Youth do it all as their actions transform our Community

Youth do it all as their actions transform our Community

“The Council of All Beings is a communal ritual in which participants step aside from their human identity and speak on behalf of another life-form. A simple structure for spontaneous expression, it aims to heighten awareness of our interdependence in the living body of Earth, and to strengthen our commitment to defend it. The ritual serves to help us acknowledge and give voice to the suffering of our world. It also serves, in equal measure, to help us experience the beauty and power of our interconnectedness with all life.” Joanna Macy

Now that the federal election is over, it is good to have the initiatives of youth gaining momentum in our community this spring. We can be encouraged by those engaged youth who care about our world. Perhaps it really is possible to sidestep the insanity of politicians and those of us who won’t think past the next two years, and find solace in young people who do understand what is important and then act for their future. In many schools mock elections are given, and always a concern for a balanced relationship with Nature is a priority. Take a guess which federal party comes in first and here’s a hint: it isn’t the party that’s in bed with the oil industry and corporate power. Youth know that the fossil-like behaviour that highlighted the 20th century must end, and a Council of All Beings must replace immediately the harmful legacy of the globalization economy and its culture which is based on oil. Please read more about the Council of all Beings http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/Joanna%20Macy.htm and find out how students are embracing the interconnectedness of all life. Joanna Macy is an ecophilosopher and a Buddhist.

May 8th was Buddha’s 2,550th plus birthday. It’s heartening to see how western Buddhism has embraced the call for ecoaction. Buddhism makes every attempt to make sure that our threatened planet is protected. For a start, most Buddhists are vegetarian or better yet, vegan.

In contrast to Buddhist practice no where in the federal election was there a serious debate or even a reference to how adults and their governments aim to make youth’s Canada a better place. The very foundation for any civilization-Nature- wasn’t mentioned in this election. Even Parks Canada is being run by those whose top priority is to make the park system money instead making it more biologically diverse. It’s a suicide agreement of the now not-so-immortal baby boomers and their associates. It goes like this:” We the undersigned are a fearful lot and we’ll elect a government that preys on those fears. After having been blessed with more than five decades of life, our manifesto is “having enough is never enough”, and we hereby determine to take it all. With the help of corrupted regimes (called plutocracies by some) and those who “lead”, we’ll bankrupt the future of our own children. We’ll call the Earth by slick names such as ‘natural resources’ and the 20th century faceless and cold word, ‘environment’. We’ll deny the massive evidence of peer reviewed science that tells us that we’ve ransacked the house called Earth for all future generations and with the trick-of-hand called technological hubris, we’ll say we’re about to save it all. Let it be known that we take umbrage when some upstart writer called Kurt Vonnegut dares to say, “We could have saved the Earth, but we were too damned cheap.” (We simply have our priorities such as buying new 36 billion dollar war planes that haven’t been tested and at the same time we’re committed to lowering a 60 plus billion dollar debt while we promise to lower taxes for the rich. And make no mistake: no tree huger will stop us wannabe boomers from suing when our play stations get corrupted.)” Signed, Take it Nowers Hugger-Muggers

Chris Hedges’ “The Death of the Liberal Class” tells us that”… the human species has exhibited a remarkable capacity to kill itself off”, and that “moral and intellectual trolls” now control the planet. Time for youth to become bodhisattva warriors. Happy birthday Buddha!


D. Nadler, May 9, 2011