Excerpts from my latest paper

We live in a time where questions are often considered a sign of weakness, especially unanswered questions. I believe that living in the tension of unanswered questions is a sign of strength. Living in this tension is difficult, confusing, and empowering – difficult because it is tension and tension does not feel good; confusing because we are taught to find answers, not to let the unanswered questions really sink into our psyche; and empowering because when we really live in the tension without sidestepping it or finding answers prematurely, a resident strength that I believe is inherent in the human emerges. Grief that results from the death of a loved one, for example, is not as honored in our society as I believe it should be. I can theorize in my papers about the benefits and disadvantages of embodiment, and the gloriousness of what might come after we transition from this life, but for those of us left here on this earth after a loved one dies, it is a tragedy. I do not know what happens after death for those who have died, but I have seen and felt what happens to those of us who are left. I wish our culture allowed us to grieve with abandon without the shame of weakness. I think a lot of sickness, violence and oppression comes from these pent up emotions. It gets stuck in our bodies and our thoughts and it messes us up. I believe it ends up coming out of us like poison, sometimes through violent behavior, other times through physical or mental illness, just to mention a few of the possibilities.

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If it is true that we humans are the ones given charge over the rest of creation, then I believe it is a charge of tending, not one of dominance. We can only honor who we truly are if we honor the Earth and all her creatures. In honoring the Earth and all her creatures, then and only then, are we honoring the Presence and participating in Christ energy. I believe we must listen to Earth and all her creatures – listen for the pain that we are inflicting and change our expectations and our habits. There is a short step between humans taking the rest of creation for granted and taking each other for granted. I believe human liberation is dependent on the liberation of the rest of creation. We must work to liberate Earth and all her living beings.