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Living In/With Mother Earth
by Richmond Mayo-Smith
I have spent my life in education, and the definition of education I like best is: "a search for ideas that will count in your life." Thoughtful observers are noticing a shift in the major understandings that previously governed our lives. This shift broadens the vista within which we view our existence. In moments of reflection we all feel concern for the world that our children will inherit. I find hope in the thought that the underlying cause of our difficulties may be that we are living the wrong story. I use the word "story" as Thomas Berry does in his book The Dream of the Earth.
For peoples generally, their story of the universe and the human role in the universe, is their primary source of intelligibility and value…the deepest crises experienced by any society are those moments of change when the story becomes inadequate for meeting the survival demands of a present situation.
The story prevailing in our lifetime needs transforming, as shown by three major, interrelated beliefs long held by Western culture: that all entities are separate and discrete, that only certain ways of "knowing" are legitimate, and that we can limit what we accept as real. There is a growing realization that these must change, and perception of how they must change.
The story that dominated our culture for most of our lives showed a world organized like a huge machine. The parts were separate, the space between the parts was empty, and man, as an observer, could stand apart and make observations on what was happening. This view persisted even though early in our century scientists were already aware that it was inaccurate. Increasingly, scientists now describe a universe of interconnections and of flows of energy, matter and information. Their world resembles the one mystics have long been describing.
I have two observations concerning this shift. First, it profoundly alters how we view power. If we believe in separateness we must be strong and invulnerable, have power over others and win struggles. When we see our interconnectedness we recognize that ultimately the triumph of the individual is a myth; we cannot prosper in isolation. Remaining open to new learning, communicating, and sharing information and power becomes essential. Second, the ultimate separating act was to split the divine from life on Earth, to locate the divine beyond the Earth. This, tied to our view of power, enabled us to dominate and exploit the Earth as a resource instead of recognizing it as a fundamental part of our own beings.
On the issue of knowing, we have come to recognize that the sources of some of our most significant knowledge come from intuitive experiences. These are well beyond the sources legitimized by our culture, with its emphasis on quantitative measurement, prediction and control. It is a matter of some astonishment to me that I taught science for 15 years without clearly understanding that a crucial part of science - its creative acts - arose from intuitive sources. It was principally the methods of testing these dreams and visions that I was taught and, in turn, taught as science.
Both these forces - recognizing our interconnectedness and validating more ways of knowing - bring a change in our understanding of reality. Instead of seeing ourselves and our minds as purely finite, local phenomena, we can experience ourselves as part of a much greater, harmonious being. This is a story-shattering transformation.
Thomas Berry's writings have shaped my belief concerning what must be done. He warned that if we humans think our task is to figure out what is wrong and impose a solution on nature, we are doomed. Rather, our challenge is to learn how to experience what nature is saying and to work with her as partners. My belief is that shamans will be the heroes and heroines of the future.
My peers have lived through challenging times and now are being asked to stretch in a very fundamental way. But the potential rewards are great. As a friend said recently, "It is much more fun to live by an exciting, large story than by a limited, small one."
Reference
Berry, Thomas (1990) The Dream of the Earth, Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, 1990: 11
Richmond Mayo-Smith served as Chair of the Center for Psychology & Social Change through May 2001. He is a retired educator, and has served on the boards of numerous humanitarian, service, and education organizations. He is a former Head Master of Roxbury Latin School where he served for eight years, after teaching science for fifteen years at Phillips Exeter Academy. Richmond worked in India for three and a half years in community development with the organization World Education Inc., which he continues to be involved with as a board member and former chair. He is also one of the co-founders of Educators for Social Responsibility as a former chair and board member, and serves as an Overseer of the the Marion Foundation.
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