Earthlings include the trees being clear-cut, the marine life being fished out of our oceans, the honeybees disappearing, and the animals howling for mercy in the vivisection labs. The humans shackled at Guantanamo, dying in cancer wards, cowering in fear as predator drones scream overhead? All earthlings, too.
It's not nearly enough to rise above the latest man-made conflicts and/or differences and proudly declare oneself a "humanist." In the name of holistic justice and planetary rebellion, we must go deeper to identify as earthlings and stand--fists raised--in solidarity with all of our fellow earthlings.
The Tom Joad character in The Grapes of Wrath said: "Maybe we're not all individual souls, but maybe we're all part of one big soul." Incredibly basic, sure, but within that simplicity lies the secret: If we were to look upon all earthlings as part--along with ourselves--of one collective soul, it would become impossible to live in denial.
To do otherwise is to deny homicide, genocide, and ecocide. Some might call that suicide. They would be the earthlings.
Mickey Z. is the author of 11 books, most recently the novel Darker Shade of Green. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on an obscure website called Facebook.
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