A few mornings ago, when greeting the trees as I do each time I arrive at my new property, a voice inside me told me
that I would be happy spending my remaining days here.
The land I will be living on is most definitely sacred. I feel it in my bones every moment. This area also seems to attract people who
are humble and loving caretakers of the environment, which is very heartening.
After discussing my photographs and the environment with fellow artist and Quaker Dick Beardsley, I was invited to an inaugural Interfaith meeting on
climate change which I attended in Gainesville on Sunday. Listening to the
presenters and sharing with the other attendees was such a moving
experience. The gathering, organized by
the Baha’i Center, stressed the commonality of every faith’s commitment to the
environment. Witnessing the energy of
diverse groups coming together with a single agenda was both beautiful and
inspiring. Everyone shared ideas freely
and no one acted as if their group’s efforts were superior to anyone
else’s. Sitting there, I thought how
wonderful it would be if politicians could behave the same way, instead of
always acting divisively. In fact, a
major topic of discussion was how important it was to depoliticize saving the
environment. Living on a healthy planet
is everyone’s birthright and something we may not pass on to future generations
unless this cycle of war on the earth is stopped in its tracks. Another very important theme was
accountability. Each presenter mentioned
that despite having a beautifully crafted statement on climate change, the
challenge was living up to the statement. Elected officials and we are also complicit
in this. It will take both pressuring
government and corporations to do the right thing, both locally and globally,
as well as living what we preach for real change to occur.
Though I belong to no organized religion myself at this moment,
I am deeply spiritual from revelations I have had communing with nature. The connection between spirit and nature is profound
and, I believe, the key to saving our planet.
It does not matter which religion you belong to or which God or Gods you
bow to, or even if you believe in God with a capital “G” at all. What matters is that you recognize there is a
life affirming energy or power greater than your limited consciousness and that
the sacred exists here and now on this earth, with all its beauty and all its
scars. When you believe something is
sacred, whether it is your nuclear family or your larger home earth, you treat
it and everything it touches with respect.
You also recognize that if you harm your spiritual home you harm yourself.
I know I have found my physical and spiritual home, which
fills me with with joy and hope. Yet,
there are so many issues of grave concern facing our planet. Though it is admirable to reduce our personal
carbon footprints, it is not enough. I
cannot responsibly decide to annex myself from the rest of civilization and
grow my own garden and live off the land without a care for what exists beyond
the perimeter of my property. We exist in an interconnected web and things
happening far away have a huge impact on our present wellbeing and future
survival. Likewise, our actions directly
affect the rest of the world. This has both positive and negative ramifications. Melting glaciers may turn even the north of
Florida, where my new home is located, into little islands; and Sarasota, where
I used to live, may well be underwater as Miami will undoubtedly be. When the lakes in Montana are drained to
water crops in Idaho, or the water from the Colorado River is pumped over
mountains to Nevada and Southern California, water shortages are experienced in
areas where water should have flown freely. Yet, if we act as conscious
caretakers and reduce carbon emissions in our country, the effect will be felt
throughout the earth’s ecosystem. There
will likely be fewer fires and charred trees won’t be swept into rivers
increasing silt concentrations to the point of bursting dams, like what
happened in Boulder this past fall.
Now more than ever, establishing an ever-widening community
of concerned people who are willing to stand up for imposing a carbon tax,
strengthening clean water standards, and other environmentally sound policies
is essential. Stemming the war we are waging
on earth is bigger than any of us, either individually, regionally, or
nationally can do alone, and if we want other countries to follow our lead we
must practice what we preach. We need to
check in with each other to make sure we are on track, and we need to support
each other by sharing knowledge and educating others who remain doubtful of the
severity of the problem. Instead of
attacking people who don’t understand how serious things are, we need to find
common ground, communicate, and work together to do what we can to make things
better and to dispel the hopeless feeling that it is too late to do anything. We all know we are going to die one day, but
most of us do not try to make it happen as quickly as possible because of this
realization. Rather, if we are mentally
balanced and connected to life, we try to enjoy each day and live in ways that
will make us healthier and allow us to live longer with a better quality of
life. This is the way we need to think
about the earth.
The photographs below are from a recent pilgrimage to
Glacier National Park several months ago to observe some remaining glaciers
before they vanish forever if carbon emissions continue at their current
rate.
The first photograph is of Grinnell Gracier. I hiked up there with Tom Skeele, the former
head of the International League of Conservation Photographers. It was a beautiful hike and we saw many beautiful
glacial lakes along the way. The intense
blue of the water was like nothing I have ever seen. What we encountered after hiking six miles to the glacier was very disturbing
though. So much has melted it was more
like a big lake with a small glacial shoreline. On the way down, we met two young women who
had volunteered to work with climate scientists. The scientists had said that phase two of
their project, during their lifetime, was going to be studying the effects of
the totally melted glaciers on the surrounding area.
 |
| Grinnell Glacier ©Lynne Buchanan |
On the way back to the car, we passed by Swiftcurrent Lake
in the late afternoon sun. It was so
peaceful and the reflections of the mountains in the lake were exquisite,
though at one time there was no doubt much more snow and ice on the peaks.
 |
| Swift Current Lake ©Lynne Buchanan |
The photograph below is from a spectacular hike from the
visitor center at Logan Pass. The
clouds, colors, rock formations, and little lakes and streams made for a
magical wonderland. Though the park may
not have the glaciers it once did, it is still an incredibly beautiful place
and it warrants protecting.
 |
| Glacial Pool ©Lynne Buchanan |
The final photograph is of St. Mary’s Lake at sunrise. It evokes my emotional response to life on
this planet in the face of climate change. The mist on the water suggests a
spiritual presence, which called me to connect with the place and make the
photograph. The water level is clearly
low and my eye was lead into the scene by leading lines of the broken branch
and exposed pebbles. This part of the
photograph is a poem about the earth and specifically water’s vulnerability,
though all the elements are of course connected. The water itself is still and peaceful with
an expansive vista, which is something I frequently envision in the depths of healing
meditations. Then there is the sky,
which is filled with stormy clouds with a few rosy hues interspersed, a glimmer
of hope within an ominous environment .
The scene is simultaneously calm and turbulent, beautiful and foreboding.
 |
| St. Mary's Lake at Dawn |
The metaphorical sun is not shining on the earth right
now. Scientists who don’t like to meddle
with politics and public policies are urging us to take action before it is too
late. Some people believe we are past the
tipping point and it is a matter of how long before we totally make life on
earth for the human species impossible.
Yet this does not mean we should give up. We must look for that glimmer of hope and fan
the sparks, by acknowledging the presence of the scared in nature, no matter
how hidden it is from some people’s eyes in our technologically driven
society. When we do this we heal
ourselves, and when we heal ourselves we have our best shot at healing the
planet. It is our responsibility as
stewards of our home…
As a final note, I would like to thank the organizers of this Interfaith gathering for making the sharing of information among concerned people
possible and for inspiring me so much with their wise comments and caring
hearts.
