Rating: 
Summary: "The Great Work"--a great book!
Review: Thoreau. Muir. Leopold. Today I am adding Thomas Berry to this list. He will be remembered as the spokesman for our planet as we entered the new millennium. In this book, Berry insightfully writes, "without the soaring birds, the great forests, the sounds and coloration of the insects, the free-flowing streams, the flowering fields, the sight of the clouds by day and the stars at night, we become impoverished in all that makes us human" (p. 20)."The Great Work" is a collection of 17 deep-ecology essays followed by a comprehensive, 32-page bibliography of "source materials." In his essays (which address, among other things, the environment, economics, politics, and education), Berry encourages us to reflect upon our human role amidst the "wonder" (p. ix) and "magic" (p. 20) of the Earth, "the garden planet of the universe" (p. ix), and move with great effort from our "devastating exploitation" of the planet to a more "benign presence" (p. 7). In one essay, "The Earth Story" (Chapter 3), Berry examines our integral human role on the 4.6-billion-year-old, "radiant blue-white, . . . privileged" planet Earth (pp. 21-22) that hangs in a 14.6-billion-year-old universe. In each essay, Berry encourages us to reexamine our relationship with the Earth--"to dream again"(p. 47), because we are now living in a "moment of grace" (p. 196) as we move into the twenty-first century, which enables us to "be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner" (p. 3). Reading this book could change the way you live your life. G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: One of the Great Prophetic Minds of our age!
Review: Tom Berry has been called the "Bard of the New Cosmology" and so he is! His thoughts challenge those rooted in authoritarian structures and flatland awareness. His views challenge those who find extreme security in their myths and dogmatic positions. These people have made a career of striking back with an authoritarian thunder when challenged with a more comprehensive unfolding of the Cosmos. Berry's explication brings science and religion together without authoritative fiat rooted in dogma--what Ken Wilbur calls "Deep Religion." Deep religion honors the developmental spirial of conciousness and the EXPERIENTIAL awareness that mystics are privy to and speak of so eloquently and forcefully. Berry's book brings the enviornmental crisis in focus and calls for human transformation of every aspect of human unfolding: political, educational, corporate, sociological, and religious. It is no wonder those who remain rooted in the systems of the Earth's demise so forcefully attack this Great and surely Prophetic Man.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Great Prophetic Minds of our age!
Review: Tom Berry has been called the "Bard of the New Cosmology" and so he is! His thoughts challenge those rooted in authoritarian structures and flatland awareness. His views challenge those who find extreme security in their myths and dogmatic positions. These people have made a career of striking back with an authoritarian thunder when challenged with a more comprehensive unfolding of the Cosmos. Berry's explication brings science and religion together without authoritative fiat rooted in dogma--what Ken Wilbur calls "Deep Religion." Deep religion honors the developmental spirial of conciousness and the EXPERIENTIAL awareness that mystics are privy to and speak of so eloquently and forcefully. Berry's book brings the enviornmental crisis in focus and calls for human transformation of every aspect of human unfolding: political, educational, corporate, sociological, and religious. It is no wonder those who remain rooted in the systems of the Earth's demise so forcefully attack this Great and surely Prophetic Man.
Rating: 
Summary: Entering the Ecozoic Era
Review: With the wealth of works statistically portraying the growing threats of climate change, it's almost refreshing to encounter someone seeking a "soft" approach. Berry recognises the obstructions in transforming a polluting and morally corrupting economy to a less harmful path. He points to a change in attitude we must all make to prevent catastrophe. Yet, it's not difficult, he argues, to reassert a more direct tie with Nature such as we enjoyed in our ancient past. What was once there, but lost, can be recovered. It merely takes some will.
In Berry's view, the Cenozoic Era, used by geologists to encompass modern times, is coming to a close. Technology and the spread of humanity into nearly every environmental niche have changed conditions too drastically for the older appellation to continue. The burning of fossil fuels, deforestation over vast areas, huge fishing nets scooping up masses of sea life, and blindly occupying or modifying habitats has led to the extinction of countless species. What aspects of life characterised the Cenozoic are no longer there to give it definition. And there's worse to follow if we fail to heed his advice. Learn to do better, he cautions.
Berry restrains his religious background and spiritual leanings to address the larger crisis of the Earth's survival. There are no lofty appeals to a "spiritual" aspect of the planet, but he's sharply critical of the materialist outlook that's destroying it. He insists we consider the Earth as an integrated system, which is a realistic view, given our current piecemeal exploitation practices. He urges a broader outlook from his readers. This requires entertaining some novel ideas and encounters with unexpected people. Indigenous peoples are a good source of wisdom in Berry's view. However, it's their knowledge he seeks, not the return to an aboriginal lifestyle.
The application of knowledge to solve problems in our society is generally conceded to the universities. From this, Berry concludes that appeals to government or business are essentially wasted effort, unless they understand the impact of their policies. He suggests that instead of radical environmental protest to save species and habitat, it is the universities who must be enlisted in the cause. For one thing, the academic arena provides the means of acting as a feedback loop with each cycle increasing the information dividend. The new findings make their way to the public to support changes in policies. Although this is obviously not a rapid means of change, Berry finds it the most self-sustaining one. Once the process begins to unfold, we will be entering the Ecozoic Era with a firmer grasp of our impact on the planet. "The Great Work" is thus learning how to move from a human-centred to an Earth-centred set of values. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
|
