| Maybe something other than what we think. Economic | | | | As one of fifteen children on a chicken farm in a time |
| issues are certainly threatening, global warming with all | | | | just removed from the Great Depression, we lived |
| its ramifications is huge, conflict around the globe | | | | close to the earth. Our comfort and strength was in |
| startles our sensibilities, and the list goes on. | | | | large part the nuclear family where everyone was |
| Mom always reminded me to look for something | | | | involved and all sat down to the table to share equally |
| which was right about a situation if I was going to | | | | of what more or less might be served. Our |
| state what was wrong. What may be right in all of | | | | grandparents were integral and highly valued. |
| these alarms is that we may have an opportunity to | | | | Remembering how important they were to my life, I |
| realize that these crises of our time may be caused in | | | | told my children that I wouldn't trade their cell phones or |
| part by something we haven't noticed. If we can peel | | | | tech gadgets for even one hour of Grandpop's harp |
| back some layers of onion skins without allowing our | | | | and the smell of his corncob pipe. Are too many of |
| tears to obscure the obvious, we may be able to do | | | | these highly valuable resources stashed in retirement |
| something about these unsettling conditions while there | | | | centers and extended care facilities? Are their |
| is yet time. | | | | wisdom, patience, and presence missing from our |
| Not many of us would disagree that these are | | | | homes? Are they not critical to the extended and |
| uncertain times. As such we are inclined to seek | | | | functioning family? I remember countless gifts and |
| understanding. The issues of concern are so glaring | | | | contributions from my childhood, and I am still thankful |
| that most of us can justifiably be alarmed on an | | | | for their steadying influence during the uncertainties of |
| individual basis. Most of us can see all we need to by | | | | my youth. |
| looking out at the world where the world looks back at | | | | What about recreation and entertainment? We used |
| us. | | | | to be responsible and creative players for ourselves. |
| As a practicing arborist I am dismayed by the struggle | | | | We were not inclined to leave our vicarious emotional |
| for survival of some of our woodlands' favorite trees. | | | | states of joy or despair so dependent upon the hands |
| Locally we can no longer ignore the threat to our red | | | | of professional athletes. Mom's organ, Grandpop's harp, |
| oak family. They are dying and failing in great numbers. | | | | and Dad's harmonica were joyfully satisfying for all of |
| We have identified the causal agent as being a | | | | us and were wonderful sleep aids. We found much |
| bacterium. Beginning with early symptoms of crispy | | | | gladness in family picnics, visits to the fishing hole, and |
| leaf margins, this pernicious condition is labeled Bacterial | | | | skating over winter ice. Life was more simple but |
| Leaf Scorch. It is hard to believe that a family of trees | | | | satisfying and full. |
| with a continuous, vigorous place in our world for three | | | | No we can't all return to that chicken farm, but we can |
| million years could so quickly leave us as the result of | | | | experience much of those same qualities by more fully |
| an age old casual bacterium that has always existed in | | | | supporting our communities and churches in exercises |
| its ecosystem but has recently morphed into a super | | | | of joy and connection. Participation in our volunteer fire |
| bug with frightening consequences. Along with our | | | | companies, neighborhood yard sales, community days, |
| oaks, maples and sycamores are also lined up in this | | | | or local parks can be very satisfying and fulfilling. Yes |
| newly aggressive bacterium's sight. In other locales we | | | | lives that are touching one another and celebrating our |
| have similar troubling news from the severely declining | | | | basic values add ripples of goodness rather than take |
| forests of our spruce, ash, aspens, and others. | | | | them away. |
| The good that we can take from this is to appreciate | | | | I can't help but think that so much of our |
| that life in our forests is not so different from life | | | | over-consumption has much to do with a sense that |
| elsewhere. We know that oaks are not so mighty | | | | there is something missing. Is there a hole that we are |
| anymore, and the forest, along with the earth's other | | | | trying to fill with our hurried pursuit of all that we think |
| living systems, needs to be valued. Life cannot be | | | | we need? |
| taken for granted. It is indeed the pearl of great price. | | | | If so, this urgent opportunity cries out for our |
| If others are willing to observe from where they look | | | | participation. That is to revalue life wherever we meet |
| into the world, there is much more which might be | | | | it; family time is our time, Grandpop and Grandma |
