Discuss: Playing for Keeps

Dang. This boy might just turn out o.k. after all.

Your article reminded me of this comment - from a geologist who perhaps does know how to listen…

Maybe the Earth is trying to tell us something

“Not only are the oceans and atmosphere conspiring against us, bringing baking temperatures, more powerful storms and floods, but the crust beneath our feet seems likely to join in too,” said Professor Bill McGuire, Director of the Benfield Hazard Research Centre, at University College London.

“Maybe the Earth is trying to tell us something,” he added.

Source: MAIL & GUARDIAN, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Sep 11 2009 http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-09-11-maybe-the-earth-is-trying-to-tell-us-something

brilliant as usual

More inspiration—in spirit and so spirited. Thank you.

I truly love the image associated with this article. I see surface listening and then deep embedded listening where Nature and self co-create a conversation.
It reminds me of this quote from Stephen Nachmanovitch in his book Free Play.
Life’s solutions lie in the minute particulars, involving more and more individual people daring to create their own life and art, daring to listen to the voice in their deepest original nature, and deeper still, the voice within the Earth.
I’m wondering what Derrick would say about the role human creativity plays in our capacity to listen, speak heartfully and behave in ways that honour our relationship with Nature.

The essence of an endangered experiences - being able to sit quietly, to be in a space the lets one actually hear the myriad of natural sounds and voices.  I do 1-minute of silence with kids while on hikes and it’s profound.  If they don’t have that as a touch-stone, then the constant babble of their world will only increase, expotentially.  Cell phones are just the latest distraction, making it easy to forget the other layer that surrounds us.

Your thoughts and words are wise.  Indigenous peoples still inhabit the earth. Where we are unable to “bring them around to our way” we frequently try to undercut the living structure that supports their way.  Man is Playing for Keeps and has been supported by governments and institutions for about 7000 years, perhaps more.  Hard to break that chain of thought.  Keep up the good work.  Maybe someone is listening somewhere in the universe.

This is a good essay and obviously heart-felt. These are things that Vine Deloria Jr. pointed out in many of his writings during his time on earth. If you are interested in what Vine had to say, I’d suggest his books Red Earth White Lies, the introductory chapter of We Talk You Listen, and a particularly good essay titled “American Indians and the Wilderness,” published in Return of the Wild: The Future of our Natural Lands,” edited by Ted Kerasote.