Declaration of Responsibility and Interdependence: Envisioning a New Tomorrow
We the Peoples of the Planet Earth declare that all life is One.
Four years ago, in a blur of spacetime that seems like lifetimes, four of us came together in a workshop with the idea that the United States Declaration of Independence, a radical document in its day, feels outdated. As a writer, I wondered, what would such a declaration look like today? And how might we publish such a sentiment in a way that reached “we the people” everywhere, all at once?
We undertook the effort at reimagining a unifying document for our times—one that stresses not only our independence, but our interdependence with everything, and our responsibility for its stewardship.
The Declaration sets forward one vital insight:
We are One World, in this together.
We share responsibility for our actions and interactions and
for healing ourselves, each other and the planet.
We are all Peoples of the Planet Earth. To read our document online in-full, and add your John Hancock, should you feel so moved, I invite you to visit thedeclaration.org.
We reveal its heart below.
Join us.
We the Peoples of the Planet Earth declare that all life is One.
We embrace the ties we hold to one another and to our planetary home within the living system of the Cosmos. In accord with the decent respect of all humankind, it has become evident that we are heedlessly destroying our Planet. It has, therefore, become urgent and vital for our very survival for all peoples to recognize our deep connection with one another and with all creation.
We are not alone; we are in this together. Because what affects one affects the whole, we hereby recognize our interdependence with the Cosmos. As participants in the creation of our own reality, it is our sacred duty to co-create a web connecting peoples—past, present and future—with the energies of all life.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that it is our universal calling to remember our common origins and to strengthen our connection with all that has come before, and all that will come after.
That it is our earthly honor and duty to act as guardians, protecting and nurturing Planet Earth and all its life forms.
That it is our responsibility as caretakers to encourage the sustainable and ethical use of our shared resources, and expand that sense of care and stewardship star-ward as humans set out on future space exploration.
That to actualize the harmonious interconnections of the web of life, real or virtual, relies on information, involvement and service to ourselves, to family, to community, to society, and to all life on this planet and other worlds as they become known to us.
That working to achieve such balance is necessary to unite the forces of love and interconnection that remind us we are all part of one living system.
That to secure our continued existence, societies must unite with higher purpose to actively protect, defend and restore our common humanity with respect to the sanctity of all life. We do so by deriving our just powers from the common concern for our survival and continued evolution towards the highest good.
We actively support these core Principles of Honor and Respect to inspire inclusiveness, and to strengthen unity of purpose, that is,
To expand our human openness to seeing all parts as contributing to the whole,
To respect differences of opinion, while cultivating dialog and using tools of diplomacy towards healing division and addressing past indignities,
To encourage and protect creative expression and remain open to the emergence of new Ideas and Innovations that contribute to the common good.
To nurture, respect and defend the rights of the most vulnerable among us and all life on our planet.
To cultivate and pursue peace, well-being, freedom, justice and dignity for all in the web of life. In so doing,
We recognize that Love is the unifying force above all, That spreading the light of Love is our sacred responsibility, That we are One World, united in Cause and Commitment to one another and the Cosmos of which we are all a part.
We recognize the essential rights for life, endowed by Creation, which call for greater awareness of our interconnectedness, and our individual and collective goals in the pursuit of joy and happiness.
We acknowledge that with great freedom comes great responsibility: since what divides us cannot stand, we must first endeavour to repair enduring harm across the ages. Only in so doing can we rise above loss and stand accountable to the integrity of our future actions as human beings.
With this awareness, and endowed with free will, we commit to rise above fear to co-create a new universal consciousness under which we as interdependent beings are valued and recognized for our unique contributions to the whole.
In recognition of our limitless potential, we promise to listen and consider all points of view with heart-centered compassion and openness, with the knowledge that we are stronger together than apart and, that together, we can grow into greatness.
That whenever any society becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to challenge it, to awaken our common humanity and chart a new course to preserve the safety and wellbeing of our cherished web of life.
In so recognizing, We the People call urgently upon our Leaders in every domain of Society to join with us to take action RIGHT NOW, recognizing the care, concern, collaboration and commitment necessary to safeguard our planet on behalf of generations both present and yet to come. This reflects the process of Interdependence and co-Creation.
In the face of the grave peril we have conferred on our planet, and out of concern for the safety and sanctity of all life, we hold these truths to be universal.
We hereby declare devotion to this new and enduring story.
**So resolved, this First Terraday in Month One of Our Seeing with 2020 Vision.**
We the Earth Keepers
Robin Payes, author and co-creator
Rockville, Maryland USA
Denise Mc Carthy, author and co-creator
Dublin, Ireland
Kavita Kat Macmillan, co-creator
Portland, Oregon USA
Sheri L. Flies, co-creator
Seattle, Washington USA
**Earth; the Solar System; the Milky Way Galaxy; the Universe; the Cosmos**
**first adopted: 2020-1-1**
Powerful, necessary words. I want to live in a world where “spreading the light of Love is our sacred responsibility.” ❤️
Beautiful spirit and expression. Thank you, Robin.