Living at the Speed of the Earth

I did something very stupid a number of years ago. Actually, I did a lot of things without a second thought before getting married or having children. In this case, I was home from college visiting family, and a neighbor friend I grew up with invited me to take a ride in his hot-rod car. Before I knew it, we were flying down the back roads of Central Texas at over 120 miles an hour. Now, I have gone this fast before…in a plane!…but never in a car on a tight two-lane-randomly-maintained country road on rolling hills.

At this speed I began to notice I wasn’t able to keep up with all that was flying past us. Quickly, the sense of thrill turned into a heart-racing fear, and a feeling that I was living on a knifes edge of living and easily dying. I survived, but I told my friend that that was something I didn’t ever want to do again!

Have you ever wondered why we have speed limits, or how the speed limits are calculated for a particular stretch of road, curve, school zone, etc? It’s based on physics, research, and historic data. Simply, it’s for the safety and life of all. CLICK HERE if you want the detailed calculations from the Federal Highway Administration.

Did you know that our planet has a speed limit? Well, I say speed limit mainly to give an everyday and understandable analogy to the rate at which our planet can regenerate what is being used (by humanity and the whole earth system). Earth is this amazing ecosystem of life, death, resurrection, renewal, creativity, imagination, recycling, and repurposing…a loving story of balance and reciprocity that has been honed and passed down over millions and billions of years as part of the inheritance for the coming generations.

If the Earth speed limit was say…70 mph, humanity in 2025 is going about 125mph. This is a speeding ticket on any road! What would you say to someone who drove 125mph through your town, your community, your neighborhood? Maybe…”slow down!” If you are able to get past the anger and just be curious, maybe you would ask, “Why are you in such a hurry?”

Climate scientists calls this speeding of humanity “overshoot.” Humanity is overshooting and living more than what our planet can regenerate or balance out in a given year. The overshoot website notes that the overshoot date for 2025 is July 24th. Every day after July 24th is a day that humanity is choosing to take from our children and grandchildren, because in a closed system, there is no one else to take from…than the future.

I wrestled with writing that last sentence. I hate that last sentence. It makes me sick. Yet, the math is eye-opening, as it takes 1.8 earths to live the way humanity does right now. It takes 5 Earths if the world lived like the average American (a March 13 overshoot date for 2025). I took the quiz and determined that my family is consuming at around 5-Earth-speed. Turned in mph, that would mean that my family is driving at over 350 mph down a road only able to safely sustain 70 mph. Yikes!

After I ran the numbers, I felt similar to that time I was going too fast on the back roads of Central Texas…sick…fully convinced to do my part to slow down…and spread this good news speed limit that gives life to all on this amazing blue marble for this and future generations.

How fast are you going compared to the speed of the earth? Take the 3-minute quiz.

This post is not meant to be one of shame. I hope you don’t take it this way. These are words of invitation into awareness. It took a few generations to slowly accelerate to this speed…largely without realizing it. And, at this speed, there is gift and thrill for humanity that moves at this pace…but I believe in a Creator that created us and all things to live at the speed of the Earth…the speed of hope and desire for our children and grandchildren…the speed of resurrection and renewal…the speed of love and life for all creation.

I know I am not there yet, but I am working towards slowing down.

Join me, Harold