(NASA Image of Earth)
On November 6, Rev. Russ Savage of the Unitarian Universalists of the Blue Ridge spoke to the congregation on “The Structure of Forgiveness.” He described the human need to forgive and be forgiven as a complex psychological and spiritual process that may be healing to both parties. The topic sparked the following comments from Vernon Gras, a founding member of the Environment and Social Justice Committee.
Our Relationship with the World
Last Sunday, our minister made a good case for adjusting and smoothing out differences between people. Here are some thoughts on our relationship with our earthly home.
An acceptable common “Truth” is no longer possible. There are no absolutes even in science anymore. But there are better and worse choices, and one should try to make the case for the better. That is not happening because economics controls how our world is presented, believed, and controlled. Capitalism could work if governed by the values in our U.S. Constitution, but most corporations believe that they should run the government because profit is and should be the ultimate goal.
But the Earth is telling us that her needs run the show, not profit. If we don’t listen or believe in how Earth brought “life” with its ongoing evolution into being, we won’t survive. Earth is our mother and especially, for Christians, could take over the role of “Mary, the mother of God,” and even receive those daily prayers.
We need to belong to something more than just ourselves. Our “self/world” relationship needs such a connection. Earth with its evolution had been doing a great job. Let’s go back to her. Her values (life) are better than those of Wall Street and also better than just staying focused on “human” individual and social values. That connection to the Earth would also free us from the many “horrors” committed by various religions in the name of “God’s Truth—which must be obeyed.”
United Nations Climate Change Logo
Responsibilities for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
One result of the United Nation’s two-week-long climate summit, known as COP 27, is an agreement to create a loss-and-damage fund to assist less-developed countries in adapting to and mitigating climate impacts caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Those countries have created far less of those emissions and have far less impact on the climate than do developed countries. They also have far fewer resources to respond to the consequences of our warming planet, which include severe flooding and other weather-related events, impacts to food production, and the spread of infectious diseases.
While the agreement creates a foundation for providing financial resources and technology from countries most responsible for the climate crisis to the countries most impacted by it, much work remains to iron out the details, including funding and distribution mechanisms, and determining contributors and beneficiaries. A proposed plan will be presented next year at COP 28.