01_20_2020

The Power of Learning

Learning.

If I were asked to make a list of the 10 greatest gifts in my life, I am certain that Learning would definitely make it to the list.  In particular, the gift of libraries and books accounts for much of my pleasures in life.

I can remember as a child who actively used my local library that I used to ponder – and even worry – that I might actually exhaust the library’s collection and be left without anything to read later in life.  Now as an adult I find that there is a lengthy list of books that I want to read, so I’ve stopped worrying that I’ll no longer be able to find books to look forward to reading.

I am amazed by how much reading and books can change our lives.  At times the slightest new insight can lead to a lasting and potentially profound impact on one’s life.  Currently I am reading Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book as part of an ongoing class.  Her book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, offers a Native American’s version of the creation story.

My religion of origin – Catholicism – stressed the Garden of Eden story starring Adam and Eve as central characters in the creation story.  That story for those readers not as familiar with it presents Eden as a paradise full of abundance where one wouldn’t want for anything.  The only restriction consisted of not eating the fruit of the apple tree.

Satan – in the form of a serpent – is credited with tempting Eve, and through her influence, enticing both she and Adam to eat the forbidden fruit.  As a result of disobeying the stated restrictions, they were both cast from a life of pleasure into a life of ongoing hardship.  It wasn’t until I was much older that I began developing a greater appreciation of the damage to women for Eve to be cast in the role of temptress, bearing the responsibility for leading men astray.

In our Yoga Book Club in which we’re discussing Kimmerer’s book, one of the first themes we examined was the impact on our lives and outlook of such a negative version of creation.  The story is about human failure, with the primary guilt resting with women, and emphasizes a life of suffering brought about by the sins of humans.  From this story, the concept of “original sin” emerged.

I’m not sure that I fully absorbed all the implications of this version of creation, although as I aged, I did begin to appreciate the negative implications of women that resulted from this story. Later in life I began to question how the concept of original sin is passed onto all newborn children, at least in the world of Catholicism.

The sacrament of Baptism is supposed to remove or erase this original sin from a newborn child.  And, if a child is not baptized – again according to Catholic teachings – s/he will not ever be able to enter heaven.  When one thinks about this version of  creation and what we’re born into, it is certainly not a positive view or one that emphasizes love and appreciation for all that we have.

The intent of Braiding Sweetgrass is to awaken in our hearts and minds what we are missing as we look for sources of wisdom within our worlds. As noted on the book jacket, the reviews highlight some of the book’s teachings:

• As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Kimmerer embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. She brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world.  For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth and learning to give our own gifts in return.  She writes about the natural world from a place of such abundant passion that one can never quite see the world the same way after having seen it through her eyes. (Elizabeth Gilbert)
• Everyone who cares about the environment – and everyone else, period – should have Kimmerer’s book on their table. It captures the true reverence between Native Americans and the earth, the relationship we need to survive.  (Oren Lyons)

The book begins with a remarkably gracious and generous story about creation. We are introduced to Skywoman and her journey of falling to the earth from the sky.  As she fell slowly to the earth, the creatures already inhabiting our earth could see a woman falling.  “The geese nodded at one another, and rose together from the water, wings beating, as they flew beneath her to break her fall.  Far from the only home she had known, she caught her breath at the warm embrace of soft feathers as they gently carried her downward…

The geese called a council of all of the other animals to decide what to do next as the geese could not hold her up indefinitely.  A great turtle, floating in their midst, offered his  back for her to rest on.  Knowing that Skywoman needed land for her home, the deep divers among them volunteered to bring up mud from the ocean floor…

With mud in hand, Skywoman spread the gift of mud on the turtle’s back, and then she began        singing and dancing in thanksgiving and gratitude to honor the gifts and generosity of the creatures who greeted her with such a warm and caring welcome.

Slowly she scattered onto the new ground the seeds from the Tree of Life that she had carried with her from the Sky and Heavens above.  Slowly our planet as we now know it began its birth, all starting from the generosity and hosting of what has been named Turtle Island.

This allegorical version of the creation story is no stranger than the story of the Garden of Eden, but what a different orientation it gifts us with.   The story is not about guilt and condemnation; instead, it emphasizes all living creatures and plants working together to provide an environment where we all can flourish.  Together this insight coupled with the emphasis on gratitude for what we have been given and continue to receive awakened feelings within me that go far beyond what I know intellectually about what we need to do to save our planet.

One of the things I struggle with is how to find the room in my heart that leads to positive actions for all of the issues that need attention in the world we have created if our goal is to live in such a way that all living entities – plants, animals, humans, and our natural resources can enjoy a high quality of life.   I care about many of these issues, but to live a life in balance, I haven’t found a way to be actively involved in all the activities that are in progress to address these areas needing attention.

But just reading this kinder, more cooperative and shared view of creation awakened in me some things that I might do differently.  Much of my energy currently goes into efforts devoted to redesigning our educational systems so that they are able to be increase their  success rates with a more diverse set of participants.  One of my emerging interests is working in areas that enable us to be more self-aware and self-accepting, and then building on this awareness and compassion to enable us to more clearly claim our voices around issues that can lead to positive changes in our world.

As I thought about my dilemma about time, a couple of insights came to mind on how I might lend some support to environmental causes, including learning from the lessons that plants and animals are able to teach us.  First, I am in the process of picking one environmental non-profit that I can direct money to, and second, I will put more effort into supporting those who are working on behalf of the environmental concerns, including letting them know how much I appreciate and value what they are doing.

I know from my own experience how much shared appreciation and value for my work encourages me to continue my efforts.

Circling back to the title of this Blog, these thoughts were prompted in part by my reading 8 pages of powerful thinking!

In the words of Emily Dickenson in her poem, Tell all the Truth but Tell it Slant

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth’s superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind

 I am humbled by how much there is to learn, as well as by how long it can take to gain more wisdom. Continuing to Evolve – Still Evolving – is critical for all of us if we hope to leave the world in a better place!