On Sunday, May 11, 2025, we celebrated the 115th anniversary of Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day was started to celebrate mothers, maternal bonds, motherhood, and the influence of mothers in society. In the United States it began in the early 20th Century.
As we look at the world around us, the urgency of the impact of trials and tribulations of the mother of all on our planet, Mother Earth, is demanding more and more attention. Climate change is real, yet our current American political leaders are giving scant attention to the issue. Evidence of this can be seen when the current American president pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord. In hindsight, this might turn out to be one of the missteps that stands to impact us all.
Lately, the news in America and around the world has focused on the socio-political changes that are impacting our planet. The world is changing before our eyes, yet, there is little that ordinary citizens can do about the impact that climate change is having, not only on human progress and safety, but on animals and plants.
There are clues, if we pay attention, pointing to how important the issue of climate change actually is, however, the Trump regime, for some reason, doesn’t seem to believe that climate change is real. The current United States government does not take it seriously. But there are clues all around us that should give us pause while observing our environment. We are obviously out of balance.
A lot of the damage being done to our great Mother Earth is not completely evident, even though there are a number of important indications that should demand our attention. For one, the number of violent storms is growing in intensity as well as frequency. Hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes are playing havoc with our lives and have cost many millions of dollars in damage.
Moreover, animals around the globe are dying from consequences generated by humanity. Manatees, for instance, off the coast of Florida are dying at alarming rates due to human activities; nearly 150 have died in Florida waters this year; in 2024 565 manatee deaths were reported in Florida; 555 in 2023; 800 in 2022; 1,100 in 2021; and 637 in 2020.
Although the exact number of animals globally that have died due to climate change is not exactly known, scientists estimate that a 69% decline in monitored wildlife populations occurred between 1970 and 2020. Also, further studies say that a significant percentage of Earth’s species could go extinct due to climate change connected with increases in temperature.
When we seriously contemplate the impact that climate change has on our Mother Earth we should devote significant attention to addressing this matter. One of the challenges in that regard is that there are many people who don’t take the issue seriously as said previously; they don’t believe that climate change is real. This might be why our current president is not interested in the issue.
Based on the foregoing, our Mother Earth is in trouble, she is off balance. An important function of motherhood is that of nurturing; if balance is absent, nurturing becomes problematic. Regarding chaos that we are experiencing around the globe today, we need to understand the importance of taking care of our ancient, ancestral Mother, our home. This is not happening at the level that it should, although there are a few voices in the wind that are being drowned out by the cacophony of war and rumors of war. Those who appreciate the urgency of a need for change in behavior have not had their voices heard to the extent necessary to make significant changes in the attempt to offset damage resulting from weather anomalies.
Judging from the increasingly violent weather that is the hallmark of climate change, we must modify our collective global behaviors in order to save our Mother Earth before it’s too late! We must bring her back to balance! If we don’t take care of her, she won’t be available to take care of us! Happy Mother’s Day! Aluta continua.
Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader