It was twenty-five years ago that Thomas Berry, in his seminal book, titled, The Great Work, wrote, ”The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner.”
And now, twenty-five years later, well into the new millennium, many of us are on this path. But huge obstacles still remain. It seems our current western, egocentric culture has promoted the idea that we are all free as individuals to make decisions that benefit ourselves. That is how we find ourselves feeling powerless when collective action is needed. Having the agency to be in charge of our own lives, make our own decisions and rise or fall by our own actions is very seductive. There is much talk, for example, that the government needs to manage its finances the way a family does – some politicians call it ‘common sense’ – that is, to live within our means, pay our bills, and be responsible.
The missing piece of this so-called common sense is how our individual actions affect the Earth and all life around us – humans and creatures alike. The Haudenosaunee people felt they had a duty to consider and take into account their actions and impacts upon the next seven generations, with each successive generation having that responsibility in perpetuity. The important aspect of this philosophy is that it is to be the work of all people – no one is exempt and no free pass for some of us who may be better off.
We Canadians have generally said that we support actions to address the climate crisis but it seems we don’t want our lifestyle to be affected. Perhaps this is why there is so much resistance to government actions like the climate levy and other legislation to curb pollution, even though these are small steps in changing our behavior to reduce our fossil fuel consumption and prevent future catastrophy. These are actions that are in the collective interest but many of us don’t want to change, and worse, use it unscrupulously as a political wedge issue.
The way out of our climate crisis calls for a transition away from this individualistic way of thinking. We need to let go of the ‘I can do what I want’ philosophy and, as Berry says – be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner. Let’s all make a commitment to preserve our beautiful planet Earth for the present and for the seven generations!
For more information: www.transitioncornwall.com
