SPIRIT IN MATTERS: Taking a Higher
View of Life on Earth
By Dianne Eppler Adams
Vol. 3, No. 1 – February 21, 2005
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Dear Reader
You may have wondered if I stopped writing this newsletter, since the last issue
was two months ago! Actually a month ago I prepared the article that follows,
just as my ISP went down. After three weeks of being only partly functional and
a week getaway to a warm sunny place (Belize was great!), I am now getting
around to sending it to you. Even though it was written a month ago, it still
speaks to me. I hope it speaks to you.
All the best, Dianne
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FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT...
No One to Blame
As 2005 has kicked off, I would dare say the whole planet is still reeling from
the awareness of the awful death and destruction caused by the earthquake off
the coast of Indonesia and the resulting tsunami that swept across the Indian
Ocean devastating areas of 11 countries and affecting many more.
When something of this magnitude happens we are challenged to make sense of it
all. Unlike the events of 9/11/01, there is no one we can point to as the
perpetrator, no ideology that is out to get us, simply no one to blame.
What then happens in our mind? How do we make sense of it? What are the leaps
that we make, logical or not, to reconcile the horror?
Some are saying it’s ecological, that Mother Earth has had enough of mankind’s
abuse and is now talking back. Others, without a human as cause, are certain it
is the beginning of “the end times” that have been prophesied. In fact, since
much of the region affected is Muslim, some righteous Christians have even gone
so far as to say God is declaring what side he is on.
Oh, my, how we need to explain and blame when “bad” things happen. And since
humanity constantly seems to focus on “good” and “bad, “right” and “wrong,”
“friend” and “enemy” – assigning blame helps us to separate the “good” and the
“bad.”
Now I don’t mean to infer that the quake and tsunami didn’t bring great
suffering, but the event brought more than that.
After the initial shock, we heard numerous stories of rescue and open-hearted
kindness. The relief response has been unprecedented as almost every nation has
come forth with material and financial support – from governments but in almost
equal measure from private citizens.
The 20-year civil war in Sri Lanka, at least for a couple weeks, was set aside
as people were being rescued and treated without regard to religious or
political persuasion. The tsunami did not pick on any particular religion,
culture or political view. This was an “equal opportunity” crisis.
As I consider what happened, I know I can make up a meaning for the cause of the
tsunami. For example, just as the turtle outgrows his shell or a youngster’s
pants no longer fit, the quake and tsunami are part of the natural process of
growth on planet Earth? Looking holistically, the death and material destruction
are a natural part of humanity’s growth process.
Consider the significance of this fact: Although quakes and tsunamis are not new
and have been creating devastation for eons, this was the first time the whole
world knew about it, saw it on TV, and was able to respond with help. What could
this mean for increasing human awareness that we are all one, that we are all in
this together and that as we respond to help others we are reinforcing that
truth?
How have you made sense of this event? Who or what do you blame? Or is it
possible that one of the messages is that it’s time to stop blaming and act as
if we are all in this together? Because we are.
(Your comments are always encouraged and welcome at
SpiritInMatters@aol.com.)
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WE ARE WATER
By Jeanne Treadway, Planetwaves
http://www.planetwaves.net/aquasphere/norlnpgg/open/we_are_water.html
Sitting on a hill, in the dark, as far away from city lights as possible, you
can look into the night sky and see endlessly. No matter how far you look,
though, you cannot see another water planet. No computerized sky probe, with the
finest lenses and cameras, has seen one, either. Our imaginations and spiritual
quests insist that other realms exist and it does seem improbable that our blue
Earth is indeed the only water world in creation. Yet, right now, today, Earth
is the only known location of water.
Hydration is vital to all living things. Humans are able to survive weeks
without food but (usually) only about three or four days without water. Minor
dehydration can account for myriad illnesses, including fatigue, dizziness,
headaches, and constipation. Although recent news reports state that any liquid
will keep you adequately hydrated, most evidence still indicates that water is
the key fluid for health. Synovial fluid, the lubricant for joints, is primarily
water, as is your brain and your blood. Cells require water for metabolic
reactions which keep you alive. Humans lose between four to five pints of water
a day through basic bodily functions such as breathing and urination. Working
outside on a hot day, you can lose as much as two pints of water an hour. As
little as two percent loss of water can result in a decrease in alertness and
short-term memory; it can also bring on a drop in blood pressure, fatigue and
depression.
Earth and human beings reflect each other; both comprise about 70% water.
Without water, nothing on this planet works. In simple terms, no joints can
bend, no hearts pump, no plants grow, no thoughts can be generated. There is
increasing evidence that man's upright posture, lack of fur, layer of body fat,
and liquid brain developed at the shore instead of on the savannah. Besides
aligning us more closely with dolphins and whales than previously thought, this
early ocean home may also account for the emotional ties humans have with the
sea. [Follow link to rest of article.]
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM NATIVE AMERICA ABOUT WAR AND PEACE?
The Progressive Pragmatism of the Iroquois Confederacy
By John Mohawk
http://www.lapismagazine.org/mohawkprint.html
The Iroquois Confederacy long ago devised the rules of peacemaking and
negotiation after centuries of war and vengeance. What crucial lessons can we
learn from them as we face a world torn apart by hatreds?
I'd like to begin by saying that if we were to put into English the
philosophical tradition of the native peoples, especially the native people of
the Northeast woodlands, we would probably have to call it a form of progressive
pragmatism. The whole tradition of pragmatism actually found its roots in Native
America, and the way it is practiced in contemporary America has lost its way
from where it came from. But without going too much into how it lost its way,
let me go back to where it came from. Why is it relevant today?
We don't know exactly where it came from; it goes beyond history, way beyond,
actually. In the beginning of the story of the formation of the Iroquois
Confederacy, there was discussion about a time prior to the existence of states.
Before there were states, there was war. In a way, we would probably describe it
as blood feuding. What was peculiar about it was that people had the capacity to
make war but did not have the capacity to make peace.
This is the case of warlords. A warlord can essentially initiate violence, but
he can't guarantee the cessation of violence for the most part. He certainly
can't guarantee it on the part of a nation. Before you could have peace, you had
to have the formation of something larger than the unit capable of striking; you
had to have some cohesion.
I was very struck with that because I think what happened in the prehistoric
past of the northeast woodlands was that at one point there was internecine
warfare going on everywhere. It was led by what we would call today warlords,
although they were actually warrior chieftains. At some point people began
discussions about how do you stop it once it gets started. I imagine that those
conversations took quite a bit of time. In any case, they began developing a way
of thinking about war and peace, which actually turns out to be quite relevant
to our time. [Follow link to rest of article.]
BOGOTA: ACADEMIC TURNS CITY INTO A
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
Mayor Mockus and his spectacularly applied theory
By Maria Cristina Caballero, Special to Harvard Gazette News
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/03.11/01-mockus.html
Antanas Mockus had just resigned from the top job of Colombian National
University. A mathematician and philosopher, Mockus looked around for another
big challenge and found it: to be in charge of, as he describes it, “a 6.5
million person classroom.”
Mockus, who had no political experience, ran for mayor of Bogotá; he was
successful mainly because people in Colombia's capital city saw him as an honest
guy. With an educator's inventiveness, Mockus turned Bogotá into a social
experiment just as the city was choked with violence, lawless traffic,
corruption, and gangs of street children who mugged and stole. It was a city
perceived by some to be on the verge of chaos.
People were desperate for a change, for a moral leader of some sort. The
eccentric Mockus, who communicates through symbols, humor, and metaphors, filled
the role. [Follow link to rest of article.]
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©2005 Spirit in Matters: Taking a Higher View of Life on Earth
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