The universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects. And we have this from our first awakening to the universe. Your first impression when you see a flower or see a tree or see a sunset or see the ocean, or see anything in the natural world, your first impression is a communion experience. How wonderful this is: to live in the universe where there’s a sun in the heavens; where there’s so many wonderful creatures of Earth; where the song of the birds and the butterflies and the cicada in the evening.
There’s one experience that I think has had a very deep influence on my life. When I was about ten years old I saw a meadow and I saw it first in spring time -- in early May. How wonderful this is to live in the universe where there's a sun in the heavens; where there’s so many wonderful creatures of Earth; where the song of the birds and the butterflies and the cicada in the evening.
What is all this? Obviously, it’s not a collection of objects to be used. Obviously, it’s a world to be venerated. It’s a world to be communed with, to be present, to be delighted in, and together to have a certain experience that might be called ecstatic experience. A good economy is what makes that meadow survive. Good politics protects that meadow. A good religion is what enabled me to understand the deep mystery in the meadow.
If we don’t have certain outer experiences, we don’t have certain inner experiences or at least we don’t have them in such a profound way. We need the sun, the moon, the stars, the rivers and the mountains and the trees, the flowers, the birds, the song of the birds, the fish in the sea. All of this evokes something in our inner world, evokes a world of mystery. It evokes a world of Sacred and gives us that sense of awe and mystery.
I recently heard the spokes person for BP say "he just wants his life back." Well, I've got a news flash for him - his life is gone as he might have expected it to be, there is no going back.
You don't make the mistakes as a company (either by omission or commission) that led to a massive oil spill, and then just walk away. Done - wetlands damaged, people's life styles turned upside down, species maybe obliterated. Much less in an area that has been damaged massively before, and sits in the middle of hurricane alley.
As my room mate often says to me, "what now, Bambi in the head lights?",
Amen to Deanna! I thoroughly agree and have recently had many discussions with family members about exactly this topic. I feel the BP individuals should be prosecuted under the full extent of the law, as criminals...there is now evidence that MANY emails and memos were ignored that alerted to the dangers at this site. If it was truly an accident then well, ok, I might feel a little differently but to deliberately ignore info that would have prevented this...I have no symapthy here at all. The damage to ecosystems, land, people, culture...the list goes on an on....
Thank you, Gwen,
I'm sort of like an art critic, I know what I like and don't like, but don't have artistic skills myself.
The next step for me is to not just point things out, but learn how to be part of the solution.
Thanks again,
Deanna J
We truly are a people in EXILE when the 'dollar' is the bottom line instead of and above all, the reason for Life itself - the "Communion of Love"!
Until we learn to WEEP - as "Jesus wept for Jerusalem" - "longing to gather her under HIS WINGS as a mother hen gathers her chicks" - we will NEVER UNDERSTAND and LIVE this Wisdom by Thomas Berry!!!
Is there an inadvertent repetition in this quotation? The sentence "How wonderful this is: to live in the universe where there’s a sun in the heavens; where there’s so many wonderful creatures of Earth; where the song of the birds and the butterflies and the cicada in the evening" appears twice.
Post new comment