Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
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146 S connections<br />
evolution, <strong>the</strong> “universe s<strong>to</strong>ry” diminishes our pretense <strong>of</strong> mastery<br />
while raising <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> humankind as <strong>the</strong> s<strong>to</strong>ryteller in an<br />
o<strong>the</strong>rwise silent universe. Theological details aside, I believe that<br />
we need <strong>to</strong> see ourselves as part <strong>of</strong> a larger s<strong>to</strong>ry. But what s<strong>to</strong>ry?<br />
Several years ago I was asked <strong>to</strong> deliver a college baccalaureate<br />
address, which is not my cus<strong>to</strong>m, and foolishly agreed. In trying<br />
<strong>to</strong> get traction on <strong>the</strong> subject I reread Berry and Swimme and<br />
o<strong>the</strong>rs and came <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> conclusion that we need a larger s<strong>to</strong>ry for<br />
certain, but we also need <strong>to</strong> begin with something closer <strong>to</strong> hand<br />
and heart, which is simply <strong>the</strong> sense <strong>of</strong> gratitude for <strong>the</strong> gift <strong>of</strong><br />
life itself. 7 The address, my fi rst and last attempt at <strong>the</strong>ology, went<br />
like this.<br />
The s<strong>to</strong>ry <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> universe begins in <strong>the</strong> great cymbal smash <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> Big Bang, <strong>the</strong> rhythm heard through <strong>the</strong> still expanding Creation,<br />
and in <strong>the</strong> pulsations <strong>of</strong> energy and light that animate <strong>the</strong><br />
cosmos and drive <strong>the</strong> journeys <strong>of</strong> our little planet around its small<br />
star. Day follows night; one season follows ano<strong>the</strong>r in <strong>the</strong> dance<br />
<strong>of</strong> life, <strong>the</strong> ebb and fl ow <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tides, <strong>the</strong> migration <strong>of</strong> birds, <strong>the</strong><br />
rhythms in our bodies, and <strong>the</strong> seasons <strong>of</strong> our lives. That rhythm<br />
was refl ected in early scripture and mythology. There is:<br />
A time <strong>to</strong> be born, and a time <strong>to</strong> die; a time <strong>to</strong> plant, and a time<br />
<strong>to</strong> pluck up that which is planted; a time <strong>to</strong> kill and a time <strong>to</strong> heal;<br />
a time <strong>to</strong> break down and a time <strong>to</strong> build up; a time <strong>to</strong> weep, and<br />
a time <strong>to</strong> laugh; a time <strong>to</strong> mourn, and a time <strong>to</strong> dance; a time <strong>to</strong><br />
cast away s<strong>to</strong>nes, and a time <strong>to</strong> ga<strong>the</strong>r s<strong>to</strong>nes <strong>to</strong>ge<strong>the</strong>r; a time <strong>to</strong><br />
embrace and a time <strong>to</strong> refrain from embracing.<br />
It was once known that if we broke <strong>the</strong> rhythm, our little part <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> cosmic dance would stumble <strong>to</strong> a halt. A fraction <strong>of</strong> a second<br />
ago, as geologists and ecologists measure time, ano<strong>the</strong>r rhythm<br />
was begun. Some call this <strong>the</strong> Fall. In one telling <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> s<strong>to</strong>ry, <strong>the</strong><br />
cadence was changed by a snake and a woman—a libel against a<br />
perfectly fi ne life form and against all women. More likely <strong>the</strong>