"Welcome to Brothers and Sisters, the weekly meetup for prayer* and community at Daily Kos. We put an asterisk on pray* to acknowledge that not everyone uses conventional religious language, but may want to share joys and concerns, or simply take solace in a meditative atmosphere. Anyone who comes in the spirit of mutual respect, warmth and healing is welcome."
What we have forgotten --
The human race has become detached - unhinged and undone - from the natural world on which we depend. As great, or greater, than the gulf between the "haves" and the "have-nots" is the overarching lack of connection between our collective consciousness and our planetary consciousness.
I guess you could say I am an eclectic when it comes to spirituality. My path is long and convoluted. I was raised in a strict fundamentalist home in rural Mississippi, continually subjected to the religious whims of my father and whatever new preacher took over our small, rather primitive Baptist church.
One bright spot was the tiny library in the nearest town. When I was about twelve, I discovered Huston Smith's "The World's Religions". It was an epiphany. I now saw new and different ways of being connected with the Ultimate that I could never have imagined within the restrictions that I had previously known, filtered through interpretations of Biblical edicts from mostly uneducated small-town preachers.
I dove wholeheartedly (but quietly, out of necessity) into Buddhism, the Tao, Native American creation stories, and nature religions. My autodidact path led eventually to a philosophy and religion minor in college, and further self-study.
I am painfully aware that "cafeteria spirituality" with all its New Age connotations is disdained by many, but it has worked for me. The Eightfold Way of Buddhist thought, verses from the Tao te Ching, the Dine' (Navajo) concept of hoz'ho' (balance/beauty), living with the seasons and the turning of the Wheel of the Year, and Matthew 25 - the essence, in my opinion, of Jesus' teaching. Through all of these ways there is a connection -- that connection to our fellow man, to all creatures, and to the Earth.
Which brings me to what we have forgotten -- the disconnect. Forgotten is the connection to Gaia. We have forgotten that the metals for our cellphones and computers cause pain and death in Africa. The bottles from the water we consume covers many square miles of ocean in garbage. Coal to power our homes destroys mountains and families in the Appalachians. Our demand for inexpensive meat results in factory farms and feedlots that subject animals to unspeakable horrors. These factory farms, coupled with our lust for cheap fuel for our vehicles have decimated the Gulf of Mexico's formerly rich ecosystems, which will take decades to repair, if indeed they can be repaired. Children - and not just in the cities - grow up with little knowledge of what it takes to merely get food on the table.
Forgotten...all forgotten.
I have no answers on how to change this situation. I know I preach to the choir about conservation and living more lightly on the Earth. I have become increasingly pessimistic that we humans will long survive, and we will take many species with us before and when we go.
That being said, I do have hope. Having no answers does not stop me. I still carry on, although I fail often and miserably. I use my cloth grocery bags. Not many use them where I live, but I try to be an example. I eat locally when I can, and grow a bit of my own food. I limit my driving, turn up the thermostat, turn off lights, and use efficient bulbs.
I try to walk in balance and remember the connection. I live close to the Gulf, and maybe - just maybe - with what has happened there the time is right for remembering our connection with our Mother. We all must continue to be an example. We must, as Paul stated, show our faith by our works.
I try to remember the connection. Maybe it is not too late.
Peace to you all, and may you walk in beauty.