“Dispossessed peasants slash-and-burn their way into the rain forests of Latin America, hungry nomads turn their herds out into fragile African rangeland, reducing it to desert, and small farmers in India and the Philippines cultivate steep slopes, exposing them to the erosive powers of rain. Perhaps half the world's billion-plus absolute poor are caught in a downward spiral of ecological and economic impoverishment. In desperation, they knowingly abuse the land, salvaging the present by savaging the future.” WorldWayAmericaTurnsPoorHalfEconomicLandRainAbuseIndiaAbsolutesCaughtBillionsHungryForestsDesertPlusLatinFarmersFragileDesperationReducingPeasantsHerdsLatin AmericaEcologicalExposingSpiralsPhilippinesSlopesSteepNomadDownward Spiral Author:Alan Thein Durning
“Humility is the situation of the earth. It's there silent and accepting everything and in a miraculous way making out of all the refuse new richness...transforming corruption itself into a power of life and a new possibility of creativeness, open to the sunshine, open to the rain, ready to receive any seed we sow and capable of bringing thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold out of every seed.” WayEarthSituationAcceptingLandPossibilityHumilityReadyCapableRainSilentRefuseCorruptionSeedsSunshineMiraculousRichnessTransformingNew PossibilitiesCreativeness Author:Anthony of Sourozh
“I want to be understood by my country, but if I fail to be understood - what then?, I shall pass through my native land to one side, like a shower of slanting rain.” IfsWantCountrySidesFailingLandUnderstoodRainNativeShowersNative Land Book:Klop, Stikhi, Poėmy Source: Klop, Stikhi, Poėmy
“Other lands became a larder full of all the good things All we had to do was go and take Blood the colour of the rain that grew our wicked harvest Black the colour icing on our cake” BlackBloodLandGrewRainGood ThingsColourWickedCakeHarvestIcing Author:Andy Partridge
“Whenever the white man treats the Indian as they treat each other then we shall have no more wars. We shall be all alike - brothers of one father and mother, with one sky above us and one country around us and one government for all. Then the Great Spirit Chief who rules above will smile upon this land and send rain to wash out the bloody spots made by brothers' hands upon the face of the earth. For this time the Indian race is waiting and praying. I hope no more groans of wounded men and women will ever go to the ear of the Great Spirit Chief above, and that all people may be one people.” PeopleMenMayMadeWarCountryHandsGovernmentEarthFacesSpiritMotherFatherWaitingWhiteRaceSkyLandBrotherPrayingMen And WomenRainEarsTreatsSpotsChiefsIndianBloodyWoundedWhite ManGreat Spirit Author:Chief Joseph
“Rains driven by storms fall not perpetually on the land already sodden, neither do varying gales for ever disturb the Caspian sea.” FallSeaLandRainStormDrivenGaleCaspian Sea Author:Horace
“The desert floras shame us with their cheerful adaptations to the seasonal limitations. Their whole duty is to flower and fruit, and they do it hardly, or with tropical luxuriance, as the rain admits. ... One hopes the land may breed like qualities in her human offspring, not tritely to 'try,' but to do.” TryingHumansMayWholeQualityLandFlowerDutyRainShameFruitLimitationDesertCheerfulAdaptationOffspringTropicalFlora Book:Stories from the Country of Lost Borders Source: Stories from the Country of Lost Borders
“There lived a singer in France of old By the tideless dolorous midland sea. In a land of sand and rain and gold There shone one woman, and none but she.” LoveHeartSeaLandRainGoldSingersFranceSandOne WomanHeart Love Author:Algernon Charles Swinburne
“If I were a Brazilian without land or money or the means to feed my children, I would be burning the rain forest too.” IfsMeanChildrenWould BeLibertyLandRainLibertarianForestsBurningMy ChildrenLibertarianism Author:Sting
“If I'm going to understand the land, I have to understand the wind, the snow, the rain, the leaves, the ice, and changes in temperature. It just reflects a reality for me.” IfsRealityLandWindRainSnowIceTemperature Author:Andy Goldsworthy
“Note even Jonathan Swift would dare to write a satire in which politicians argued that - in a world where species are vanishing and more than a billion people are barely able to afford to eat - it would somehow be good for the planet to clear rain-forests to grow palm oil, or give up food-crop land to grow biofuels, solely so that people could burn fuel derived from carbohydrate rather than hydrocarbons in their cars, thus driving up the price of food for the poor. Ludicrous is too weak a word for this heinous crime.” PeopleWorldGivingWritingAbleGrowsPoorClearLandCarCrimePlanetsPoliticianGiving UpRainWeakNotesSpeciesDareOilBe GoodBillionsDrivingForestsFuelSatirePalmsCropsVanishingCarbohydratesBiofuelsHydrocarbonsHeinous CrimesPalm Oil Author:Matt Ridley
“Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands, suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land. Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made blue for the sky and the color green that fills Your fields with praise.” LooksMadeHandsFallSunSkyLandFieldsColorRainPraiseBlueGreenWinterGladBlessTendernessWheat Author:Rich Mullins