My writings - and those of others.
Another outstanding site
The Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology is an important site for anyone who sees ecology as a moral and spiritual issue. It has undergone a recent update that makes it even more attractive as a resource for learning. The site tells us this:
“The Mission of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology is to inform and inspire people to preserve, protect, and restore the Earth community. The religions of the world transmit ecological and justice perspectives in their scriptures, rituals, and contemplative practices as well as in their moral and ethical commitments.” It goes on to list a number of projects and connections
You can find brief summaries of all the world’s major religions. There are equally impressive materials on climate emergency. Laudato Si, the encylical of Pope Francis, has had considerable impact and these materials have also been collected for reference. There are numerous resources including a regular newsletter. Among the many projects are those relating to to Journey of the Universe project.
For anyone interested in climate change, the foundational information here is of immense value.
Celebrate Earth Day
Happy Earth Day!
Last year was bitter sweet as I had to cancel an arts event, where several artists donated their service to support environmental efforts as part of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary. The earth continues to need our reverence. Thomas Berry suggests the need to reframe our understanding - that humans are subjects along with all the other evolutionary creatures and elements which we have too often thought of as objects for our use and exploitation.
Even in a pandemic there are ways to celebrate:
Try the quizzes at the Earth Day 2021 site and see what you know: (I’m doing better on climate change than on climate literacy but I have work to do on both.)
Watch one of these videos:
Life in Color With David Attenborough,” on Netflix,
“Secrets of the Whales” the project of an even bigger power player, the filmmaker and deep-sea diver James Cameron.
Cher and the Loneliest Elephant,” streaming beginning Thursday on Paramount+ and playing on cable May 19 on the Smithsonian Channel,
the three hourlong episodes of “A Year to Change the World,” being shown in succession Thursday night on PBS stations. It follows Thunberg, then 16 and 17, as she travels the world in 2019 and 2020, giving speeches at climate conferences and educating herself — and through the documentary, us — i
A ten year anniversary
2021 marks the tenth anniversary of the release of the film, Journey of the Universe. The documentary spends one day on the Greek Island of Samos. It takes a philosophical view of evolution and tries to answer the great questions: Who are we? How did we get here? Where are we headed? For those who want to move beyond the cosmology of western and other religions, it offers a perspective that widens understanding and puts humanity in its place within a larger context.
The film’s birth nevertheless has religious roots. Its genesis of came from the Riverdale Centre for Religious Research led by Thomas Berry, a Roman Catholic monk who studied world religions and was struck by a need for a more comprehensive cosmology. He wrote about a call for a new story as early as 1978 and continued to ponder the questions and write about them until his death in 2009. He found a willing collaborator in Brian Swimme, an evolutionary cosmologist. They collaborated to produce The Universe Story in 1992. But the strength of the story encouraged both to work on a more awe inspiring presentation which resulted in the more recent film, subsequent book, university symposia and educational materials. Released in 2011, the film was carefully vetted and verified by scientists in all fields - but its effect is not a quantitative verification but an awe inspiring one reaching into ever expanding educational opportunities.
The book by the same name, written by Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker, both students of Berry, tells the story in an engaging way that urges further reflection on the journey of the universe of which we are a part. “Wonder will guide us”, says Swimme at the end of the film. One of the most valuable part of the book is the chronology from the “great flaring forth” - an alternative to the Big Bang - 13.8 billion years ago - to the last entry - since 1990s thousands of extra solar planets have been discovered. Discovery of a 13.1 billion year old galaxy.
The book and film have generated studies by all the world’s major religions. They set an important context for where we go from here. They call for a major reassessment of how we look at our creation stories. Among the resources are podcasts and video courses showing how those in various fields - scientists, activists, indigenous leaders, teachers are living out their stories in the light of new understandings.
The new site offers resources for individuals and organizations and includes curricula, its own YouTube Channel, newsletter and events. It is an important resource for anyone who wants a wider context for the continuing journey of the universe and our place in it.
Resilience
From the pomp and pageantry of a royal funeral- even in Covid times - to an article in Fast Company - which I first rea its first issue in an airport in the 90’s - some markers of resilient people:
They have a strong sense of who they are and draw on it.
They learn even when things go wrong and draw on positive takeaways.
They focus on the long term rather than the immediate.
They have a sense of purpose and draw upon it.
They don’t need all the answers before proceeding with action and learn along the way.
They are highly selective about those they turn to for guidance.
They nurture themselves.
These are good rules for those living through a pandemic - or working on major issues like climate change.
Ponderings
An Easter weekend rather like no other. A minor knee injury made staying in less of a punishment than the current pandemic. And other experiences gave it some positive flavour that probably would not have happened otherwise.
I finished Elizabeth Wilkerson’s admirable book Caste. As a PBS Newshour watcher I feel in good company when I see it on the bookshelves of both Jonathan Capehart and David Brooks. Its strengths relate to its impeccable research and portrayals of three examples of caste systems - India, Nazi Germany, and the United States - with their long term effects on their cultures and how they handle them. Her personal experience in India and America also brings the experience of caste to light. This is a must read for anyone who wants to see a different outcome to our heritage of race and caste and gives a reality to any settler culture like our Canadian one.
The next was a presentation that happens once a month, led by a Roman Catholic leader called an eco-sabbath. In past times it would not be possible for me to attend these because of a time conflict, but in Zoom time, that changes. Dennis O’Hara noted that he had tried this presentation ten years ago and met considerable pushback - but decided to try it again on Easter Day. His main point was that resurrection applies not only to the Christian story but the story of the universe itself. These views come from his understanding presented in the writings of American “geologian” Thomas Berry and Australian theologian Denis Edwards. In both writers, the universe itself moves toward fullness and fulfillment. The resurrection for today happens through our meeting all the creatures and creations of the world with the opportunity to ease their suffering and help them realize their full reality and beauty.
His audience was far more accepting of this view this time - formed by the writings of Berry whose influence on the book and film presentation “Journey of the Universe” is also celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.
The last was a good column yesterday celebrating the views of indigenous leaders in The Globe and Mail. Known as Jaqueline Ottman where she is Vice Provost of Indigenous Engagement and Professor at the University of Saskatchwan. But she is also known as Misiwaykommigk Paypomwayotung in her Anishinabe first nations community. She is an advocate for indigenous ways of knowing and being.
Spending a lot of time with a grandmother who understood medicinal plants and astronomy, and who had escaped being sent to residential schools and retained her original language, was a rare advantage. Ottman learned both the language and her culture first hand. She had the rare privilege of seeing western culture through those eyes as she was able to continue her secondary school and further education. And this combination as well as encountering racism framed her search for social justice.
She notes that the closest ideas of western leadership to those of her own community would be servant or adaptive leadership, adding to this both respect for the views of the ancestors and a recognition that decisions look ahead to the next seven generations. Our North American culture contrasts strongly as we neglect our history and express concern for our grandchildren - only two generations ahead. It also has huge implications for how we treat the land - not as part of all our relations, but as something to exploit.
A good Easter - transformative and thought provoking. What actions can evolve?