II often ask my students to perform a very simple exercise; I ask them to breathe. Doing just this lets us know that we cannot survive alone. Without taking in oxygen from outside ourselves, we would perish.

None of us is a completely independent, isolated being complete unto ourselves. We all rely on others—whether other beings or natural resources--simply to sustain our lives. A Zen Buddhist prayer before meals says, “This food has come to me by means of seventy-two hands. I give thanks to them all.” The number of hands is not important; the recognition that we are not independent is.

Since we all currently share this tiny planet, it seems clear that we ought properly to be responsible for its well-being. To contribute to our own destruction--by being irresponsible--seems most illogical. And yet, if we continue to pollute the earth with our man-made chemicals and to deplete the earth’s natural resourses without concern for limits, we are doing exactly this. Science can tell us this, but so can our faith traditions and our own good common sense.

The Gospel of Matthew, at 22: 36-40, instructs Christians to love God and one’s neighbors (that is, all of His creations). This means caring for them, with compassion and sage judgement. The Buddhist law of karma suggests that we exist in a web of interconnected causes, conditions and results. If a is done, b will inevitably follow.

One of our major tasks as living beings is to help ensure that life continues in a healthy way on a healthy planet.

Al Gore's documentary film about global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” ought to be shown in all faith communities.