Some of my students thought to remind me that today is so-called Earth Day.
Just keep in mind, Mary is your Mother, not Gaia.
Actually, the Earth is hardly maternal at all. What has she actually ever given us? When's the last time man ever found a long-term food source that he didn't have to labor to create or acquire? How many resources does the Earth ever give up willingly? When has the Earth ever sacrificed on our behalf?
Nature is not a Mother. Nature is competition, tooth and claw.
Ecosystems are merely stalemates between species -- not harmonious networks of interdependent organisms.
Do we have a responsibility do steward creation? Of course. Even if it weren't a moral obligation, it would be stupid to squander our plunder...er...I mean the rich bounty of the generous Earth.
But let's not forget that the Earth is here to serve us. We do not serve the Earth.
Or, as Milton observed, God made Adam and Eve to be lovers, not gardeners.
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