Transcript The Interconnected Web of Life

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 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……
We
….. 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…
….recovering
our capacity
for wonder and awe.
EARTH RISE!
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