Message given at Durham Friends Meeting, February 26, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\nhave been reading a book of Greta Thunberg\u2019s speeches. As you probably know,\nGreta is the Swedish student who is striking for action on the climate\n\u201cemergency\u201d. She has had the opportunity\nto speak to political and business leaders throughout the world using the\nextensive work of scientists as her message, Greta is attempting to reach the\nmost powerful, those with the ability to address the climate crisis in a way\nthat brings necessary and lasting change. Why are her impressive words not\neliciting more action at the top? What is it that motivates us to respond to\nthe climate crisis or not. I think we know what motivates inaction \u2013 money and\nprobably fear of having to give up the comforts of an unsustainable lifestyle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Greta\nis motivated by the science and the desire for a livable planet for her\u2019s and\nfuture generations. This should be enough. The science is clearly telling us a\nlivable future is not possible at our current rate of consumption. It is\nobvious that our children and grandchildren will face many challenges as a\nresult of our inaction. That is enough for me, although there are other\nmotivators. For many, a spiritual connection to the natural world drives their\nresponse. In a December message we were reminded of the Bible\u2019s call for caring\nfor the natural world and offered up Christian moral convictions as a reason to\nrespond to the climate crisis. \u201cWe are called to be stewards of God\u2019s creation.\nWhen we keep the Earth, then we do God\u2019s will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For\nthe indigenous people of this country a belief in the interconnection of all living\nthings is central to their spiritual beliefs, and it guides their daily way of\nlife and an activist agenda. I read a poem attributed\nto a Taos elder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now this is what we\nbelieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mother of us all is\nearth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father is the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The grandfather is the\nCreator<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who bathed us with his\nmind<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And gave life to all\nthings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Brother is the\nbeasts and trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sister is that with\nwings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are the Children of\nEarth<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And do it no harm in any\nway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nor do we offend the\nsun<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By not greeting it at\ndawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We praise our\nGrandfather for his creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We share the same\nbreath together-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Beasts, the trees,\nthe birds, the man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sherri\nMitchel, a member of Maine\u2019s Penobscot Tribe, expresses similar thoughts. I\nquote: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our\n\u201cway of life is about living close to the Earth, close to our kin, and\nremaining ever mindful of our responsibilities to the sacred agreements that we\nhave with every living being. It is about the sustainability of the Earth, our\nrelationships, and our spiritual connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEverything\nis interconnected and interdependent; the well-being of the whole is determined\nby the well-being of any individual part\u2026. This belief forms the foundational\nunderstanding weaving through all of our other values. It\u2019s the thread that\nties them all together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\nwill briefly review three of the values Sherri discusses in her book Sacred Instructions<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These\nbeliefs and values are shared across Native tribes and communicated through\nceremonial dances, chants, and folk tales\/stories passed down from generation\nto generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nrepeat: We all have enough, Harmony is an inner state of equilibrium, and Harmony\nwith the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This\nreverence for the natural world was central to the Native way of life long\nbefore the colonists came to this country and it did not take long for the\ncolonists to impact the New England environment. In 1855 Thoreau wrote in his\njournal about the ecological changes to New England that resulted from the\ncolonists way of life. He was comparing his observations with those of William\nWood, who recounted his observations in a 1633 book, New England\u2019s Prospect<\/em>. Some of these changes resulted from clearing\nforests to send timber to England, others from their farming practices. Colonists\nhad a very different relationship with the natural resources of New England than\nthe original Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today,\nmotivated by these beliefs, Natives take civil action to protect the\nenvironment. Nick Estes, of the Sioux Tribe, writes about the belief that \u201cwater\nis a nonhuman relative who is alive and that nothing can own her (referring\nspecifically to the Missouri River) and she cannot be sold or treated as a\npiece of property.\u201d It is this belief that motivates the native camps of\nprotesters attempting to block building of the Keystone XL Pipeline. In the\nFebruary Friends Journal find an article by Shelley Tananebaum, a Quaker Earthcare\nWitness, who spent time in a camp in Standing Rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These\nare all strong motivators for caring for the natural world. I too believe in\nthe interconnection of all living things and the importance in maintaining the health\nof the many ecosystems that sustain the natural world. I wish I were as sure\nabout a path forward as I am about why we need one. I don\u2019t know how to\nmotivate those who have not bought into any of the values I have shared here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nsometimes play a game imaging a world that resulted from the Colonists learning\ncare of the land from the first residents of this country. This is fantasy I\nknow, but maybe it has some value. At\nleast it puts my mind in a happier place. Imagine for a minute what kind of\neconomic system we might have if its health was not based on how much we are\nconsuming? What kind of trade deals would we have with other countries? Would\nthey be designed to increase production and sales? Or think about the\nIndustrial Revolution. There would have been one, of course, but how might it\nhave been different if there was more concern for preservation of natural\nresources? Or how would farming be different if we cared about the health of\nthe soil and the ecosystems that large farms disturb? Or think about the value \u201cwe\nall have enough\u201d and how public policies would differ if that was a commonly\nheld value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What\nelse might have evolved differently and how might we mine these ideas for use\nin creating a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren. How can we\nmove backwards to a time of less consumption, more preservation of our natural\nresources? Isn\u2019t that what reducing our carbon footprint is all about? We are\nnot going to reverse climate change by composting and recycling. But we are working\nto find a life style that provides a sustainable future for humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nleave you with a quote from the Harvard entomologist, E.O. Wilson, <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNatural\nphilosophy has brought into clear relief the following paradox of human\nexistence. The drive towards perpetual expansion \u2013 or personal freedom \u2013 is\nbasic to the human spirit. But to sustain it we need the most delicate, knowing\nstewardship of the living world that can be devised.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Message given at Durham Friends Meeting, February 26, 2020 I have been reading a book of Greta Thunberg\u2019s speeches. As you probably know, Greta is the Swedish student who is striking for action on the climate \u201cemergency\u201d. She has had … Continue reading