Monthly Archives: July 2010

Being Friends with God

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Two friends, Arian Brazenwood and Edward Denton, get ready for an Island adventure

Arian Brazenwood and Edward Denton after doing dishes find that friendship also leads to many adventures, photographed on Dauphin Island July 29, 2010.

God gets a bad rap sometimes from those of us who believe. By our words and actions, we often portray God as a cop in the sky out to get people, or we portray God as a genie with a magic wand who fixes all our problems. No description of God is ever complete, but God is like the Wind, beyond our grasp yet within each of us – like the Universe, beyond our understanding but present all around us – and like a Friend, mysterious, surprising, and alive.

God is the Spirit connecting us All, the Infinite Lover of All, enlivening All persons and All things, bearing All individuals within All individuals, our All in All, our I-Am-Who-Am.

There’s no need to shrink in fear of God. God is always calling, welcoming, listening, comforting, healing, forgiving, creating, … God loves each of us with an immensely pure, energetic, and endlessly generous love. “I love you! I love you! I love you! Even if no one else loves you, I love you! … … …”

Inasmuch as we live as Friends with each other, we also connect with God as Friends. When we enliven others, nourish them, and bear them up in love, God thrives in us and we fulfill our destiny as God’s Children. God is love, the deepest Wind within our lives, and where that Wind will carry us step by step is beyond our wildest dreams.

The Golden Rule Applied to all Living Beings

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Turtle swimming in Gaillard Lake in the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary

"Everyone needs a home," grunts a turtle swimming in Gaillard Lake in the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary, photographed July 27, 2010.

Gaillard Lake in the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary

“The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, speaks to me. And my heart soars.” - Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Photograph of Gaillard Lake in the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary, photographed July 27, 2010.

 

 Across the centuries, “Treat others as you would like to be treated” has been a guiding principle espoused by Buddhists, Christians, Confucianists, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, philosophers, Sikhs, Taoists, … and many others.

A sometimes tempting alternative is “Do unto others before they do unto you.” That is, “Waste your enemies before they waste you.” We also waste our enemies to “get even,” “an eye for an eye.”

Whenever we waste an enemy, we get 10 more new enemies, and the cycle of wasting one another escalates. After so many eyes have been plucked out, do we even realize how blind we are?

Wasting the Earth, sadly, is commonplace too. How much of the beauty of the Earth has disappeared over the last several hundred years?

To regain our sight, we need to be cleansed with a fresh and profound appreciation for the needs, gifts, and beauty of each person. Likewise we need to profoundly appreciate the Earth and all its creatures, their needs, gifts, and beauty; and as much as we are able we need to treat them as we would treat our own selves, our own family, and our own home. For we are part of the Earth, the creatures of the Earth are our brothers and sisters, and the Earth is the only home that we and our children have. To thrive as human beings now and into the future, the whole Earth must thrive, and with all our strength we must see that no part of the Earth is wasted so that all creatures will have a lasting, nurturing, and beautiful home.

Most Everyone Wants Clean Energy but is it Practical?

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Oil polluting Dauphin Island tidal pool

Oil polluting Dauphin Island tidal pool, photographed July 11, 2010

Without a practical plan, the desire for clean energy is nothing more than a busted pipe dream. So, while most people realize the importance of clean energy for preserving our way of life, without a plan we will remain stuck in the tar pit of dirty energy and environmental pollutants.

Earlier this year before the oil spill, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy issued a challenge with a $10,000 prize for the development of a practical plan. Oceana’s Vision 2020 was the winner of the alliance’s challenge (see winner announcement). A presentation and podcast of Oceana’s incremental plan can be found at the alliance’s webinar archive. Oceana has also published a six-page report on the plan. The plan addresses (a) environmental sustainability with the use of clean reusable energies such as offshore wind power and bio-fuels; (b) energy conservation primarily through energy efficiency; (c) reductions in residential and commercial heating consumption and in the overall production of electricity through improved technologies; and (d) energy reductions in transportation through the use of “diesel (45 MPG), hybrid-electric (45 MPG), plug-in hybrid electric (70 MPG), and electric vehicles (2.9 MPkWh)” and slower speeds in worldwide shipping. All the technologies in Oceana’s plan have proven track-records, and rather than cost money, over time the plan would save money and create jobs. The plan if fully implemented in the U.S. would reduce U.S. oil consumption by 26% by 2020 and by 74% by 2035 – thus eliminating the U.S. dependence on domestic off-shore oil and greatly reducing the U.S. dependency on imported oil.

Nobody Knows But Everyone Can Act

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Small groups focused on specific topics and discussed experiences, ideas, and actions at the Future of the Gulf - Community Brainstorm

Small groups focused on specific topics and discussed experiences, ideas, and actions at the Future of the Gulf - Community Brainstorm, photographed July 21, 2010

With the tropics heating up and the approach of Tropical Storm Bonnie, various differences between the landfall of a hurricane and the waterfall of an oil spill come to mind. One major difference is our wealth of understanding about hurricane impact and damage as compared to our lack of understanding about this oil spill. How long will the effects of the oil remain in the gulf water? Nobody knows. How will the eco-system be changed as a result of the oil eruption? Nobody knows. With so many fishing areas closed now, is the toxicity of the gulf food chain going to get worse or better over the course of years? Nobody knows. What will become of the dispersants as they are released in the atmosphere, surface water, and deep water? Nobody knows. How long will tourism be affected? Nobody knows. How will the reputation of gulf seafood be affected over the long term? Nobody knows. What will be long-term physical and psychological effects on the people who live in coastal areas? Nobody knows.

With so many unknowns, some signs are definitely unsettling. Yesterday, I saw an oiled osprey feather on the beach, there were miles of somewhat sparse oil floating in the Mississippi Sound, and much of the beaches of Katrina Key (Dauphin Island west of Katrina Cut) have still not been cleaned up after three weeks. The wildlife is definitely stressed and there are far fewer shore birds on the Island. Today, I saw three freshly killed sea gulls within a mile of the Dauphin Island bridge and in the early morning I could smell a diesel-like smell (probably from dispersants) in the air all over Dauphin Island.

On the hopeful side of all this, many people are keeping informed, sharing ideas, and doing things to make a difference. Ask yourself, what are my action items? Think things out with friends. Network. Pray. Make a list. Ask yourself, what do I need to look up or investigate? What can I do to build up my community or protect the environment? What can I do today? Each person’s actions can make a difference.

A sand crab too stressed to flee upon my approach

A sand crab near Katrina Cut too stressed to flee upon my approach, photographed July 22, 2010.

Joe Denton examines oil not cleaned from Dauphin Island for three weeks

Joe Denton examines oil not cleaned from Dauphin Island for three weeks, photographed July 22, 2010

An oiled osprey feather along the beach near Katrina Cut on Dauphin Island

An oiled osprey feather along the beach near Katrina Cut on Dauphin Island, photographed July 22, 2010
Surface oil in the Mississippi Sound north of the west end of Dauphin Island

Surface oil in the Mississippi Sound north of the west end of Dauphin Island, photographed July 22, 2010

More oil not cleaned up for three weeks on Dauphin Island west of Katrina Cut

More oil not cleaned up for three weeks on Dauphin Island west of Katrina Cut, photographed July 22, 2010.

An animated small group discussion during the Future of the Gulf - Community Brainstorm

An animated small group discussion during the Future of the Gulf - Community Brainstorm, photographed July 21, 2010