Dalai Lama on trees and Law

I read two articles dealing with the Dalai Lama. One was a speech he gave in 1990 in Tibet about the importance of planting trees and the other was an excerpt from a book called All The People: A Conversation with the Dalai Lama on Money Politics and Life as it Could Be.

The speech on tree planting is short and to the point but, highlights even the simplest of ways to preserve and encourage growth were we live.  He discusses the importance of planting new fruit trees for their aesthetics and their obvious benefit of feeding people.  He also stressed the importance of maintaining and caring for older trees as they provide many befits as well.

The excerpt on politics and the environment is also eye opening yet somewhat idealistic. He seems to harp on the need for legal systems to incorporate animal and plant rights into legal systems to ensure there protection. However, he also makes a point that there should be no need for laws protecting animals and plants because it should be natural to humans to preserve and care for these things that cannot protect themselves.

The Dalai Lama continues in discussing the need for the western world to end its need to be ever growing. He says; “The western concept of increasing GNP each year must change, and fast. The principle itself contradicts all natural and logical laws.”