Earth Day

Vision for Peace, Justice, and Earth Care: My Life and Thought at Age 96

John McConnell, John C. Munday, Munday

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN:
  9781608995417
  9781498256711
• eBook ISBN:
  9781621892847
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Historical Biographies

After a half-century of activism, John McConnell, the true founder of Earth Day, here relates his global promotion of peace, justice, and Earth care. Following the Kennedy assassination, McConnell's Minute for Peace gained worldwide attention. This led to his Earth Day and other initiatives aimed at promoting people and planet. In this book, he shares the views that garnered support during the environmental movement from 1969 onward, and that have inspired followers for forty years at annual Earth Day ceremonies at the UN and cities across the globe. John McConnell coined the term Earth Day in 1968, proposed its celebration on the spring equinox to the City of San Francisco in October 1969, and announced it in November at a UNESCO Conference. The City responded by hosting the first Earth Day on March 21, 1970. Margaret Mead, UN Secretary-General U Thant, President Ford, and thirty-three Nobel laureates supported McConnell's Earth Day, and thirty-six worldwide dignitaries signed McConnell's Earth Day Proclamation, supporting Earth Day on the spring equinox, an annual planetary holiday linking people everywhere without regard to politics, culture, national border, or religion. In 1957, after Sputnik, McConnell promoted the Star of Hope, a satellite devoted to peace. This effort sparked his origination of Earth Day, the Earth Flag, Earth Trustees, and the Earth Magna Charta. He worked with UN officials and other leaders to overcome differences and build common ground for peace, aiming to ensure our planet's future and human survival. This book chronicles his global mission, his life journey, and his unique contributions toward a peaceful and cherished planet.

1

Introduction

I am best known for my role in starting Earth Day in 1970. Its purpose was “peace, justice, and the care of Earth.” We obtained thirty-three Nobel Laureates as sponsors. We aided environmental efforts and helped end the Cold War.

As you will see in this book, early in life I went on my own search to find what life is all about. In later years I was aided by top scientists, philosophers, and leaders of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions.

I came to the conclusion that to save our planet and have a future we should come together where we agree and leave room for our differences. People forget their differences—or peacefully accommodate them—when they have an urgent common cause they can all support.

We are faced with inexplicable mystery when it comes to why we are here and what life is all about. Many religions around the world claim to provide answers. The Native Americans had an appreciation of the importance of animals, trees, birds, and sky, reflected in the beautiful statement of Chief Seattle. Their religion and their beliefs about the mystery of life reflected those views. The Founding Fathers of the United States got some of their ideas from them.

Many theories try to deal with the enigmas of life. The problem is that we focus on their conflicting views. While we must acknowledge our differences, we should look for common ground and ever seek to unite in matters where we agree.

But no one seems to provide a way that will appeal to every creed and culture—and enable us to avoid global catastrophe. Our problem in this era of data explosion is the different points of view—and their importance in the total picture. We seem to be at the end of humanity’s brief history. We need a miracle to bring about the drastic changes needed to provide a sustainable future and continue the human adventure.

The result of my life experiences has led me to the need for the whole human family to see and appreciate the wonderful miracle of the web of life that covers our planet. While we are confronted with inexplicable mystery regarding what life is all about, we recognize that to have a global future, every major creed and culture must join in an all-out effort to avoid global catastrophe. We must now take care of our planet—and do it in a way that will bring just social benefits to the whole human family. There must be global independent efforts for a sustainable future.

While many leaders of other religions support Earth Day and its Earth Trustee agenda, I feel I can share something from my experience that comes from my personal faith. In our devotions one morning, my wife and I were reading from the Gospel of John where Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and indicated that if he, as their leader, humbled himself to serve them, they should show the same love to others. This reminded me that the most powerful message Jesus gave was, “Love one another.” His words and actions define the meaning of love. He demonstrated by his life what this meant.

In this time of global confusion, injustice, violence, and war, an understanding of the meaning of this real love will result in right actions to save our planet and provide the human family with a new beginning.

Our planet is in crisis. The state of the world and what should be done is important to everyone. Governments, think tanks, and leaders in science and religion are all expressing their deep concern. Bill Moyers provided a look at the whole planet and its grave problems in his “Earth on Edge.”1 The question is, “Can we face the facts, and take action quick enough to avoid catastrophe?”

At critical times in the past, as the founder of Earth Day, I have obtained attention for ideas that aided the peaceful exploration of space, the ending of the Cold War, and the understanding of the importance of the environment—the skin of life that covers our globe. I now contend that instead of global disaster, we can, with the vigorous actions I propose, a moral equivalent of World War II, diminish pollution, violence, and poverty, and provide a promising future for the whole human family.

Much of what I have said and done is on my website, http://www
.earthsite.org. But to better understand the background and reason for my ideas, this book will include the details about my life, and how I came to the views that I share. I would say that I am a pragmatic idealist. My wife would say that I am a visionary.

I have long been urged to write a book about my life and what I believe is the state of the world—its dangers and opportunities. This book will attempt to tell about my life adventure—the famous people I have met, the things I have done, my efforts to see the whole global picture and to inspire actions that would benefit people and planet—and to avoid global disaster.

The story of my life can increase understanding of my views.

While I hope that what I have to say appeals to the philosopher and scientist, most important to me is that all readers who agree with my views will do something about them. My purpose is to bear witness to the truth; not only the truth about facts, but the truth about which facts are most important.

