Why weedest thou the garden of the Soul,
If on the Wheel of Life thou wouldst yet roll?
’Tis true, most noxious are some plants therein;
But pluck them, if thou wilt impair the whole.
– poet Al-Ma’arri, Syrian, 973-1057 A.D.

“An old children’s story tells of a goose that lays golden eggs. The greedy owner wants more eggs and disembowels it, ending the supply of eggs forever. What can we do, as individuals, to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the stupidity of our species? We can strive to understand. We can attempt to put into practice more life-sustaining values. We can use our votes to protest against the slaughter of the goose that lays the golden eggs. Meanwhile, we have to live and create our lives as best we can, in a civilization for which we bear limited responsibility and over which we can have limited influence.“ – Ivo Mosley, Earth Poems – Poems from Around the World to Honor the Earth.