Gandhi’s Earth Ethics

Dear Reader,

O what an exquisite fall day in southern New England! Surrounded by deep, quiet woods, the rich autumn delights gently pervade the senses. Moldering Oak, Ash, Birch, Maples, and Hickory leaves and nuts, dropping, decaying, intermingling their saps and juices, with the breath of pines. The flits and calls of the small and large birds we are privileged to live with…significantly dwindled in specie and number in the last two decades. Sun spangling through a golden leafed forest. These must be the ‘delights’ spoken of by Dorothy Day, the over-arching grace spoken of by Thomas Merton! May you notice them in your moments, and feel the all-pervading love of this beautiful planet for us all, her children, her best efforts!

Autumn in New England: A golden sun-spangled Forest

Autumn in New England: A golden sun-spangled Forest

It has been 6 years since we published the Earth Ethics book. The time has come to make this book available to everyone who is interested to understand the means that Gandhi placed himself in harmony with his ideals, that he declared to be the laws of life. The book is exhaustive (over 1000 pages!) with historical contexts, economic outlooks, and details community life.

I am beginning the massive undertaking of editing this book, section by section, and placing it on line at this site. Gandhi is a clear means through which we can understand what our Earth Ethics are.

Perhaps it would have been good to start this project on Gandhi Jayanthi (Gandhi’s birthday) Oct 2, but, he was not one who relished his birthday being celebrated in anyway; he saw his errors and mistakes, and as far as he was aware of them, ‘owned’ them publicly. He claims no ‘God’ or ‘saint’ stature, and openly rejected obsequious efforts to put him on a pedestal. It is this honest humility that made and makes Gandhi the human brother that he is to all of us.

g_01We live in strange times, to say the least. As of this writing, US elections are nearing their climax. I for one, continue to be deeply concerned about not only the physical world our children live in, but, more, about the moral atmosphere and climate they are growing up in. The quality of the future of our civilization as a species – homo sapien – depends upon our expression of an inner philosophical standard and awareness that we can cultivate or not. It is our inner thinking that will dictate how we treat others and this Earth.

May these thoughts and words of Gandhi be of use and inspiration to you, to yours, to us all in the contemplation about what our lives are for and how they can be lived.
In love and prayer,

P. K. Willey

Oct 13, 2016