Theo Colburn Reflects on Working Toward Peace
Of
all nature's masterpieces, the newborn, whether fish, bird,
mammal, or human, is surely the most exquisite. This wondrous
creature is testimony to the peace and harmony that existed
in the womb, or the egg, prior to its entering the world.
For centuries, humankind considered the womb environment
sacred, free of violence and trespass. In that prenatal
environment, with unbelievable precision, cells replicate,
move about, and form buds and limbs and brains and sensory
and reproductive organs, contributing to the most miraculous
phenomenon on earth. From the moment the sperm enters the
egg, embryonic development is orchestrated by the endocrine
system using chemical messengers called hormones. With symphonic
precision and harmony, constantly shifting hormonal blends
instruct cells when to divide and where to move. Like the
music from a grand organ, the tunes of these hormonal chords
direct the formation of tissues and flesh, and even tell
tissues when to die back after the tissue is no longer needed.
And now, within the past decade, chemists have been able
to measure the infinitesimally small concentrations of hormones
that conduct development from conception through birth.
The endocrine system is so fine-tuned that it depends upon
hormones in concentrations as little as a tenth of a trillionth
of a gram to control the womb environment, as inconspicuous
as one second in 3,169 centuries. The endocrine system also
controls reproduction and thus assured the integrity and
survival of species since life first evolved on earth-until
humankind unwittingly produced synthetic chemicals that
invade the security of the womb and create dissonance rather
than harmony.
Peace begins in the womb. The newborn reflects this truth.
Order is transferred from cell to tissue, to organs, to
organisms, to families, communities, and nations. Unfortunately,
when development is violated in the womb by man-made chemicals,
the newborn is compromised. For animals in the wild, their
survival is threatened. They can disappear without our ever
knowing why. For humans, such exposure can lead to reduced
intelligence, discontent, failure, and the inability to
socially integrate. Man-made chemicals deprive societies
of responsible leaders and thinkers. The social and economic
impacts are incalculable. Widespread loss of security in
the womb can lead to loss of stability at the national and
international level.
Humans in their race to space have diverted attention
and limited resources away from learning about the workings
of the inner world from which life evolves. As we have searched
in outer space, we seem to have forgotten the inner space,
from which all humankind emerges. The thirst to learn more
about the solar system than the system in which we all resided
prior to birth has left humankind vulnerable. The same technology
that made space exploration possible and created modern
society has led to production of chemicals that invade the
womb. In our ignorance we assumed that the womb was inviolable,
while at the same time we produced more and more synthetic
chemicals to improve the quality of our lives. We also assumed
that since these man-made products did not rapidly induce
cancer, they were safe. We also thought that the lakes,
oceans, soil, and atmosphere would assimilate infinite amounts
of waste from the new technologies.
Disregard for the environment has been rampant on a global
scale. Now, as we begin the twenty-first century, we are
suddenly faced with the realization that wherever we have
destroyed the environment, we have left behind desperation,
hunger, fear, and strife. To this we must add another legacy
of the chemical industry: the invasion of the inner environment
of all animals on earth, including humans. From the Arctic
to the Antarctic, man-made chemicals are found in all animal
tissue. No longer is the offspring secure in the womb. No
child born today is free of man-made chemicals. Mothers
share these chemicals through their blood with the babies
developing in their wombs. There are no cures for a child
whose vital physiological, immunological, and neurological
systems did not develop normally. When society takes heed
and spends more on infrastructures for prevention than on
remediation and healing, stability and integrity can be
restored in the womb. Nations of the world must unite with
a single purpose to restore peace in the inner world, assuring
every newborn the opportunity to reach his or her fullest
potential.
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