| seen in these uncertain times. In the health care | | | | matter too, and our lonely neighbor is part of our |
| service we see more super bugs and debilitating | | | | community. Giving standing to the life in our natural |
| conditions than we can get our hands around. MRSA, | | | | world will go a long way in revitalizing the world to |
| food allergies, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, exotic | | | | which our future belongs. I suspect that if we begin to |
| cancers, and autism are in the news constantly. | | | | reverse these many conditions, personal and social |
| Other aspects of our natural world are asking for our | | | | deficits would be satisfied, and in time we would never |
| attention. Our oceans are developing dead zones of | | | | feel empty again. |
| untold consequences. The coral is dying, while toxic | | | | Another defining aspect of families during the forties |
| algae are thriving. Mutations are showing up among our | | | | and fifties and of people's lives in general was the |
| amphibians. There is colony collapse of honeybees. | | | | value of religious practice. |
| Without belaboring the point, the signs of threat and | | | | So many of us live as though we are too busy for |
| decline are everywhere if we choose to see. | | | | religion, suggesting it to be old fashioned, unimportant, |
| The general empirical evidence suggests that the | | | | not relevant, and in effect suggesting that we don't |
| more advanced and highly differentiated life forms are | | | | need it. We can sense the ridiculous nature of things |
| the ones most adversely affected. In the natural world, | | | | when we realize that on a Monday in early February, |
| highly differentiated and evolved species are being | | | | more people occupy a huge stadium to observe the |
| replaced with marginal life forms. For example, | | | | face stuffing of gluttonous proportions than attend all |
| honeybees are being replaced by the pesky yellow | | | | of Philadelphia's churches on the previous Sunday. |
| jacket, coral by toxic algae, and forests are being | | | | Would it not be better if we were to line up in the |
| overrun with poison ivy and other invasive species. | | | | predawn hours in the rain and cold to fight for a seat |
| A bold assumption from this arborist's observations is | | | | to seize the opportunity to practice our religion and |
| that the vigor of life essential to all life forms is not so | | | | express gratitude for our relationship with the creator |
| available anymore. People's own health and wellness is | | | | than to look for something special from the Wing |
| equally dependent on life's sustaining forces as are the | | | | Bowl? |
| honeybees and the grand trees of the forest. The | | | | This illustration, along with many others which all of us |
| good and right thing here is that in place of chasing | | | | can observe, displays our displaced values. The |
| down all these super bugs and debilitating losses from | | | | problem is that without practicing our religions, we are |
| our world with a shotgun approach of anti this and anti | | | | not exercising our faith. And faith may be the bridge |
| that or any number of great efforts of reclamation and | | | | and means that will support us through these uncertain |
| brinkmanship, we make a determined effort to simplify | | | | times. This precious quality of life can secure more |
| our lives so that we need less of our world's living | | | | questions and soothe more lives than just about |
| resources which she can ill afford to give up. | | | | anything. Beyond this it may be the key that opens |
| Some among us suspect that the earth may have | | | | doors not yet met. |
| gone through this before and are suggesting that we | | | | It may be that we've decided we need to go it alone, |
| are at a tipping point. If indeed the earth has been | | | | but this may be foolhardy. We need to trust in the |
| through this before, then we need dare to ask the | | | | creation and the creator. This allows us to experience |
| next lizard we see what happened to his specie. | | | | what might be next for us. I think there is intention in all |
| But people does it have to come to this? The good | | | | of this, and I want to find within me the faith to believe. |
| news here is that it does not. With a collective will to | | | | Certainly we are all entitled to our beliefs. To live |
| relook at what truly matters, we together can make all | | | | without belief is to say that we have no faith in what's |
| the difference. | | | | next for us. We may not be willing or able to |
| If it's not already obvious, some changes are in the | | | | appreciate another's religion, but we can all agree that |
| offing. Our economic condition tells us that we can't | | | | faith is a central aspect to all of them. |
| continue on like this, and even for those who have | | | | What's right is that we have faith. And maybe the lack |
