It would mark the beginning of wisdom to pay attention to ecosystems delineated by nature-mountain ranges, watersheds, valley bottoms, river and lake systems, wetlands-rather than regions determined by politics or economics. What a sign of maturity it would be for our species to acknowledge the profound limitations inherent in human knowledge and the destructive consequences of our crude but powerful technologies.
Above all we need to reclaim our faith in ourselves as creatures of the Earth, living in harmony with all other forms of life. If we are to balance and direct our remarkable technological muscle power, we need to regain some ancient virtues: the humility to acknowledge how much we have yet to learn, the respect that will allow us to protect and restore nature, and the love that can lift our eyes to distant horizons, far beyond the next election, paycheque or stock dividend. In the beauty, mystery and wonder that our brain perceives and expresses, we add a special gift to the planet.īut our brash exuberance over our incredible inventiveness and productivity in this century has made us forget where we belong. And what a magnificent species we are we can look out and feel spiritually uplifted by the beauty of a forested valley or an ice-coated Arctic mountain, we are overwhelmed with awe at the sight of the star-filled heavens, and we are filled with reverence when we enter a sacred place.
Humanity is an infant species, newly evolved from life’s web. We’ve come through the first decade of the 21st century, and it seemed appropriate to revisit a chapter marking the new millennium in my book, The Sacred Balance (Greystone Books/DSF, 1997).
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