Humanity has been caught in the act of performing Ecological Suicide. We are in the process of destroying the ground of our material being, the complex bio-geochemical system that supports our animal nature. And like an addict, we seemingly cannot stop ourselves. We proceed knowingly, willingly, even though we are horrified by our behavior. We continue to beget more children and consume far more than we need. Our justifying rationale we sing like a drunken mantra—technology and human innovation will save us. Still, the barrage of scientific reports, like a mirror to our souls, shows us that, by every measure, planetary health is declining.

To stop the ingrained behaviors of our suicidal addiction will require more than just hard work. Indeed, it will require the opposite of hard work. To work less, consume less, have fewer children, consume smarter. And therefore, since these are ingrained in us by our very culture, it will require a transformation of consciousness on the individual and collective level. The transformation will, in all probability, require the kind of spiritual transformation that the twelve step programs, for example, have found is often necessary for addicts to overcome their addiction. Fortunately for us, the way to transformation has been paved for us by millennia of spiritual leaders. It is time for them to truly lead and for us to empty ourselves of our previous convictions.