| gathered much into their materials basket, there is | | | | of it is largely responsible for the hole that so many |
| reason to suspect that it doesn't really satisfy. | | | | people experience. What's missing may be a basic |
| Driven by our insatiable appetite for more and more, | | | | trust in one another and the faith that we do matter. |
| we may be getting less and less. The human | | | | With this basic trust and faith we can know that once |
| population's expectation of material things has fired the | | | | we've done all that is possible, greater hands than ours |
| economic engines of production like never before. The | | | | will lift us up. |
| problem here might be that feeding these | | | | Please believe, beyond all else that may allow us to |
| expectancies has involved much taking from the living | | | | feel special and valued, is something that may be just |
| and breathing world. It has also involved us in a hectic | | | | up the road from us today. |
| lifestyle with diminishing returns regarding time for our | | | | Perhaps the best that could come from all of this in the |
| families and the pursuit of our personal avocations. In | | | | face of our challenges would be to fill our emptiness |
| our expedience to manifest all of this stuff, the | | | | with the celebrations of life, for the joy and wonder of |
| consequences of pollution and contamination may be | | | | it. In this moment and in each day, know that life is |
| maiming us and our living world. If in fact the health and | | | | precious. Let us not allow it to leave us, but instead |
| vigor of our lives is interdependent upon a well world, | | | | capture the full measure of its value to us. As we |
| then the implications become obvious. The life in us | | | | come to accept the fragility of life, we will want to |
| cannot be well if the life of our world is also not well. | | | | extend our hand in caring for it. Instead of reacting to |
| Have we valued a way of life with diminishing returns | | | | where the world out there troubles us, we will reach |
| and untold future consequences? Is the bottom line | | | | out with more kindness and the best thing about being |
| just a figure of speech or is it also a condition of our | | | | kind; the world we touch will be made more kind as |
| lives, which is taking excessively from the top line of | | | | well. |
| life? The top line would imply that our lives are lived | | | | The recent awakening of a green consciousness of |
| around valuing our place in the living creation for the | | | | so many among us demonstrates that there are many |
| joy and wonder of it. The bottom line suggests that | | | | hands available to support the reclamation of our |
| our driving motivation implies that we measure and | | | | world. What is right is our ability to identify with what's |
| value ourselves as we add up and declare our monies | | | | needed and then apply our ingenuity and compassion |
| and materials. | | | | with a new imperative. |
| What would be right is our willingness to agree that our | | | | Some of this has already begun and we can see that |
| lives are best served when we are conscious of our | | | | the same hand, which may have taken away, can also |
| integrated place in this wondrous creation, inserted fully | | | | replace. The California condor remains with us. The |
| in nature's fabric, and not continuously and | | | | bald eagle still flies, and it flies over cleaner rivers. |
| absentmindedly taking from it. | | | | When I hold a leaf in my hand I am completely |
| Have we lost some of the qualities of the top line of | | | | humbled by how life allows the distant connection to |
| life in our hurry and expedience to satisfy our bottom | | | | the sun to create the miracle of photosynthesis which |
| line expectations? Are we experiencing some of the | | | | builds this grand tree. People we too are like leaves on |
| consequences of misplacing some of what truly | | | | the tree of life. Let's refuse to stay in the darkness |
| matters? I can't help but look back forty years to | | | | and insist that our hands will ask for life and not |
| appreciate how my life was more sane, more | | | | unnecessarily take it away. |
| personal, and more valued than it is in my current | | | | The sun that lifted the life from that acorn is the same |
| lifestyle. No we can't live our lives backwards, but by | | | | golden radiance which has built this great tree, and for |
| looking back we may be able to identify what worked | | | | hundreds of years it will build it still. A basic trust in the |
| for us. | | | | creation, along with the faith that there is more, will be |
| As a people we have transitioned away from a time | | | | for us the golden embrace which will continue to allow |
| when our lives seemed more meaningful and | | | | for us a place in life's garden. |
| connected. I mention a few obvious aspects of living | | | | Good luck to all of us, we will soon know how we are |
| which were very important to me but now seem to | | | | doing! |
| be so often overlooked. | | | | |