THE INTERCONNECTED WEB OF LIFE

WE LIVE IN THIS AMAZING INTERCONNECTED, INTERDEPENDENT WEB OF LIFE….

share …. and share this planet with millions of other species and ecosystems.

WE NEED TO FIND OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE AMAZING WEB OF LIFE We did not weave the web of life – we are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. Chief Seattle, 1854 (adapted) WE NEED TO FIND OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE AMAZING WEB OF LIFE

THE JEWELLED NET OF INDRA The Hindu god, Indra, cast his net of life out through the vast blackness of the Universe. Astonishingly, at the junction of every pair of threads in his net there is a jeweled-bead and each jewel is a living thing - a perfect living entity suspended by its threads in space.

Each many-faceted jewel continuously reflects the inner glow and radiance of every other jewel in the net of the Universe. A Hindu parable

…we are one strand in the sacred web of life

Interconnectedness brings with it a new understanding of nature, a new understanding of ourselves and our role in the web of life.

We are not ourselves only… We are all that we see; all that flows to us from a thousand sources… We are the land, the life of its mountain lines The reach of its valleys Mary Austin

Interconnectedness shows us how we are totally dependent upon the health of the wider community of life for our own health. Our wellbeing and health are inextricably linked to our planet’s ecological health. You cannot have healthy people on a sick planet Thomas Berry

Our own destiny as individuals or as a human species and the destiny of the Earth are identical. What we do to the Earth, we do to ourselves.

Living in an interconnected web of life all our actions have consequences

As a result of climate change all the great ecosystems of our planet are under serious pressure.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS CAUSING MASS EXTINCTION

The magnificent complexity of our evolving planet over billions of years is being rapidly destroyed and we are seriously implicated in this process.

We have disconnected from the Earth……

….. from the very life systems of the Earth which nurture us: the sun, the soil, water, air and all beings. Our disconnection is having serious consequences for our planet.

Climate change is the single biggest environmental and humanitarian crisis of our time. 

THE DENIAL OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE GREAT DISCONNECT

A POEM by Drew Dillinger It’s 3.23 in the morning and I’m awake because my great, great, grandchildren won’t let me sleep. My great, great, grandchildren ask me in dreams what did you do while the planet was plundered? What did you do when the earth was unravelling? Surely you did something when the seasons started failing as the mammals, reptiles and birds were all dying? Did you fill the streets with protest when democracy was stolen? What did you do once you knew?

We as a human species need a monumental shift in consciousness and a New Story. …the shift is a movement away from a story of an inert planet made of stuff which exists for our use and benefit… ….to the story of a new relationship with a living dynamic, nurturing planet and Universe.

The challenge for us is remembering that we live on a privileged planet… EARTH RISE! ….recovering our capacity for wonder and awe.

REMEMBERING EVERYTHING IS SACRED IN THE AMAZING WEB OF LIFE WE ARE ONE SPECIES AMONG MANY

The invitation is to listen to the wisdom of the Natural World and allow Earth to be our teacher.

Reconnecting with the whole community of life of the natural world will mutually enhance the quality of our lives and all life on the planet.

planet

We are capable of living as the honeybees do, harmoniously and productively. We are all needed in this Great Work of our time. Thomas Berry

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE INTERCONNECTED WEB OF LIFE