Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
National Sponsors
| December 3, 2013 Lassen County Times |  |
|
©
Lassen County Times. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 27 (27 of 38 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
December 3, 2013 |
|
|
Website © 2024. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
l
Lassen CountY Times, Westwood PinePress Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013
/
Nuclear weapons and the unfolding universe
WHERE I STAND retellings of this story in his
..................................................... :: ........... prize-winning one-hour DVD,
WINSLOW MYERS "Journey of the Universe"
WRITER,
PEAC EVOIC E
Through the work of the
eco-philosopher Thomas
Berry and his prot6g6s, a
new way of looking at the
universe and our human
place in it has been
established. While still not
mainstream, this new story
has given hope not only to
hundreds of thousands of
environmental activists
around the world, but as well
to thoughtful people in many
fields, including economics,
theology, education, politics
and science.
The new story of the
universe goes something like
this: we moderns, using tools
like the Hubble Telescope,
are the first generation that
possesses the resource of the
continuous 14 billion-year
story of the unfurling from
the original flaring forth,
through the establishment of
the galaxies, stars and
planets, to the development
of cellular life, to the
expanding diversity of life
here on earth, to the rise of a
particular kind of serf-
reflective consciousness,
which is the hallmark of
human beings. The
cosmologist Brian Swimme
offers one of the most
concise and beautiful
(journeyoftheuniverse.org/).
This life-changing account of
our origins and creative
potential ought to be seen by
every student, congressman,
pastor, rabbi, mullah,
businessman, in short,
everyone.
What are the implications?
First, this scientific story of
the universe is the basis for
all stories, all religions, all
the mythic systems humans
have devised to give meaning
to our presence here -- and
further, this story is the basis
not only for our religious
myths and symbols, but for
our educational systems,
economics and political
arrangements. We humans
belong in this universe. We
emerged from it. The
elements in our bodies,
carbon and oxygen and
calcium, were forged in the
furnace of the stars.
A second obvious
implication is our economic
systems must be based in the
reality of the economics of
the earth itself. As Berry said
again and again, you cannot
have healthy humans on a
sick planet. We cannot
extract more resources than
the planet can naturally
replace, or pollute its
systems to the point where it
is unable to heal itself. At
present our world economic
system is based on doing
exactly that.
A third clear implication is
all humans are intimately
related and connected in
their collective story and
their collective fate, and
connected to all the living
systems of the earth without
which our lives would be
impossible. All our divisions,
in the context of the universe
story are artificial
abstractions based upon
fears, labels and projections:
Arab and Jew, Shia and
Sunni, Islam and "the West,"
capitalist and socialist,
Republican and Democrat.
The degree of this
interdependence has taken
on a fresh intensity of
meaning in the light of our
ecological awareness of
global interdependence. We
cannot save the earth in
parts. If Brazil fails to
preserve the rain forest, the
very lungs of the earth, none
of us will breathe
oxygenated air. Among
thoughtful citizens
worldwide, such ideas are
already well-worn clich6s.
But the clich6 falls far
behind the actions we need to
undertake to actually
address the problems.
It is astonishing to realize
as a part of this awesome
unfolding story, our reflective
serf-consciousness has also
managed to unlock the
enormous destructive power
at the heart of the atom --
threatening everything on
our small planet. In the same
way our minds and hearts
have not caught up with the
need for radical concerted
action to address our
ecological challenges, we also
experience a distance
between the reality humans
cannot afford to use nuclear
weapons, and concrete
political efforts to abolish
them, efforts which are still
considered pie-in-the-sky by
our leaders.
Nuclear weapons are a
symptom of our security
fears, but these very fears
can become a motive for
action toward disarmament
if the shared system of
mutual fears is made the
basis of diplomacy, The fatal
combination of our us and
them thinking and weapons
themselves, no matter who
has them, is the threat. It is
an illusion to think just
because we are American or
French or Pakistani or
Chinese, we are infallible
and wouldn't misuse them.
There is no going back. They
can't be nn-invented. They
cannot provide security,
because if they were
detonated above a certain
not-so-large number (some
scientists speculate about 5
percent of existing weapons),
a planet-ending nuclear
winter would ensue.
Most of the media seems
utterly wed to the apparently
unchangeable truth of this
fear system. But the
normative political ges{ure of
people who understand they
all emerged from one
universe begins with
reaching out beyond an
automatic assumption of
competitiveness toward the
familiarity that establishes
safe spaces for dialogue,
friendship and gradually
built trust, in the context of
challenges shared by all.
