How Important is the Earth?

It's interesting how one's perspective on death and the end of the world can change a person's opinion on the best course of action. Naturally, if one believes that there is no afterlife and that this life is all they get, then they won't spend much time storing up "treasures in heaven," because they believe that no such place exists. Similarly, if a person believes that the soul is eternal and mortality is temporary, they might not bother building up their life in mortality because they believe mortality isn't going to last.

By the same token, if a person doesn't believe in the Second Coming, Rapture, or any other God-induced end of the world, they may be more likely to try to sustain the planet almost indefinitely, believing that the world is only going to end if we let it. In contrast, if a person assumes that the Second Coming and subsequent Millennium are likely to happen any day now, they may not worry so much about the sustainability of the planet, since God is going to remake the planet soon anyway.

Shifting one's perspective shifts one's priorities, either to a present that may not matter or to a future that may not exist. All of this begs the question: How important is life on Earth? For some people, Earth is everything. For others, Earth is just a temporary stepping stone on their way to a better place. 

My opinion, as usual, lies somewhere between the extremes. We should not neglect heaven, but we shouldn't neglect Earth either. Yes, the Second Coming is coming, but we have no idea when. Just to be on the safe side, we should try to maintain the planet as though we don't expect the Savior to return for a very long time, because He might not. At the same time, we shouldn't live only for the mortal present because there is an eternal future, and we would do well to prepare for that.

So, for my answer, we should take care of this world and also prepare to pass on to the next one. Earth is important, but it isn't everything.