The birds, bats, bees and bugs that occupy our world are seemingly oblivious to us. They are but a part of a much larger animal kingdom. We exist in bizarre parallel time warps. When we as humans are forced to interact with that ethereal sovereignty, the consequences are usually unpleasant (and often fatal) for the non-human life forms, that is. Think of the last time you killed a cockroach or a mosquito. In truth, we have little to no respect for anything outside our limited field of consciousness: that includes people, as well — but, we will speak to that next week. How am I going to be a citizen of Planet Earth if I do not really acknowledge and laud the natural world? I can’t be, obviously. That being said, we are so attracted to Gaia, to Mother Earth, as represented in the virgin environment, that any time spent with her makes us feel renewed and rejuvenated. I wonder how we might achieve a link between these two necessary components of human existence. Great playwrights like Euripides (1) give us some insight. “The best and safest thing to keep a balance in your life is to acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.” Euripides is telling us that if we must find a way to truly live in harmony with the Earth and, additionally, with all its forms of life, we must speak with our very personal God — not easy!
On the one hand, we need to exist in the given society of the time: get an education, earn a living, get married and have a family, and grow old with dignity. On the other hand, we must control one of the most pernicious of Deadly Sins: avarice. (2) In our present era, most would agree that we are blinded by capitalism and competitiveness — of course, anathema to the natural world. Furthermore, this is not producing the joy that we were promised when we left the farm for the city at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. The answer can only lie in introspection. Through prayer, meditation and the proverbial walk in a park, each of us can truly find our balance in the real world. “Modern people are unhappy … because they cannot experience completion. Always there are new – and higher – standards to meet. Inevitably, there is ‘unfinished business.’ Everyone is urged to move forward, but no one knows if they have already reached their destination or if that end-point is years ahead.” (3)
I have a friend who always says: “That is your movie,” meaning the way that I see life is how life truly is to me. There is nothing exterior to the self. If I decide to be a part of the natural world, respectful of all forms of life, I can. If I opt to be the “slayer of nature,” I can also be that individual. As educators, teachers, parents and human beings, we are all called upon to “call those individuals to task.” They are the true destroyers of life. (4) The great writer, theologian, and philosopher, Karen Armstrong (b. 1944), leaves us with a thought: We need myths that will help us to identify with all our fellow-beings, not simply with those who belong to our ethnic, national or ideological tribe. We need myths that help us to realize the importance of compassion, which is not always regarded as sufficiently productive or efficient in our pragmatic, rational world. We need myths that help us to create a spiritual attitude, to see beyond our immediate requirements, and enable us to experience a transcendent value that challenges our solipsistic selfishness. We need myths that help us to venerate the earth as sacred once again, instead of merely using it as a ‘resource.’ This is crucial because unless there is some kind of spiritual revolution that is able to keep abreast of our technological genius, we will not save our planet. (5)
A closing thought: As a child, I recollect taking an early morning walk on one of our local pristine beaches. There was an energy and effervescence that was magical and surreal. I remember the roar and crash of the surf, and the screech of the gulls and seabirds. Everything smelt raw and unsullied. We all, I am sure, want to reside there. This is a place beyond money and power and conflict and ennui. It is a communion with all that makes us human and humble and thankful at my gift of life. The great conundrum is how to convey this locale to others. It is only when we strengthen imagination and respect for all life that it exists.
To sum up: This week we spoke about nature and our place in her embrace. We do not have to become vegans or vegetarians to be respectful. We must simply acknowledge that all life has value and a purpose: even the much-reviled cockroach.
An educational encounter: I was presented with a great moral dilemma the other day. I purchased a large number of items at a local supermarket. When I returned to my Porsche, my motocha, I realized that they had missed two small inconsequential items (At this point, they are always unimportant, are they not?).
I was presented with a choice: drive away or trundle back upstairs, stand in a line “again,” and pay the small amount. I ultimately chose the latter and returned to the cashier. Not because anyone would have known, but I would have known. I am always fearful that my one act of dishonesty and sloth unleashes a cascade of evil upon me. Maybe it is due to the fact that I am closer to that inevitable conversation than I used to be.
Just for fun –Imagine – John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band (with the Flux Fiddlers)
This week, please ponder your response to the natural world.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: Peace, man!
Footnotes:
1) Euripides
2) The Seven Deadly Sins . The Seven Virtues
4) How the Rich are Destroying the Earth
5) Karen Armstrong: A Short History of Myth (ISBN 9-780-1440-009-37)