Stephanie Anthony

New Orleans-born Pope shares that his family was enslaved and slave owners.

Pope Leo says his ancestors were both 'slaves and slave owners' Pope Leo XIV has delved into his family history, revealing his ancestry included both enslaved people and slave owners.

What if society was designed around humans actually thriving — not just producing more, buying more, and burning out faster?

Because when people truly thrive, the natural world usually does too.

Healthy humans need clean air, safe water, nutritious food, stable communities, time to rest, and a living environment that does not slowly poison them. Those same things require healthy soil, functioning ecosystems, biodiversity, clean rivers, and food systems that do not destroy the land they depend on.

But modern society often measures “success” in a much narrower way: growth, output, profit, and GDP.

The problem is that GDP can rise even when forests disappear, soil gets depleted, rivers are polluted, people become sicker, and communities become more stressed. It counts economic activity, but it does not fully tell us whether life is actually getting better.

That is why more researchers, economists, and global institutions now talk about looking “beyond GDP” — measuring well-being, health, sustainability, natural capital, and quality of life alongside economic growth.

Because the goal should not just be a bigger economy.

The goal should be healthier people, healthier food, healthier communities, and a planet that can keep supporting life long after the quarterly profits are counted.

“One person throwing one bottle doesn’t matter…”

Now multiply that thought by 8 billions.

Every plastic bottle, every food wrapper, every broken gadget, every careless habit becomes a scar on the planet when we all do it together.

The problem is not just waste.
The problem is thinking our small actions have no impact.

Because nature doesn’t suffer from one person.
It suffers when billions of people stop caring.

🌍 Our habits leave footprints.
Make sure yours doesn’t become a landfill.

Looking forward to meeting at 2nd Zion Travelers B.C., Head of Island, Louisiana. 4th Sunday in July. 10a.m.