Wood Chips
From the shores of Lake Superior (The Third Coast)
Stories are what give meaning and keep our lives moving along. If we’re emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually healthy, those stories need to keep changing. But this goes against our tendency to keep things as they are, a stable world allowing us to carve out our identity and find our special place in it. There’s a lot of nostalgia and memory here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, those of us who have lived here for many years cherish those recollections. We find comfort in them.
Now the global pandemic is turning things upside down. We’re learning about viruses, we’re learning about herd immunity, we’re learning about vaccines. We’re also recognizing about the deep rifts in our culture that separate the rich from the poor. A history of systemic racism is surfacing. We’re arming ourselves under the pretense of the 2nd Amendment. The purchase of guns has risen 300% around the country from March, 2020.
We need a new story. The old one has brought us to this place We need a reset. A New Song.
A commitment to understanding the natural world in a more committed way will be part of the equation. Insights from the great spiritual traditions of religious life will be essential. Deepening our empathy and compassion will be yet another important component. Building new space stations, establishing colonies on distant planets in our solar system and abandoning Mother Earth won’t be. The real work is here. Now.
Jon Magnuson
The Cedar Tree Institute
“Wood Chips” is a series of brief reflections written by Jon Magnuson, Director of the Cedar Tree Institute.
