It has been an interesting week. I am feeling that energy is beginning to flow from individual actions to the need to create community based collective actions. Many of us need to move from feeling alone to a feeling that we are part of a community that is willing to love for what it believes. I have often reflected on what the civil rights marchers did to find the courage that they demonstrated during the violent civil rights marches of the 1950's and 1960's. The closest I can come to it is that they were in a community together that shared stories, joy, prayers and songs. It was just natural to try and protect and nurture that community.
New Name Emerging---- For The Grandchildren of the Earth. What do you think? Let us know? We have to change it for legal reasons.
UPCOMING EVENT -Wednesday November 14 at 7pm - Mid-East Peace Discussion with Eliyahu Mclean and Ghassan Manasra at Temple Beth Am. See the Events Page of our website at http://www.forthegrandchildren.org. These are courageous teachers who live what they teach.
What About Terror and Hope? Last week we wrote about terror and hope. Here are some responses we got from you. First a Correction regarding David Suzuki post from last week -It was pointed out to me that David said " sometimes we cry at night"--- in his speech as opposed to our wording.
Cheryl S. wrote---Well,.....in Don't think of an Elephant we are told that the Right Wing ThinkTanks are far and away above what the Progressives have in place. And that through framing and whatever other methods, they use the "father" frame to frighten the masses into feeling that the Father figure will save them....be afraid, be very afraid and daddy will save you. In today's emails I got your feeling that until the terror of the situation of the future "sinks in", that people won't GET IT....not until they're afraid enough. So.....how do you make them see the fear...? How does the Right Wing do it? They are successful at it.
Milt M. wrote I think perhaps the bigger problem is that we're divorced from the Earth and the Universe. Our most prevalent Western ethic is the 10 Commandments that say nothing about the Earth. We are moving from a belief in 'dominion' to one of 'stewardship' and think we've 'got it'. What we need to do is move another step to recognize that the Earth is our steward, and being in harmony with deep appreciation, awe and respect is the source of happiness and the will to address the problems we create. I think people recognize at one level or another that a quantum shift is necessary, and not having leadership that provides the path to take, leaves people feeling hopeless.
Cynthia A. wrote--- I believe that there is a place beyond the alternating terror and hope that David Suzuki refers to. I believe that when we INTEGRATE both terror and hope within ourselves, within our bodies, a transformative change begins. Some Buddhists suggest that a kind of ferocity emerges. Other people suggest that a sense of surrender and submission to the process of climate change will emerge, a surrender that enables us to move towards and through all the necessary changes, a surrender enabling us to accept the fact that many, many will die as we gradually make the changes. We need to accept that we may die in the process. And yet the trust that these hard times will elicit in us the necessary changes in human character, necessary for us to accomplish what must be done. I don't mean to gloss over the suffering, but I do want to suggest that terror and hope, as polarities, may keep us more paralyzed than need be. Our animal natures, perhaps, guided by our spirit-selves, can take us beyond that polarity into the necessary actions.
>Andrea F. wrote-- I totally agree with Larry Hobbs about sitting with the terror. Mostly, however, I cannot imagine the terror so much as the slow disintegration into private, warring camps. My concern is how do we build neighborhoods that truly love each other, down to the sharing of resources, curb strips for growing food, and exchange of services so that we can survive. I don't see the techno-fixes in place fast enough to override the continuing desires of some to eat imported food, or travel for vacations by plane...
Please go to our website and respond to our blogs when we write them. It takes a minute to register. This week is not a blog. We want all the responses to be heard. Thanks.