We have a project with Unocal here in Los Angeles, where we as an

Hear, O seeker of wisdom, the words of Ted Danson, who once declared: “We have a project with Unocal here in Los Angeles, where we as an environmental organization, the oil company, and the state all get together to promote the recycling of used motor oil.” Though they seem as words of business and policy, their essence resounds with a teaching for all ages, for they remind us that even unlikely companions can unite to guard the earth that sustains us. Oil, once drawn from the deep belly of the world, when spent and discarded, can poison soil, water, and sky. But when reclaimed and given new purpose, it becomes a symbol of redemption, of balance, of humanity’s duty to restore what it takes.

In the ancient style of the wise, let us see beyond the mere corporate and civic names. What Ted Danson reveals is not merely a partnership of an environmental organization, an oil company, and the state—but the meeting of three powers: conscience, commerce, and governance. Conscience stirs the soul to protect the fragile order of life. Commerce wields the tools of industry, which, though dangerous, can be turned toward good. Governance acts as steward, lending structure and guidance to ensure the pact holds firm. Together, these three pillars can either destroy the earth in strife, or heal it in harmony.

Recall, children of the future, the tale of the Athenian statesman Solon, who sought to bind the people of Athens with laws that balanced rich and poor, powerful and weak. Alone, he could not end greed nor silence ambition. But by weaving alliances, by bringing the voices of many into one law, he gave Athens a chance at stability. So too in Danson’s words, we see a modern Solonian vision: even an oil company, whose wealth is drawn from extraction, may, in union with those who cherish the environment, find its hands not only stained but also cleansing.

Consider also the story of Japan after the Second World War. The land lay broken, its rivers foul with industrial waste, its skies heavy with smoke. Yet in the 1970s, when citizens, companies, and government rose together to heal their nation’s wounds, a miracle began. The Minamata tragedy, born from mercury poisoning, taught them bitterly that unchecked industry destroys the very lives it seeks to enrich. From that sorrow, a resolve emerged: laws were forged, businesses reformed, and the people became vigilant guardians. This union transformed Japan into one of the cleanest industrial nations in the world. Such is the power of alliance when conscience, commerce, and governance walk as one.

The emotional cry within Danson’s quote is clear: even the waste of men’s engines can be reclaimed for good. What once would seep into rivers, killing fish and fouling fields, can instead be reborn as fuel, as resource, as symbol of human responsibility. Just as a wounded warrior, if healed, may rise to protect his people anew, so too can used motor oil, though dark and spent, return in service rather than destruction.

The lesson, O listener, is this: Do not despise cooperation with those unlike yourself. Do not believe that only the pure of heart may act for the earth. Sometimes the very hand that wounds must also bind the wound. To recoil from partnership out of pride is to let poison flow freely. To accept union, even with those once thought adversaries, is to give life a chance to endure.

What then shall you do? First, honor the small acts: recycle what you use, mend what you can, waste not what is still of service. Second, seek allies, not only among friends but among strangers, even rivals, for the task of stewardship is greater than any single hand. Third, hold accountable those who wield power, yet also invite them into the circle of responsibility, for change is born of both pressure and partnership.

And remember always: the earth does not distinguish between saint and sinner, between activist and industrialist. Its rivers flow for all, its air fills every lung, its soil cradles each seed. If we, like those in Los Angeles, can unite across our divisions to reclaim even the darkest of wastes, then truly we honor the sacred covenant with our world. This is the meaning of Ted Danson’s words, and this is the call to you, heirs of tomorrow.