How we can care for our planet?

Download Story

Get Video

Community: Humanism

 


Return to stories about caring for our planet.

Background:

Humanists believe that we should look after our world for many reasons. The natural world supplies us with all the things that we need in order to survive, such as resources, agriculture, and the very air we breathe. But we haven’t taken very good care of our planet recently.

Instead, we need to take sole responsibility and use our empathy, reason, and respect to restore the planet; for the animals and future generations.

Follow up questions:

  1. What was the first thing the King noticed about his land from his favourite spot?
  2. What did he do when he noticed something was wrong?
  3. What parallels can you see with the story and our world?
  4. What could you do or what do you do to help the environment?

Care for the Planet

For centuries the kingdom prospered; women and men were happy, the Earth provided for them and in turn, they looked after the Earth. But recently it had become overrun with people who took more than they needed and gave very little back.

One afternoon the King walked to his favourite spot in the whole of his land and looked out over his kingdom. He noticed a darkness around the boundaries: it did not seem right, but he shrugged it off and believed it would sort itself out, not wanting to do anything to affect his success.

Sometime later the King, once again, returned to his favourite spot and looked out onto his vast and wide kingdom, but noticed that the darkness had encroached further, and the once bright and green fields started to look dull. The waters lacked the energy and all the fish had left for other rivers. However, the king was getting rich, and once again decided to brush it off and continue leading the way he did, letting his people take what they wanted without much consideration. So once again, the king did nothing.

But the work slowed, the earth started to wilt: it produced less food and valuable resources. The animals were unhappy and so was the land. The king began to worry and visited his favourite spot to think about what to do, to remember the days when the earth was happy. He realised that his people had become too greedy, taking for themselves without thought about others or the land from which they took.


The king decided that he must lead by example. He would use his wealth for better, towards replenishing the earth so that the waters were filled with fish, agriculture would be abundant, and the people pleased once again. Off he set to restore the environment to equilibrium and to spread the message that each person must take responsibility to look after their crops, and their animals, to take in moderation, and to give in plenty.