I heard part of this interview with a person teaching youth who live in disadvantaged areas in Baltimore to express themselves through writing, as well as to learn to develop the capacity to see things from others' points of view. The teacher talked about how he himself had been exposed to other places in the world as he became older, whereas earlier in his life there had been no exposure to other parts of the world (and experiences) that would have broadened his perspective. And he spoke about others in the communities in which he grew up who never had those kinds of opportunities, and whose lives suffered as a result.
If we are to change this country, we need to look at how we fund the educational system so that all children and youth can have opportunities for enrichment and growth, and can feel the value of education, and the opportunities to experience the wonder and growth in learning, in exploring the world. At present, school systems are funded based on the resources and tax bases of the local communities - so that better-off communities provide far better opportunities for education and experience than poorer communities. A nationwide means is needed to ensure that all children and youth receive quality educational and community experiences to expand their understanding, growth, and learning, and awareness of the larger world, so they can building lives based in hope and opportunity for themselves, and contributing their unique talents and capacities to their communities and for the country.
Quality education for all can be pursued on for either or both of the following two reasons:
1. Grace: That is the ethical and moral and right thing to do, to care for one another, and to provide opportunities that all can have;
and/or:
2. Karma: that the failure to provide quality education causes harm and leads to anger and frustration, because of the neglect for the hope and dreams of some, leading to societal strife, the acting out of anger or despair, and the fueling of the flames of emnity.
We can choose either to act by our care and generosity - or out of recognition that the consequences of failing to do so lead into a downward spiral as a nation.
It is incumbent upon us to change how we distribute the “good” that is generated through the work we do and the investments we make - to champion the needs of all, not just of some. We must seek to create the opportunities that all people, the kinds we would would want our own children to have; we must come to know that all the children of this country - are our children - and none can be left out.
By extension, we also must approach the world as a whole in this way, and the people in other countries of the world. And while we can recognize that, to varying degrees, it is the responsibility of each country to respond to the needs of the people of that country..... it is also essential for nations that have more of the blessings of economic resources help those countries and peoples who have less, especially those where basic essential needs are unmet.
It is through greater equity of opportunity in the world, and hope that is provided for all, that all of us can find a way towards more peace in the world.
Right alongside this must be the recognition of the limitations of the Earth; for in the care for the earth, or to the extent that we fail to care for the the earth, we fail ourselves. As we are coming to realize, we are part of the Earth, and we depend upon her intricately for our wellbeing. As she thrives, so we thrive; as she suffers, so we suffer.
Therefore we must work within the limits of what nature can provide, and respect and not violate the bounty of life - to not take more than what is in balance with nature, and to not act in opposition to the beauty of the life of the Earth upon whom we depend. We have to recognize where our consumption that far exceeds what the earth can support, and realign our patterns of consumption so that they are within those limits. We must change our habits of pollution - of the waters and the air and land - and change the practices of extraction and combustion that have now caused the Earth and her creatures suffer and cry out. We must change how we live – and learn to safeguard and protect the earth, and not plunder the life on Earth upon whose living body we all depend, and future generations will depend.
We need to live in balance, and harmony, with each other, and with the Earth. We need to live as a good steward of the land would, in the way a wise farmer cares for the land he cultivates: feeds it and nourishes it and protects it, and does not foul it, so that it can provide and sustain its fruitfulness and harvest, not only for this generation, but for generations and generations to come.
We need to live in a new kind of harmony with the land, such as has been now recognized for the first time in legal history of the world, in New Zealand, based on the worldview of the Maori people.
May we awaken to the calling of our times. May we know that what we do matters, and may we learn to act in ways that only bring life to life, and to do no harm.
~ with Prayers and Blessings for the Earth and all People ~
No comments:
Post a Comment