R.I.P

The world has basically moved on - but it still seems appropriate to make an observation or two.

I have lived under four monarchs now - born before the abdication of Edward VIII and the events of the Queen’s life were milestones of my own - her wedding, her coronation, her jubilees. Real power in the world ia not only political and economic. Occasionally there is moving evidence of symbolic power.

We saw more “standing on guard” than military power - brass bands and pipes. We saw pageantry and ritual that bring people together in ways nothing else quite can. We saw a community in silence, broken only by polite applause. We saw strange private grief with a public face. We saw a family in mourning - including its pets. There was glorious music - and a sports star who declined privilege and stood in line for hours for a visit that took minutes.

I have ten more years to live to equal the long life of Elizabeth II - but like many. I shall never forget her. May she rest in peace and may her meory be a blessing.

Achievement

From Reinhold Niebuhr’s, The Irony of American History:

“Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love, which is forgiveness.”

How might this relate to the climate emergency? Just because we can’t achieve success in our lifetime, it means we have to play a part. We need to have faith in both small actions and join others in taking larger ones. It does seem that in some respects we don’t act because we can’t forgive ourselves for what we as a species have done. It is a paradox that we are also the species who can do so.

Never Again

Pope Francis has come and gone with an apology that was healing for some and unsatisfactory for others in both church and First Nations communities. The government’s lack of action has not escaped notice either.

What some, but not all, missed was his indictment of Christianity itself. Our arrogance in assuming that one religion is superior to all others is something we learn well when we are young and much time has to elapse before we even know that there are other possibilities with histories and an integrity of their own.

One of the pundits got it right in noting something that Pope Francis said to his bishops and followers. Nigaan Sinclair probably knew a different story from him father, Senator Murray Sinclair from the beginning of his life. The pope said.

“The pain and the shame we feel must become an occasion for conversion: never again! And thinking about the process of healing and reconciliation with our indigenous brothers and sisters, never again can the Christian community allow itself to be infected by the idea that one culture is superior to others, or that it is legitimate to employ ways of coercing others.”

Nigaan Sinclair commented to the TV host what a difference it would have made had a pope said this five hundred years ago? How would our history be different in this land? It speaks to the depth of the damage and the need to learn more quickly how to undo it. It will not be easy. It must happen.

Turning up the Heat

People throughout the world are baking in the heat and occasionally there is a faint recognition that this has something to do with climate change. The country that puts the most carbon emissions into the atmosphere is nevertheless stymied by one key player.

• One politician, Senator Joe Manchin, says he will not support his party’s climate change initiatives

• The US Supreme Court has limited the ability of the government to curb emissions from power plants

• The opposition party is against any climate legislation.

• The US loses its ability to influence other major emitters, like China. India and Brazil.

• The US is not on track to meet its goals for the Paris Accord. It doesn’t provide a great example to other countries.

• One man’s action has severely limited the role of the party in power leaving it dysfunctional in a democratic system.

  It’s no wonder that E. M. Forster suggested only two cheers for democracy. He expressed his concern for the individual in a world facing totalitarianism, as well as extremism from both the left and the right. He claimed at the time that the title was a joke when his writings included material going back to 1936, the year of my birth. One writer evaluating the collection suggests that it has worn well. He was looking ahead at the time to the rise of Nazi Germany.

  Leadership demands morality for the public good. We need it now more than ever.

Livable Cities

I’m glad to live in one. Here they are according to the Economist

Vienna, Austria
2)  Copenhagen, Denmark
3)  Zurich, Switzerland (tie)
3)  Calgary, Canada (tie)
5)  Vancouver, Canada
6)  Geneva, Switzerland
7)  Frankfurt, Germany
8)  Toronto, Canada
9)  Amsterdam, Netherlands
10)  Osaka, Japan (tie)
10)  Melbourne, Australia (tie)

And the other interesting part - not one American City made it . . . .