Monday, December 17, 2007 at 12:12am
The Earth has a fever
Column: Interesting Times
That the earth has a fever is one diagnosis. That the fever indicates a crisis in the health of the patient/planet is the opinion of thousands of scientists from around the globe. Military experts appraising the health of the patient alert the media that the polar ice caps may be entirely melted in seven years. And while there are wars being waged on the patient's body, the majority of those are internal civil wars precipitated by climate change. Lake Chad was once the sixth largest lake in the world, and now it is dry and now there is Darfur. Desertification, the drying up of entire nations, threatens now to reach even Senegal on the coast.
While the results of the earth's fever are beginning to be seen, the predisposing cause of the earth's sickness is invisible. Carbon dioxide cannot be seen, smelled, felt and, invisible to the senses, has required visionaries and scientists to bear witness to the effects and dangers. No one who currently warns about calamities ahead for coastal megadeltas can be branded alarmist. The science is in, and the winners of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize referred to the scientific consensus in their speeches at Oslo City Hall on Dec. 10.
Prizewinner Al Gore stated bluntly that he had prayed daily for years to be put in a position to serve the cause of the earth. Invoking Joshua of the Hebrew Bible, he called on all listening and all around the earth to choose life that both thou and thy seed may live. The former vice president of the United States spoke of the spiritual energy that can be unleashed to help heal and cure the patient earth. He quoted Archbishop Desmond Tutu that to ignore the challenge of global warming is a sin.
Drawing a fascinating and perhaps ironic parallel, Gore recounted how Alfred Nobel read his obituary in the newspaper, mistakenly printed years before his demise, and was struck that he would be remembered for inventing dynamite and not for good works. Nobel seven years later funded the prizes that now bear his name and are awarded for the advancement of science, literature and human rights. Gore said that seven years ago today he read his political obituary — the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the presidency would go not to Gore with his plurality of popular vote but to George W. Bush, the current president.
And, today, we all have access to resources gathered by the United Nations climate committee and Al Gore. We not only can visit the bedside of our sick Mother Earth, we also can participate in unleashing the spiritual energy needed to bring about the healing needed to spare lives, to save lives, to choose life. For more on the Peace Prize and the related ceremonies, go to the Oslo Aftenposten.
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Lynne Bundesen is the author of five books on religion and was adjunct professor at the Boston Theological Institute under a Templeton Science and Religion Grant. She is currently the spiritual expert for the physical and spiritual health website of Dr. Andrew Weil. Her book "The Feminine Spirit: Recapturing the Heart of Scripture" was just published. Her email address is {email lynnebundesen@hotmail.com}lynnebundesen@hotmail.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Lynne Bundesen.
While the results of the earth's fever are beginning to be seen, the predisposing cause of the earth's sickness is invisible. Carbon dioxide cannot be seen, smelled, felt and, invisible to the senses, has required visionaries and scientists to bear witness to the effects and dangers. No one who currently warns about calamities ahead for coastal megadeltas can be branded alarmist. The science is in, and the winners of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize referred to the scientific consensus in their speeches at Oslo City Hall on Dec. 10.
Prizewinner Al Gore stated bluntly that he had prayed daily for years to be put in a position to serve the cause of the earth. Invoking Joshua of the Hebrew Bible, he called on all listening and all around the earth to choose life that both thou and thy seed may live. The former vice president of the United States spoke of the spiritual energy that can be unleashed to help heal and cure the patient earth. He quoted Archbishop Desmond Tutu that to ignore the challenge of global warming is a sin.
Drawing a fascinating and perhaps ironic parallel, Gore recounted how Alfred Nobel read his obituary in the newspaper, mistakenly printed years before his demise, and was struck that he would be remembered for inventing dynamite and not for good works. Nobel seven years later funded the prizes that now bear his name and are awarded for the advancement of science, literature and human rights. Gore said that seven years ago today he read his political obituary — the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the presidency would go not to Gore with his plurality of popular vote but to George W. Bush, the current president.
And, today, we all have access to resources gathered by the United Nations climate committee and Al Gore. We not only can visit the bedside of our sick Mother Earth, we also can participate in unleashing the spiritual energy needed to bring about the healing needed to spare lives, to save lives, to choose life. For more on the Peace Prize and the related ceremonies, go to the Oslo Aftenposten.
— — —
Lynne Bundesen is the author of five books on religion and was adjunct professor at the Boston Theological Institute under a Templeton Science and Religion Grant. She is currently the spiritual expert for the physical and spiritual health website of Dr. Andrew Weil. Her book "The Feminine Spirit: Recapturing the Heart of Scripture" was just published. Her email address is {email lynnebundesen@hotmail.com}lynnebundesen@hotmail.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Lynne Bundesen.