Spiral galaxy, M100 Photo: http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/
Our shared future
Anne Adams explores
‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained; What is man that thou art mindful of him?’ A good question – not to mention the wonderful diversity of species and habitats with their intricate webs of networks and relationships about which we are still largely ignorant. I was excited to find that, in their work, both Thomas Berry, a Roman Catholic, and Michael Meacher, a secular searcher after truth, try to answer this question in rather similar ways. Both tell the story of the cosmos and the whole development from the ‘Big Bang’ to the arrival of humans, which involves an almost unimaginable length of time, and an amazing amount of energy and inventiveness.
Both Berry and Meacher call for a new story which starts in cosmology, rather than human history. It means a shift in our perceptions and our world view. This holistic view was held by many previous civilisations and peoples, but we in the industrialised countries have somehow lost it. Consequently our extraordinary rapaciousness seems to be on the brink of destroying the earth, so much so that some predict our own extinction, plus, of course, the extinction of many other species. We are living in a time-limited bubble, and a radical change of attitude is needed.
The particular thing which interests me is the ‘fine tuning’ that Meacher describes. On so many occasions there seemed to be a choice as to which way evolution would go, and each time a creative way was chosen instead of one which would lead to a dead end. ‘Instead of an analytical, reductionist and arbitrary model of the universe… a dramatically different subjective, holistic and purposeful one…’ is discovered. This seems to point to a source of energy directing the development of the universe, which could help us if we could attune to it.
The energy may manifest itself in many ways, depending on the material form which supports it. In humans it may manifest in our consciousness, and in our spirituality. So we have the possibility of allowing the spirit to work in us. This could account for the experiences of the mystics, early Friends and of people today who are open to such occurrences, and even some Quaker Meetings for Worship !
The energy needs direction, and as humans we have the responsibility to direct it in a constructive way, and one that will enhance rather than destroy the planet that has allowed us to flourish. We have a lot to learn about co-operation with other species and with the spirit. As Berry says, ‘there is a single integral community of the Earth that includes all its component members, whether human or other than human… every being has its own role to fulfil…’
However, we are reminded that ‘now we see through a glass, darkly’ and only know in part. Perhaps the glass will clear at some point in the future and we shall see the whole?
