Two Opposite Sides Converging, the Oneness of Life
Two Opposite Sides Converging, the Oneness of Life
The other day I went on a hike in the Great Smoky Mountains to heal from all the divisiveness I have been witnessing since George Floyd’s death. I, like most people, was shocked and horrified by the recording I saw of his murder. Sadly, though it was so shocking to witness, it actually was not a surprising occurrence given all the police brutality that occurs on a regular basis. Of course, not all officers are flawed and prejudiced people and many go into this line of work to be helpful to society. However, there is clearly a culture of violence and discrimination that must be routed out.
When I got to the Big Creek area and before my friend and I embarked on the Mouse Creek trail, we stood on a bridge overlooking the creek. Standing in the middle of the bridge and looking into the distance, I noticed that the two banks converged. Whenever I go into nature, I often experience feeling of profound oneness. This is the principle of nature. Ecosystems exist because all life forms are intertwined. Sadly, the lessons of nature are not often heeded by people. This is where the ego does not serve us. It is always trying to proclaim its superiority and bend the universe to its will, but the fact of the matter is that we all coexist on this planet together. We can either fight, or we can abdicate unjust authoritarian control and figure out how to work as one. The foundation of a healthy society is acknowledging that all people should have equal rights regardless of the color of their skin or their ethnicity.
Exposed Roots
Along the trail to the Mouse Creek Falls, there are many trees and boulders and lots of erosion from the creek and rainfall in the area. There are many places where roots are exposed to view. Trees are dependent on their roots to grow. If they are severed from them or if protective layers of soil are eroded too much, they eventually die. Trees are so important to all life, because they take in C02, which is very helpful in the battle against climate change. When we commit actions that lead to the death of trees we all suffer.
As I was viewing the landscape, I realized this is so true for our own society too and not just something that occurs in natural ecosystems. Genetically we are all related. When we cut ourselves off from the truth of our genomes and fight one another, we are fighting and killing our own. This fascinating article from Harvard on race and genetics emphasizes race is a social contract and not a biological one. A Standford study cited in the article found that only 7.4 percent of alleles (flavors of genes, e.g. different hair colors etc) were specific to one geographical region while most were found in at least two and over half studied were found in all severn major geographical regions of the world. (Here’s a link to the study: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/science-genetics-reshaping-race-debate-21st-century/) Furthermore it has been found that we share 99.9 percent of our DNA with each other. Sadly, though one would think that these findings would abolish prejudice and racial discrimination, the alt right has used genetics in their battle for White Nationalism and as justification for anti-Semitism. They do understand genetics, according to the authors, but their understanding is flawed. These movements are proliferating even though science has not found any evidence that there are genetic differences in intelligence. Rather than cherry picking minor differences between people, it would be best to remember the the vast majority of us share the same roots and are genetically incredibly similar.
Experiencing Eden at Mouse Creek Falls
My friend and I made it to the site of Mouse Creek Falls and were fortunate to have the site to ourselves for about 45 minutes. It was in a treed bend in the creek and the light was streaming through onto the falls. For a moment I really felt like I was back in the Garden of Eden, and I was sure that racism would not have existed there.
When I got home, I did a search for racism and the Garden of Eden and I discovered this Pastoral Letter on Racism written by Harry J. Flynn, the Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It was written on September 12, 2003 (approximately two years after 9/11 which prompted another kind of racism and prejudice in the United States, which he also mentions.) Here’s the link to the letter: https://www.archspm.org/in-gods-image-pastoral-letter-on-racism/ . In the letter, he writes: “Racism is a serious offense against God precisely because it violates the innate dignity of the human person. At its core racism is a failure to love our neighbor. Since we cannot claim to love God unless we love our neighbor, we can only be one with God if we reject racism and work aggressively to remove it from our personal lives, our church, and our society.” He finds evidence for this in the words of the bible (one that our current leader only poses with instead of reads). In the letter he highlights the following concepts:
God’s word proclaimed the oneness of the human family – from the first words of Genesis, to the “Come, Lord Jesus” of the Book of Revelation. God’s word in Genesis announces that all men and women are created in God’s image; not just some races and racial types, but all bear the imprint of the Creator and are enlivened by the breath of His one Spirit …
[Racism] mocks the words of Jesus: “Treat others the way you would have them treat you.” Indeed, racism is more than a disregard for the words of Jesus; it is a denial of the truth of the dignity of each human being revealed by the mystery of the Incarnation.
Two sentences in his letter were quite prescient: “In the future, Minnesota’s population is expected to continue becoming even more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity. It is within this increasingly diverse community that we must all confront the persistent reality of racism.”
