The Law of Mother Nature I Bolivia Stands Her Ground

Mother Earth by digitumdeiGreenTracker| Reported by John Vidal, a story that provides much food for thought about Bolivia and the bold moves by Latin America’s first indigenous President Evo Morales to enact The Law of Mother Earth which will grant nature rights equal to that of humans.

Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera is quoted, “It makes world history. Earth is the mother of all. It establishes a new relationship between man and nature, the harmony of which must be preserved as a guarantee of its regeneration.”

Also supporting this grand gesture is Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca, “Our grandparents taught us that we belong to a big family of plants and animals. We believe that everything in the planet forms part of a big family. We indigenous people can contribute to solving the energy, climate, food and financial crises with our values.”

Evo Morales receiving blessing from Aymara priests

These values are borne from a pantheistic view that reveres Pachamama, an earth goddess, whose worship will definitely be a threat to the Catholic/Christian majority in Bolivia. Will a priestly order be implemented? Surely a forced conversion back to goddess worship will not be tolerated by the Vatican and other religious groups.

The discussion continues in Green Beings.

Update on Fri, April 22, 2011 by Anne

Hi from Anne. I am so pleased that Lisa wrote about this topic, a very complex issue.

We have many readers from the financial community, and I understand that Bolivia’s government intends to take control of mining, as it has socialized other natural resources. Ecuador has a similar law protecting Mother Nature; and it’s also under discussion at the UN. I’m well aware that financial investment has plummeted in Bolivia, with the advancement of socialism.

For us at AOC, we agree that the basic tenet of monotheism — which is that man has dominion over women and nature — must be challenged. As a business person who has read ‘Atlas Shrugged’ three times and secretly believes she is Dagny Taggart, I am a capitalist at heart.

But I also see a huge mess in the world, one motivated by the American philosophy that says he who has the most toys wins the game. The rest lose.

Given the reallocation of wealth in America in the last decades, I’m a capitalist willing to listen to new ideas about global economic development, protecting the environment, and moving for human rights with a special emphasis on women. I see a two-class society ahead for America, and I don’t blame it all on the federal government.

Personally, I’m most interested in the economic success and general wellbeing of the Scandinavian economies, and I’m tired of the s-word being used to condemn them at every opportunity. It’s a red-herring word that means Americans don’t consider their values and prosperity for large numbers of citizens. Meanwhile, the overall states of wellbeing in Scandinavia surpass America on most measures.

One could say it’s total stupidity not to understand why these societies work well for large numbers of citizens.