Among the many people who influenced my thinking was S. I. Hayakawa, whom I knew in San Francisco. He wrote a book in 1941 titled Language in Thought and Action,2 which followed Tyranny of Words by Stuart Chase in 1938.3 From Dr. Hayakawa I learned that communication required an attitude of openness to be meaningful. I have repeatedly found important ideas and values in religions and philosophies with which I disagree. I have no hidden agenda. My purpose is not to convert people to my particular creed, but to share what I believe is important.

When confronted with the facts, people of every creed and culture agree that our most important task now is to act as responsible trustees of planet Earth. I believe the Earth Magna Charta (see chapter 36) describes the best way to be Earth Trustees.

Writing a Book

Lately, I have been reflecting on my ninety-six years of life. I must warn you that when you get to be ninety-six, you undoubtedly have problems with hearing and memory. It’s a little frustrating. I was ninety-six years old on March 22, 2011, and I will be writing from my memory—but it can be confirmed by the many documents available.

People my age tend to make mistakes in the details of what they think happened in their youth. My wife has organized the records we have of my past and they are helpful. However, many of the records I once had have been lost. I encourage young people to keep a diary or journal—and hold on to them. I did for a while, but I was not consistent and unfortunately much of what I did write about myself has been lost. When I think of the difficulties I have experienced in my life, it is amazing that I am even alive.

I have never written a book before, but I have hundreds of articles, newspaper clippings and letters that my wife has been putting in order. A little sample of this is on my website, http://www.earthsite.org. I want to try in this book to provide the many friends and supporters—of my Earth Day/Earth Trustee agenda—some items that will help unite global efforts for peace, justice, and a sustainable future.

In these pages, I want to provide different perspectives on the human adventure. They call attention to important matters in which we can agree and unite in a common cause for a sustainable future. At the same time we must recognize our differences and how to accommodate them.

Since my early youth I have been deeply interested in “What Life Is All About.” This was the title of a tract written by my father, evangelist J. S. McConnell Sr. Recognizing the amazing mysteries of life, as I sit at this computer, I ask myself the question, “Are the thoughts that come to me just the data that has been stored in my brain? Or are they influenced by input from another dimension of reality? How much of a factor in what I do and say is my particular belief in God?” I will address these questions in the book, but will focus on the here and now—the state of the world, its past, present, and possible future.

Other factors in my thinking are the people I have been privileged to meet. While many in humble circumstances have influenced my thinking, I have learned from many world leaders who met with me and showed interest in my views. Years ago these included Eleanor Roosevelt, President Eisenhower, Werner Von Braun, and Edward Teller. Later, my interests took me to other leaders in science, economics, religion, and government, and to major books on these subjects.

This book will state my views, and how and where their adoption has benefited people and planet. It will seek to give an in-depth reason for them.

The following brief statement expresses what I believe is most important for the world right now. The details in the rest of the book will help you understand the importance of the statement below as it describes my life, my thought, and my actions.

The Most Important Ideas

I have had a sense of mission since my early youth. From early childhood I have had a burning desire to know what life is all about. The way I thought and the experiences I had all led, step by step, to my vision of Earth Day as a global holiday for the whole planet.

My father, who was an evangelist, made me think about why we are here and where we are going. It seems to me my whole life has been a search to learn what life is all about.

The themes that have emerged as the most important for the human adventure are “peace, justice, and the care of Planet Earth.”

Love (creative altruism) will bring the greatest personal and global benefit.

Life is a mystery. The more you know the greater the mystery. The world is filled with good and evil. The evil far outweighs the good.

But there have been times and places where the good was dominant. The world is headed for doom. But I believe in miracles. With today’s technology, a good idea for Earth’s rejuvenation—if effectively demonstrated in any part of the world—could cover the globe and provide a new beginning for planet Earth.

Bill Gates and others have provided the computer technology that benefits the world. Efforts for peace, justice, and a sustainable future together with modern technology can have a huge impact for a better future.

Three major things in my life made a global difference: In 1957 it was my proposal for a visible Star of Hope Satell...

Table of contents

• Earth Day
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Searching for Truth
• 3 The Global View
• 4 Efforts for Peace—and the Fate of the World
• 5 My Family History
• 6 Traveling with the Evangelist
• 7 Setting the Bearings
• 8 Family Life
• 9 People I Have Met
• 10 Religion and Philosophy
• 11 Personal Faith
• 12 A Personal Diary
• 13 Living the Beatitudes
• 14 Implications of Faith
• 15 Agreeing With Your Adversaries
• 16 Pursuing Peace
• 17 Pursuing Earth Care
• 18 Healing, Building, Uniting
• 19 War
• 20 Crime and Punishment
• 21 American History
• 22 Economics of Resources
• 23 Economics of Money
• 24 Government
• 25 Education and Science
• 26 Political Leaders
• 27 Mass Media and Communication
• 28 Star of Hope
• 29 Minute for Peace
• 30 Earth Day
• 31 Signers of the Earth Day Proclamation
• 32 Earth Flag
• 33 Earth Society and The Earth Society Foundation
• 34 Earth Charter
• 35 Earth Trustees
• 36 Earth Magna Charta
• 37 Peace on Earth
• 38 An EarthView Equation
• 39 My Dream for the Future
• Appendix
• Bibliography
• Images