Earthchan = Pachamama? – Dr. Plastic Picker
 

Earthchan = Pachamama?

| Posted in Star Trek/ Philosophical Tangents

January 11, 2020

by drplasticpicker

It’s difficult to be a child especially a teenager right now. I am trying to do everything we need to do as parents to ensure our kids’ future, and bring this decade’s work of rewilding the world with joy. Parents especially mothers have been mobilized because our children became activist. I have always been environmentally aware, but seeing the young including my own children strike for the climate – awoke me. But as they have been awoken, they are anxious. We actually don’t talk about the climate too much but they know why we are making the changes that we are making, and the donations Mr. Plastic Picker and I do for their sakes.

Our high-school son told me about the above figure EarthChan who is an anime-style anthropomorphic representation of planet Earth. She is a young girl and when you look at her from above, her hair is blue and green and covered with clouds and resembles the planet Earth. Initially when our son told us about Earth Chan and that many youngsters were being activated to help the earth due to her, I was dismissive. But then, I began to realize that just like the ancient Inca civilization and the present day Quechuan speak of the Pachamama – Earth Chan may be the current generation’s planet Earth – their Pachamama.

But rather then a powerful earth goddess Pachamama that was at times powerful and cruel and others benevolent and giving, Earth Chan is a young anime girl helpless and soliciting donations for the earth. In one reddit series, an Earth Chan solicitation was able to get donations from mostly teenagers and millenials to plant 20,232,813 trees. That is indeed a powerful figure.

Mr. Plastic Picker and I in a former life were Academic Advisors at a college. We were able to know amazing students who have since gone on to be academics and world leaders. I Facebook Messaged one of our students who is a friend and a religious studies professor at the University of Michigan, “Random question. Do you ever come across studies of the Pachamama and conflict with the catholic church? Have you heard about EarthChan? Isn’t that interesting? Miss you guys.” She replied, ” Hm, I haven’t heard about the pachachama and the Catholic Church! I should look into it.” I replied back, “Have you heard about Earth Chan?” I will let you know if she replies.

But maybe we don’t have time to study this phenomenon of Earth Chan. It has been born during this time of angst for our children. Maybe we should be like them and whether it be the Pachamama or Earth Chan – focus all our efforts on healing our natural environment. Wow, those kids were on reddit and conversing and engaged enough and worried enough to plant 20,232,813 trees. Maybe the rest of us need to pitch in too.

Another depiction of EarthChan.

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