Dear Friends
On this first day of spring,
I just want to share a few quotes of Rachel Carson. She, as you know, is the author
of “Silent Spring”, published in 1962. The book begins with “A Fable for Tomorrow”,
well worth reading again to grab our attention and, hopefully, continue to call
us to action. I just re-read it. It is so powerful and urgent.
I was reminded of her seminal work because she is the
focus for the fourth week of Lent in a brochure I have been using: Lent: To
Live Anew by Joan Chittister. (The drawing above by Marcy Hall is from this brochure).
Here are the quotes:
+++ “The more clearly we can focus our
attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the
less taste we shall have for human destruction.”
+++ “Those who contemplate the beauty of
the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life
lasts.”
+++ “One way to open your eyes is to ask
yourself, ‘What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never
see it again?’”
+++ “Those who dwell among the beauties
and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.”
+++ “There is something infinitely healing
in the repeated refrains of nature---the assurance that dawn comes after night,
and spring after winter.”
Even for us spoiled Southern Californians,
that last phrase, spring after winter, sounds and feels good! But as we feel
good about spring finally arriving, the dedication at the beginning of Silent
Spring is sobering:
To
Albert Schweitzer who said
“Man
has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall.
He
will end by destroying the earth.”
Fifty-eight years later, progress has been made. But will
we have the courage and political will to meet and defeat the dire predictions
that remain?
For the beauty of the earth, for our children’s
children, Good Lord, deliver us!
John
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