I
am not happy that the Puritans who celebrated the first Thanksgiving
thought of themselves as superior to the Indigenous peoples whose land
they invaded. However, I am thankful that Euro-Americans are now
realizing that these peoples - when they are able to live in their
traditional manner - are usually far ahead of the rest of us in their
capacity to commune with the land and to understand themselves
as an integral part of a living, breathing Mother Earth. Indeed,
without their profound wisdom, none of us will be able to survive.
I am disturbed that many of our European ancestors devastated large portions of the Native populations through massacre, disease and attempted assimilation. However, I am thankful that Native Americans and First Nations peoples can teach us - through ceremonies such as the sundance, sweat lodge and vision quest - that we all must SACRIFICE something of ourselves if we are ever to enable the Creator's power to act through us to bring healing to the world.
I feel devastated by the knowledge that many of our modern-day Native peoples are struggling with the rape of their culture, and with the perils of trying to live in two worlds at the same time. However, I am thankful for the opportunity to help support Indigenous causes and projects such as this: http://
I am upset that our Western corporate industrial complex - recently adopted by Eastern nations as well - has damaged our air, water, forests, and the health of all creatures, and has seriously altered our climate, even though our species is supposedly one that is known for being WISE - "Homo sapiens." However, I am thankful that this very destruction has caused us to stop taking for granted the preciousness of our Earth, and of our remaining National Parks, Wilderness areas, state parks, and open spaces. In fact, since that very industrial system has produced spacecraft that are able to bring us images - from the vantage-point of space - of our beautiful "Blue Planet," we are now more aware than ever of the amazing gift of life on Earth.
I am sad when historic natural disasters - like earthquakes and volcanoes - have killed multitudes of people, devastated entire towns, and made the surrounding landscapes barren for many decades. However, I am incredibly thankful that fault lines have created mountains, and that the resulting volcanic soil has produced lush forests and prolific wildflower gardens. Such is the case especially here, at Mount Rainier, often called "the most dangerous mountain in America" because of the many cities that lie in the path of its eventual eruption. Because the perilous beauty of Rainier is so intense, I find myself drawn to make a pilgrimage to the mountain each summer.
In all of these cases, we as human beings fulfill our sacred calling best when we work to become agents of love and beauty appearing in the midst of death and destruction. Through a thankful attitude that seeks tenaciously to uncover the divine presence hidden within all things - including especially tragedy - we give birth to a beauty that rises - improbably, almost - from the ashes of ignorance, cultural ego-inflation and outright evil.
Photo: Magenta Paintbrush and a foggy Mount Rainier; Spray Park, Mount Rainier National Park, WA; July 28, 2013
I am disturbed that many of our European ancestors devastated large portions of the Native populations through massacre, disease and attempted assimilation. However, I am thankful that Native Americans and First Nations peoples can teach us - through ceremonies such as the sundance, sweat lodge and vision quest - that we all must SACRIFICE something of ourselves if we are ever to enable the Creator's power to act through us to bring healing to the world.
I feel devastated by the knowledge that many of our modern-day Native peoples are struggling with the rape of their culture, and with the perils of trying to live in two worlds at the same time. However, I am thankful for the opportunity to help support Indigenous causes and projects such as this: http://
I am upset that our Western corporate industrial complex - recently adopted by Eastern nations as well - has damaged our air, water, forests, and the health of all creatures, and has seriously altered our climate, even though our species is supposedly one that is known for being WISE - "Homo sapiens." However, I am thankful that this very destruction has caused us to stop taking for granted the preciousness of our Earth, and of our remaining National Parks, Wilderness areas, state parks, and open spaces. In fact, since that very industrial system has produced spacecraft that are able to bring us images - from the vantage-point of space - of our beautiful "Blue Planet," we are now more aware than ever of the amazing gift of life on Earth.
I am sad when historic natural disasters - like earthquakes and volcanoes - have killed multitudes of people, devastated entire towns, and made the surrounding landscapes barren for many decades. However, I am incredibly thankful that fault lines have created mountains, and that the resulting volcanic soil has produced lush forests and prolific wildflower gardens. Such is the case especially here, at Mount Rainier, often called "the most dangerous mountain in America" because of the many cities that lie in the path of its eventual eruption. Because the perilous beauty of Rainier is so intense, I find myself drawn to make a pilgrimage to the mountain each summer.
In all of these cases, we as human beings fulfill our sacred calling best when we work to become agents of love and beauty appearing in the midst of death and destruction. Through a thankful attitude that seeks tenaciously to uncover the divine presence hidden within all things - including especially tragedy - we give birth to a beauty that rises - improbably, almost - from the ashes of ignorance, cultural ego-inflation and outright evil.
Photo: Magenta Paintbrush and a foggy Mount Rainier; Spray Park, Mount Rainier National Park, WA; July 28, 2013
If you'd like to make a donation to help fund Nature Photo-Quotes, please go here. Thanks!
No comments:
Post a Comment