Were I a diplomat, I would
base my confidence-building
overtures with perceived
adversaries on this new way
of thinking -- nations may
be enemies on one level, but
on a planetary level welall
face this threat together. I
would pledge no-first-ue. I
would push hard for a
nuclear-free zone in the
Middle East, especially
difficult as that might be.
In the larger context of the
universe story, may there
11B
soon come a time when the
nations of the world,
accepting the uselessness of
nuclear weapons in war,
might cooperate to create a
reliable system of rockets
and warheads for diverting
asteroids on a collision path
with our earth. People tend
to cooperate more effectively
if they can join forces toward
a common goal. Then these
destructive weapons will take
their place in the creative
context we already know to
be true: we're all in this 14-
billion-year-old adventure
together.
Myers is the author of
"Living Beyond War." A
Citizen's Guide, "serves on the
advisory board of the War
Prevention Initiative and
writes for Peace Voice.
VETERANS, from page 7B
The answer is to close
down most of theVA
hospitals. We need to keep
the skilled care facilities that
treat our war wounded and
train people to walk and
function again.
The government budget for
funding Veterans Affairs in
2014 is $152.7 billion. Let's
eliminate half of thebudget
by shutting down tworthirds
of these soldier-killing
hospitals.
Next, give veterans a
medical card that allows
them tog o anywhere in the
United States ibinedical
care. These men and women
have served our country and
should not be treated to
lesser medical care than
fellow Americans.
Mollette is an American
columnist read in all 50 states.
Contact him at
GMollette@aol.com or find
him on Facebook.
He is the author of
"American Issues" and
numerous other books.
CHRISTENSEN
INSURANCE
Expert assistance with Group Insurance.
"A Friend you can depend 'on for Life"
Susan Christensen Edwards
530.257.2263 or 888.257.2263
CA Lie #0762221
www.christensenins.com
40 S. Roop St. • Susanville
I
13 = Annual Fdends in Art Show
i
I
December 13 th and 14 th, 2013 i
'Please join us for aJ Give the gift of '
'opening reception Art this year!
on Friday night,
December 13 th at
Artisan Coffee in
Janesville (253-300(
There will be
refreshments served
from 5"30 until 8:00 pm Susan Dunklau ~ water colors,
and the artists will be scarves
there to meet and
show their work on
Friday evening and
Saturday.
i Door prizes will be
i drawn on Saturday,
December 14th.
Art will remain on sale
for the entire month of
December.
Participating artists:
Schwirian ~
fine jewelry
Jacquie Cordova ~
raku pottery and watercolors
Robert Tripplet ~ woodworking
Norma DeBaker ~ fused glass
jewelry
Patricia Neely ~ wildlife
photography
Lynda Alberico - pine needle
baskets ' '
Shirley Robinson ~ water color
paintings
Ron McBride ~ paintings and
sculptures
Debbie Cleaveland --
Peruvian wool felted hats
Lassen Co. Humane Society
~ Christmas wreaths ,
0000REALTY
LASSEN LAND & HOMES
Independently Owned and Operated
Susanville 257-7727
The Lassen County Tax Collector, Richard Egan
wants to remind you that the 1 st installment of the
2013-2014 secured property tax bill was due
November 1, 2013. Payments will be delinquent if
not received or postmarked by December 10, 2013.
After that a 10% penalty will be added. The Tax
Collector's office hours from December 2, 2013, thru
December 10, 2013 will be from 8:00 AM to 5:00
PM. If you have not received a tax bill please call the
office at 251-8221. Additionally, the deadline for
filing for a homeowner's exemption is also December
10, 2013. Call the Assessor's Office at 251-8241
with any questions on this filing.
II Ill l
California Correctional Center
& Lassen Family Services
24th Annual Victims of Crime
Hobby Craft Fair & Auction
Hobby Craft Fair will be held at Lassen County Fairgrounds
Friday December 6 th - 4:00pm to 8:00pm
Saturday December 7 th- 10:00am to 3:00pm
Auction begins at 1:00pm
Great Holiday Gifts! Handcrafted Wooden Items!
Made by the California Correctional Center Fire Camps
All donations benefit victims of crime in Lassen County
Enter Our Drawing to WIN a
Handmade Wooden Play House
Tickets are a $20 Donation for 1,
$50 Donation for 3, '100 Donation for 6
Drawing to be held on December 19, 2013
For tickets or information call Ashley 257-5459 x1252
i