A HOPEFUL FUTURE
In the previous course we studied the difficulties we find ourselves in today, the major causes of these difficulties being the great number of humans and the overly extractive life-style of most westerners, especially Americans. Thomas Berry has characterized this situation as the "Technozoic Era" - a reference to the increasingly destructiveness of many of our industrial technologies. In contrast, Thomas called us to the "Ecozoic Era", a period wherein we humans would have established a "mutually enhancing Earth-human relationship." The process of establishing this relationship Thomas refers to as "The Great Work", the title of one of his books.
In this course we focus on the great strides we humans have made in recent years in understanding our present dilemna and, perhaps more importantly, understanding its causes. As part of this focus we will study the impressive and inspiring diversity of creative responses, primarily by plain, ordinary people, a situation that Paul Hawken refers to as Blessed Unrest. Many others have written, lectured, and worked on the transition to such a mutually enhancing relationship. In this course we will study only a representative few of the thousands, the tens of thousands who have accepted this challenge as their life's work and mission.
When all is said and done, We are Family with all creation, and a family needs to stick together.
Extra Resources for Course in order of priority)
Thomas Berry, The Great Work: Our Way into the Future, Three Rivers Press, 2000.
Michael Dowd, Thank God for Evolution!, Council Oak Books, San Francisco, 2007.
Thomas Berry, The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the Twenty-first Century, Columbia University Press, 2009.
The Earth Charter
If you are interested in developing this material for children, email Jean at jeanledwards AT gmail.com
For (a lot) more resources check out the Genesis Farm Earth Literacy Resource list.