By Scott Eastham — 1987

Interwoven geometry in the tile artwork of the Alhambra in Spain

We the free beings of biosphere Earth,
in order simply to survive, do hereby
affirm, ordain, and declare our total
and constitutive interdependence-
with one another, with all creatures
of the air, the waters, and the earth,
and with the mystery of Life itself.
Thus do we consecrate ourselves
to the service of Life,
and to one another.

By this declaration we do also sever all bonds,
whether legal, political, financial, or psychological,
which may yet bind us to mechanisms of planetary suicide.

There can be no lesser commitment. Only this immediate
and unconditional repudiation of the forces which presently
imperil the whole Earth can possibly forestall annihilation.
Recognizing and embracing our complete interdependence,
we hereby and for all time formally declare:

There is no place among us for instruments of genocide.
Be they nuclear, chemical, or biological, they are anathema.
Henceforward, the design, production, possession, and/or
deployment of any such instruments will be considered
crimes against humankind and against Life itself,
punishable by excommunication from humane society.
Use of such terrible weapons ineluctably exacts
its own terrible retribution.

Having no other home than this Earth, we cannot
and will not escape a shared destiny: Life, or death.
Having no other sane recourse, we choose Life.
Having no other allegiance than to the sublime
mystery of Life, we hold the following truths
to be obvious and inviolate:

Life is the supreme value.
Interdependence is the rule of Life.
Love is the heart of this law.

Therefore,
be it resolved
by the free beings
of this biosphere Earth, that:

This day we declare ourselves
to be utterly, always, and only
in the hands of one another
—for better or for worse.

From: Nucleus: Reconnecting Science and Religion in the Nuclear Age, by Scott Eastham

Published in 1987 by Bear and Company, Santa Fe, New Mexico.