I recommend reading this letter and every other heartfelt call for people to work together to spread the word about the oneness of the human family and the need to abolish racial discrimination.
Water Flowing Over a Group of Rocks Resembling a Man
Police brutality, injustices in the court system, and unfair treatment in prisons are not the only ways people of color are mistreated. Climate change and pollution also impact people lacking in white privilege more severely. When I was working on my book about Florida’s Changing Waters, I found that Superfund sites and places with point source pollution were always located in areas where black people or other minorities resided. (Here is a link to a great article in the NY Times about environmental issues and race: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/climate/black-environmentalists-talk-about-climate-and-anti-racism.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR21NJm8-r4xuEym6qolKIKoNXUcSIFqASkXzVorwroBEjXdXlreEjXYG_k)
Dr. Robert Bullard also studied and documented environmental racism over a 40-year period.
The image above shows water flowing over a group of rocks that resembled a human head and torso. All races deserve access to free flowing clean water. Yet, minorities are often left with the most polluted water or access to none at all, which is why the incidence of Coronavirus is so high in the Navajo Nation. Here’s a link to an interview with Dr. Bullard: https://therevelator.org/bullard-environmental-justice/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no135&emci=41816630-d5a1-ea11-86e9-00155d03b5dd&emdi=41e320f4-5aa6-ea11-9b05-00155d039e74&ceid=1812413&fbclid=IwAR3dJHzu573armhgtszs28jd9jfj1998LefUuhg94x0bGGf-3jYyUsr1_ko
Mouse Creek’s Idyllic Surroundings
I know I am fortunate to have white privilege and am able to go to such beautiful surroundings where the water is clean and I can breathe fresh air. I go to bear witness that these places exist and do my best to raise awareness that they deserve to be protected. And yet, I am always aware how fortunate I am, since I have visited poor neighborhoods with super fund sites and areas with terribly polluted waterways such as Bangladesh. It is important to open our eyes to the conditions some people have to endure. As someone who believes all lives and living things matter, I cannot lose sight of the inequities in our society and around the world. Precisely because I am able to enjoy the more idyllic areas of our planet, I strive to raise awareness about the rights of all people and elements of nature that either cannot speak for themselves or have been denied a voice. If we want violence to cease on our planet, we all must work towards ensuring the we have all equal rights and that the natural world also has rights as well. Corporations do not keep us alive or look after our well-being. We need water and air and healthy food, which requires clean water with fewer toxins and less C02 in the atmosphere
Clear Water, Mouse Creek
When I got to this section of the creek, I could see how clear the water was from the path. I raced down to stand right next to the creek, to touch it and marvel at the incredible clarity. I have seen so much water that doesn’t even resemble water anymore, since I began photographing waterways. To see this took my breath away. If we can learn to value water like this and understand that all beings deserve access to it, perhaps our souls will also run clear as well and we can begin to atone for all the suffering and death.
Natural Cathedral on Mouse Creek
On the way back from the falls, I passed this area and stopped to take in the view. Before I set up my tripod, I just stood and breathed and I remembered George Floyd and the cries of all the others in our society who feel they are not just being robbed of their voices but their very breath. The creek was tumbling through and there were rocks scattered about that the water had to make its way over and around. There was no clear path, just as there is no sure way forward right now. I am not able to protest right now, as I have my 85-year-old mother at home with me and she has pre-existing conditions as well as being elderly. But even though I cannot go out and make my voice heard on city streets, I continue to reflect and voice my concerns. In these challenging times, nature has become my church. When I step foot in her natural vaulted naves, I see that the earth strives for oneness. Water flows freely, unless it is stemmed by humans. How I long for the Garden of Eden, not sure because there was no conception of evil, but because all life was one before the apple was eaten.
The Beauty of Nonconformity–Bent Tree and Cracked Boulder
Sometimes the cracks in society become so wide that they cannot be overlooked. Upheaval is the result. Some people become frightened and even more recalcitrant, and yet the cracks, as Leonard Cohen sang in Anthem, let the light in. In a rare interview where he explained the song, he said: “And worse, there is a crack in everything that you can put together: Physical objects, mental objects, constructions of any kind. But that’s where the light gets in, and that’s where the resurrection is and that’s where the return, that’s where the repentance is. It is with the confrontation, with the brokenness of things.” This song has always seemed incredibly profound to me and now more than ever his lyrics have been coming to me. We must confront the brokenness of our society to repent, atone, and heal racial and other divides. It’s time to let the light in. (Here is a link to the interview: (https://qz.com/835076/leonard-cohens-anthem-the-story-of-the-line-there-is-a-crack-in-everything-thats-how-the-light-gets-in/)