CULTIVATING COMPASSION
Vision For Living In Integrity With Creation
BY CYNTHIA SAMPSON
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18 “We are not a collection of objects, we are a communion of subjects.” Fr. Thomas Berry The question I wish to explore here is, how do we realize— how do we “make real”—a vision for dwelling as a “communion of subjects”? To state it more simply, we are not a collection of things; we are a community of life, a communion of living beings. And then, to frame the question more complete - ly: How do we live in integrity —“in unbroken whole- ness and completeness ”—with that community of life? Giving Voice To The Whole This is such a formative moment for the global environment and for all of life on Earth. Indeed, it would appear to be the most consequential juncture in the history of humanity. At this evo - lutionary turning point, how do we shift the paradigm from en- lightened self-interest to mutually assured survival? From breakdown to breakthrough? How do we move beyond surviv - ing to thriving as a unified whole within the community of life? There is of course already a wholeness to ecological life and systems on planet Earth. How do we awaken to a deeper understanding of this essential fabric of life and our rightful place in it? How do we give voice to that whole in our everyday living? How can we hear and create and act and build and live and love in ways that cherish, nurture, and en-
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
liven the whole of creation short of a wake-up wrought by our devasta- tion of nature and her abilities to absorb, inoculate, save, and renew? With ecological change happening in every backyard—with glob- al climate change, galloping extinctions, food systems in distress, and multiple other forms of environmental destruction—the par- adigm-shifting train has left the station. Do we humans chug along in its wake and take what comes, or can we envision new ways that guide us to a more visionary and empowered future? Ultimately, how would we then reflect these insights in our moral behavior and our so - cial, civil, deliberative, governing, and legal processes going forward? At an earlier stage in my life, I spent two decades working in the
continued on page 20
PATHWAYS—Summer 21—19
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker