|
Written by Tara
|
|
Finally...
I cried when I saw Barack Hussein Obama take the stage in Chicago tonight, come to thank the people for electing him President. I cried with joy, with relief and with hope. I felt my spirit join with those in the crowd. I felt the crowd melt—young and old, black and white, and everything in between—with a collective sense of release. Like the lost moments of the past were caught up in the present moment and turned into a possible future…
We’re not just talking about possibility here. We’re talking about reality. Our reality.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Tara
|
|
So what are you doing for Earth Day?
Every year, ever since it started, I always have the best intentions for April 22. Some years I’m more successful at attending rallies and organizing actions. Other years I’m less successful, even to the point of losing hope or questioning my relevance in the movement to save the world
But then I realize that it’s not just about one day or one set of actions, but a larger matrix of our relationship with the Earth on a daily basis. Am I living in balance, offsetting my footstep on this fair planet by promoting green, or am I just another hypocritical parasite? When was the last time I examined what kind of impact I am having, the gas I burn and the plastic I use, and paused to consider maybe changing my life a little bit.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Tara
|
|
I am so frustrated with the forces in this world that are invested in death and fighting against the future. I am talking about the United States government as it blocks change at the UN Global Climate Conference in Bali. I am talking about the vested interests in oil and logging and chemical agriculture that are killing the planet, causing species to go extinct, and poisoning our future. We are perverted stewards in a cycle of ecological usury, unable to look ourselves squarely in the mirror and admit what we are doing.
I wonder how much of this has to do with emotion, or the lack of it, in the world we live in. We are so trained to suppress our feelings, we are dried up inside. We have become so used to ridiculing those who stand up in front of the camera and cry—even when it might be about their son dying in an unnecessary war—we forget what it might feel like if the camera were on us. We don’t want to think that we are responsible. We are the Twelve, after all. We have it figured out. We can give answers to the world. |
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Tara
|
I was born in a wealthy family. It was not always easy growing up, being the daughter of an aristocrat. Silver spoons don't always taste good. But overall, I definitely consider myself fortunate.
Stewardship is an extremely important responsibility that humans need to realize. We were given dominion over the earth to protect it, not to destroy it. Many older cultures understood this and lived in balance with their environment. But what does stewardship mean for us today?
In a vestry meeting once, I heard a single line that summed it up perfectly: "Stewardship is what we do with what we have." Think about that for a moment.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Tara
|
|
We don't need prophecies to know that the end of the world is coming.Or, to be more precise, the end of the world as we know it. In the planet’s four billion year history of life, there have been five mass extinctions. Humans are working hard to hasten the sixth.This planet is experiencing a biodiversity crisis of epic proportions. The climate is changing and sea levels are on the rise. As many as 150 species go extinct every day. At this rate, more than 50% of all species will be gone within the next hundred years. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
|
