An Appeal for Life on Earth

We belong to a tradition that is billions of years old: Life on Earth. This most venerable tradition has the potential to continue for vast ages and countless generations.

Our actions today, even our small actions, hold great consequences for all potential future generations. Because of this, the moral weight of our actions upon the future is truly immense. Yet we justify our lack of concern for the future of Life on Earth. We give up on our own potential to learn or to be ethical. We place smaller commitments above that to the future of Life itself. We numb our hearts to the reality of the real world through distracting pasttimes or hateful ideologies.

What losses have we justified? The loss of 99% of all wildlife, the loss of over half of all ecosystems, of over half of nonrenewable resources, of reckless development and use of massive weapons. We have used our power of justification to cover so many thefts and attacks upon the future generations who depend upon us.

Your own skills have so much potential through dedicated and high quality education. Likewise, you have real potential to develop greater morality and sanity and to step above the petty concerns of today. There is no need to surrender your life to things that do not help our great tradition of Life on Earth. You deserve to not have your hours be wasted and fruitless. You deserve to live with dignity.

Identify how you can live your life to increase the chance that you will make the right decisions. For example, you might

1. swear and uphold an oath such as "I commit every moment of my life to the wellbeing of the future of Life on Earth." Regularly review the sincerity of your actions in light of this commitment.
2. take steps to care for the foundations of your health and mind: good sleep, exercise, healthy recreation with friends that support your growth and honour.
3. hone the skills and ethics that will give you the gumption and capability to choose activities that will matter most to the future.
4. recognise that our societies lack institutions that assess the assets and risks that affect the future of Life on Earth, and work to put these institutions in place so that we can have an understanding that is more thorough or accurate than any of us could manage alone. We cannot take care of the future if we don't completely understand what it needs or the dangers that threaten it.