The Dream of the Earth

       "The Dream of the Earth'" by Thomas Berry, is one of the most profound books I have read in the last five years.  He has a great  understanding of our need to re-connect our world view to nature.  I have read the book a couple of times, and I am reading it again.  It is a collection of essays that discuss our present condition.  He believes our western world view is broken; that is, it is no longer valid, that Galileo and Darwin have upset and overturned the Western world view.  This is a big thing, a bold position to take.  He believes the western societies need to re-think the story of the universe that they now hold on to.  Such a shift will not come easy.  No, it will not be easy.  It will take a long time, probably hundreds of years, maybe longer.  And, probably a shift to a new world view will not be peaceful.

       Another issue that makes the realization that your world view is defunct, is that you then must replace that view with another one.  What should our world view be?  Does a society or culture need a common world view?  These questions are too big for my mind.  A re-connection with the natural world and the universe would be the path I would go down.  Each of us should or must, or can, or might, or probably will incorporate a world view into our lives.  After all, everyone has a belief as to why they are alive.  At least, I hope they do.

For those who believe in a supreme being, Berry suggest that you look for the divine presence in all things, in nature, and the universe, instead of seeking divine presence in scriptures and writings of men. This is such an interesting thought.  It could be the basis for an entire class or seminar.  Think about it.  At any rate, I recommend the writings of Berry to everyone.  I think it is so interesting that he suggests that we look to our Native American cultures to seek a more balanced view of things.

Finally, the Tao teaches us that there is nothing better than to know than knowing that you do not know.  Not knowing - yet thinking that you do know - is sickness.  So many walk around, including myself, thinking that they know so much, when really they don't know anything.  Such is our human condition, I suppose.  Maybe this is why we should follow the way of the ancients.  They professed to know nothing, I think that is why they were so smart.  At any rate, it is such a refreshing and liberating feeling, to just accept that you do not know very much.