A SERMON TO MARK AUSTRALIA DAY 2008.
FOR SUE.
Wollumbin DreamingYou say I traveled far to find the Truth, and I did, but it was not until I found my home here on the mountain that the Truth was finally revealed.
That was because I studied Biosphere Function, Evolution, Prehistory, Astronomy Physics & etc.
Letting go all notions of God & replacing mythology with scientific facts.
I felt at the time, and still do, that if we were to right the wrongs and establish a sustainable life supporting management plan for The Way Forward we had to understand the fundamental Truth about It All.
By which I mean the way the universe works to produce life on planets and what the mechanisms are that turn stardust into living consciousness in our perceiving minds.
Objectively and subjectively.
The organism in the midst of the conditions must understand what those conditions are that support its existence and functioning body and mind.
This was obviously a Huge Call for Little Me!
But the truth I have finally nutted out has finally revealed itself, sometimes steps of it in Eureka moments, sometimes in slow iceberg slides of consciousness awakenings & realizations over days & weeks that eventually showed me a new viewpoint when the iceberg righted itself & started floating.
I had to figure out time, motion, chemistry, planetary formation, evolution, anthropology, the anthropic principle, the anthropocentric viewpoint, socio political evolution thru his and her stories, the way human systems work, human migration patterns, rise & fall of civilizations,biosphere evolution itself.
The wholistic view of It All.
When a planet is Just Right For Life, it is called a Goldilocks planet. When we search the universe for planets, we seek those Goldilocks planets. But whether we will survive to ever explore another life supporting planet is now in serious doubt.
Consider This question:
How does biosphere evolution work?
How did that lumpy chunky fireball floating around the sun
turn stardust into a living watery biosphere envelope
populated by an integrated ecology of plants & animals
that support another (super?) species
that relies on all the rest for its existence
and has the ability to see itself in context
and the technology to maybe even translocate some core DNA to another Goldilocks planet
when the biosphere it has plundered collapses
under its uncontrolled population pressures and resource mismanagement?
And another question: What is that Sun?
Well, that was what I needed to know.
That was the truth I sought, beyond all the socio/political/religious human mythologies,beyond all this stuff about Chosen Ones,The Coming Messiah,The Son of God, The Pantheon of Gods, God the Supreme One, Buddha. & etc.
I had a discussion recently on the subject of Holy. I find such a concept rather precious. However I concede it has a place if it is translated into actions of respect and nurture.
In my Truth all concepts of Holy in terms of anthropocentric mythical beings have been replaced by the concept of the Holy Earth and the living biosphere that exists as it interacts with the Sun, the moon and space. Holy, to me, are the ecosystems such as the rainforests, riparian zones, wetlands, rivers, oceans, reefs, deserts, etc. and all those places where things exist that support and drive our precious life support system, the Biosphere.
I also regard all lifeforms, including human beings, and especially our children, as Holy. They are all Holy. To be respected, defended and supported in the best way we can. In the case of our human population, education as to the precious nature of life and existence is paramount.
Putting offerings on these holy altars by investing our energies in their sustainable future should be our species credo.
Now, slowly, some things are changing for the better, despite a lot of negative behaviors like war & crime,as the knowledge of this Truth which I find I now share with many, is getting to those who control the Power & the Energy systems and, most of all,the purse strings to get the action happening for a Sustainable Future.
But, alas, unfortunately, we are too late. Climate change is now upon us.
You wonder how much is passing cyclic change and how much is deep modification ?
It is both, but the deeper changes are now influencing the seasonal & cyclic events. We have been told to expect greater intensity and frequency of events. That has been evident as one hottest year on record builds on the last and the melting icecaps influence the global conveyor belt ocean currents, unleashing many complex reactions.
The biosphere systems are moving into new balances, skewing our life supports.
Here in Oz I have just experienced a small dose of what many others have experienced in varying forms of magnitude in recent weeks as floods drove people from their homes, killed livestock, destroyed crops and property over an area larger than GB.
My isolation of last weeks is now over, as a vital bridge was built today and at last I can access the wider world. I survived. As have many flood affected people. But at a cost.
As these incremental costs mount across the planet, pressures will build. How we handle what is to come is the big worry.
The Mad Max scenario of fuel wars and outlaws controlling through looting, fear and violence, could be one unthinkable stage of what is to come.
Human nature has cooperation inbuilt. Compassion, sacrifice for the greater good and all such laudable virtues are a recognizable part of being human.
However we all have the knowledge that when push comes to shove the less pleasant aspects of our nature start manifesting.
Avarice & greed overcome caring & sharing. Bullying and threats turn to violence and murder. Tribal feuds turn into genocide.
Climate change may wreak havoc, but will our survival depend on defeating our greatest enemy, ourselves?
This is the Truth I have found. It ends with a further question.
Change is the constant and we must adjust to the ever changing nature of existence.
