero. How is humanity to save the Earth within such a short time? This desperate need calls for change in our lifestyles. Carbon emissions are a huge factor contributing to the crisis facing the Earth. Such emissions cannot be reduced if we do not curb our consumption. Our unchecked desires fuel the production of all kinds of merchandise, which in turn leads to the release of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, if we lead simpler lives and take good care to prolong the lifespan of what we have, we can greatly help the environment. We can conserve energy and reduce our carbon footprint without necessarily compromising our quality of life. For example, we can buy what we need and refrain from throwing away things after just one use, and we can carpool instead of taking separate cars. As long as we really want to help, we can find ways to contribute to the Earth’s sustainability, which, in a way, is creating blessings for ourselves. Evaluating our eating habits is another way to help our planet. A lot of food is wasted when we prepare too much for a meal or order too much when eating out. An even greater impact on the environment is eating meat. Raising animals for food requires a lot of land and feed, and the livestock’s breathing and excrement pollute the air and the land. Considering the vast amount of