Peace Talk — Winter 2005-06
The Quarterly Newsletter of Peace Action MaineMany people in Maine have great knowledge about sustainability. Many more are eager for discussion, learning and action. I have recently participated in a retreat with renowned eco-philosopher Joanna Macy (http://www.joannamacy.com) who leads workshops all over the world. Her leadership helps people who care about their communities and the Earth to find ways to continue their activism despite frustration and hard times.
It was powerful getting to know some 80 Mainers who are well-informed about the challenges we face, from details on Maine’s declining monarch butterfly population to plans for powering our communities as oil wells run dry. It gave me hope to learn that each of us represented 20 or more others who are committed to keeping our planet healthy for our grandchildren. As the weekend progressed we worked through our despair and began moving ahead in empowerment.
Joanna talks of “The Great Turning” that she sees happening in many parts of the world. In Sri Lanka, the Chernobyl area of the former Soviet Union, Europe, South America and Africa, she meets and works with thousands of people like us so she can reliably report that much good is actually being accomplished. She has hope that humans will turn the situation around in time! It was empowering to hear this and to know that we, ourselves, are taking part in The Great Turning.
During the workshop we held each other as we mourned the victims of natural calamities and of endless wars and violence. We took turns expressing anger at world “leaders” who continue to ignore the plight of ordinary citizens and to plunder our natural resources for personal gain. We confronted our fear of the accelerating destruction of animal and plant species, of increasing natural disasters, of nuclear weapons spreading across the world and threatening our very existence. And, we spoke of our feelings of helplessness in the face of all that. Still, together, we found our way to move forward, to reaffirm our commitment to a safer world, and to maintain hope for the future of the human race.
The program was sponsored by the Maine Earth Institute and Audubon Expeditions Institute and the Tanglewood 4H Center, all located in Waldo County. Most of the attendees were participants and leaders in programs offered by these organizations. I would like to see more groups come together to study these issues and begin to make changes in our lives. I hope readers will visit the Maine Earth Institute website at http://www.maineearth.org and make plans to sponsor a discussion course on topics such as Voluntary Simplicity and Choices for Sustainable Living
Lu Bauer, CPA, is a Money Counselor and Financial Advisor, living in Standish, Maine. Lu was the Campaign Co-ordinator of the Kucinich for President Campaign in Maine.