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By John T. Crestwell, Jr.
July 11, 2004
Good morning. It’s great to be
with you again. It is a special day and we welcome Paula Cole Jones,
longtime member of All Souls Church in the District. She is also a
consultant with the UUA in the area of racial justice and we are
honored to have her here today and look forward to the workshop,
“Building a Multi-cultural Community,” at noon.
This morning I have chosen a topic that may or may not be familiar
to you—The Gaia Principles. This is a relatively new concept that
developed in the late 60’s and into the 70’s, and has taken parts of
Europe and Canada (and a few places in America) by storm, as a
result of many scientific advances that are indeed changing the
human worldview or rather the human earth-view.
The current earth-view can be understood best by reading the book of
Genesis in the Bible. I want to share with you a brief reading from
Genesis 1: 26-31
Genesis 1: 26-31
26 Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, in our
likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds
of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [1] and over all
the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created humankind in God’s own image, in the image of God,
God created them; male and female God created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in
number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea
and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves
on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face
of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.
They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth
and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the
ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every
green plant for food to you." And it was so. 31 God saw all that God
made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was
morning-the sixth day. (Of course on the seventh day God rested).
These scriptures, which are the foundation of our present worldview
says humanity has dominion over all living creatures on earth. In
essence, humanity is master of the earth. Human beings are
responsible for organizing very complex functions and we must do
this because God gave it to us. God is master of humankind and the
cosmos but in the chain of command human beings, made in the
likeness of God, are first on earth and appointed by God as the
caretakers of the planet and therefore masters over the Creator’s
creation.
This is the myth that prevails in our culture. But there are others
emerging like this Gaian theory, which I would have to say is the
antithesis to the biblical Genesis narrative.
It was in 1972, when a gentleman named James Lovelock introduced a
new theory in his book The Gaia Hypothesis which would eventually
bring to life the Gaia principles. He took the name GAIA from Greek
mythology. Gaia was the goddess we know as Mother Earth. She had a
dual nature: caring supporter of those who “fit” her desires and
annihilator of those who did not. And as we shall see, this is a
very fitting name for Lovelock’s theory.
The idea of Gaia is that the earth is ALIVE, a living organism.
Mother earth, as Lovelock writes, is “…a self-regulating system.
Life creates its own environment and thus regulates the climate and
all aspects of the ecosystem in which it thrives.” This is to say
that human beings are not independent from their environment. As a
life form, we have evolved on earth, and are made of the stuff of
this planet. Our life and existence are directly related to the life
and existence of the earth. We live as a result of a delicate
environmental balance. His theory says that if we upset this
balance, we can no longer survive as beings on Mother-earth.
Lovelock’s theory concludes that if any creation disrupts the
balance, Gaia shall call upon her self-regulating functions and will
rid herself of any annoyance that does not comply to her will. Gaia
lives and regenerates as a result of the sun. The destiny of Gaia is
tied inextricably with the destiny of the sun.
If you look at the human body Lovelock’s theory can be better
understood. We have bodies that have many varying functions most of
which are on autopilot, rather they function will little or no
assistance from us. And most people, unless we are medical doctors,
are not aware of the complex processes at work. When we get sick, as
an example, and our bodies get infected with a virus, the white
blood cells kick in to destroy the infected area. Science helps us
to know these facts but for many years we just knew we got better
after awhile. Okay, so, while the white cells are fighting to keep
the body functioning properly, the red blood cells carry oxygen from
the lungs to various tissues in the body. (I sound like a medical
doctor thanks to my father-in-laws health book—Amen). Anyway, if the
red blood cells are too low they carry less oxygen to the body and
thus we get fatigued and weakness occurs. If the count is too high
the blood may become to thick and the risk of heart attack and
stroke increase. The balance is delicate…
Then there are these things we call platelets, which are smaller
than red or white blood cells. Platelets control the clotting
process. But, if the platelet level is too low, we are subject to
bruising and abnormal bleeding. If the platelet level is too high it
causes excessive clotting and could lead again to heart attack or
stroke. The balance has to be just right. Upset the balance and our
health is in jeopardy. These are just a few examples of the Gaian
theory of why we need to maintain the delicate harmony in the
universe.
The Gaian concept also suggests a new worldview—an organic, internal
worldview, which moves away from the old story that says humans have
a supernatural, external “maker” who commands them to dominate the
earth. This Gaian concept says humans are essentially a byproduct of
the natural selection process. We are not separate from nature or
separate from creation. Rather, we are nature, one species among
many others that function as a part of the earths many processes.
Many of you are familiar with this scholarship. Over the years many
Unitarian Universalists have embraced Lovelock’s theory. In fact,
now there are 12 Gaia Principles promulgated by various
environmentalist organizations: I’d like to share them with you…
Principle 1: To acknowledge that uncontrolled human population
growth in conjunction with the unrestrained consumption of the
earths resources have brought about a crisis that threatens all life
on earth. To work toward establishing an equilibrium of nature in
which all life and future generations can enjoy and share the fruits
of this unique planet.
Principle 2: To recognize that humans suffer individually and
collectively from foibles
(frailty in character) which may blind our objectivity regarding an
unpleasant reality (SCSyndrome). By interacting with fellow humans
we can help each other recognize, acknowledge, and understand these
weaknesses, enabling us to deal with unpleasant reality.
Principle 3: To modify our personal expectations in life from
expectations based on the past, to expectations consistent with a
sustainable future.
Principle 4: To assume responsibility for personal change because in
a free society no government or world-wide organization can force
upon us the required behavioral and attitudinal changes. Personal
long-lasting freedom requires personal responsibility and
compromise.
Principle 5: To be undaunted by the enormity of the task at hand and
to work around problems that cannot be dealt with effectively and
immediately.
Principle 6: To establish the common good as the highest priority,
while preserving individual human freedom and rights where possible.
The long-term well-being of Gaia will be the primary consideration.
Principle 7: To work toward living within our global means with
regard to energy usage and to recycle consumer goods rather than
extract non-renewable resources from Earth.
Principle 8: To work toward the elimination of human-made
classification barriers that have historically caused conflict
between groups of humans.
Principle 9: To work for the maintenance of the democratic process
in countries where the democratic process is functional, and to
bring about change within the rule of law.
Principle 10: To recognize that humans must become stewards of the
planet, but that stewardship does not make humans superior to other
life forms.
Principle 11: To lobby governments to assess all legislation
considering the full dimension of time, including life on Earth in
the distant future.
Principle 12: To accept personal responsibility, and to help in your
own way toward communication of the GAIA PRINCIPLES, either
individually or collectively to others both at home and abroad.
I don’t find a lot wrong with these principles. Of course, you all
know I don’t eat the entire pie of anybody’s ideology. Just a slice
here and there… And so I want to argue a few distinctive points:
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