Ocean

"How inappropriate to call this planet 'Earth' when quite clearly it is Ocean." -Arthur C. Clarke

Credit: Norman Kuring

The surface of our world is at least 70% water and increasing. So much (the majority?) of life on this planet is aquatic. So why do we refer to our planet with names like “earth” and “rock?”

There is a lot more to explore here than we may realize. The name of our planet says more about us than the planet itself. Are we too preoccupied with what is right below our feet? I think we need to look beyond our own human ecology, take a step back and see what we are actually living with: a world dominated by sea. (Or is it dominated by air? Or hydrogen? Or electrons? Or space? I digress.) Let's avoid overemphasizing the importance of our own needs. It's time we start thinking, and then acting, as part of the larger Process. We're part of this big, breathing, swelling, warm body. Just a part. Just one, small piece, really. Maybe we could draw this idea to our attention more if we started calling our home something like “Ocean” instead.