Weekly Pause & Ponder

"Playing the power-games of patriarchal domination is deeply alien to the nature of life as exemplified in the quantum vision.  Our insatiable desire for control makes no sense in a universe where everything exercises its own sense of control precisely because everything is out of our control. The goal of our desiring, contrary to popular perception, is not control, but surrender, not human mastery, but trust. When we rehabilitate nature’s capacity for desire, then human desire stands a much better chance of growth and flourishing. We live in a self-organizing universe, where we humans need to have the humility and wisdom to submit our plans to the greater cosmic and planetary systems."

The Transformation of Desire, p. 71 by Diarmuid O’Murchu;Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY 10545

Austerity is taking a terrible toll

On April 12^th the Office for Systemic Justice made a presentation and submitted a brief to the Ontario Pre-Budget Consultation 2013, conducted by Finance Minister Sousa. The Brief set the context for its recommendations by pointing out that the Austerity agenda, which has been pursued by many governments over the past few years, has taken a terrible toll on both economies and people. 

You know austerity isn’t working well when even the International Monetary Fund is concluding that the negative impact of austerity on economic growth is greater than they had anticipated.  More to the point, Alex Himelfarb, Director of the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs at York University, argues that spending was not Ontario’s problem before the financial meltdown and it is not the problem now.  Rather, spending was a logical response to the meltdown and the problem lies more squarely on such factors as loss of revenue and years of tax cuts to wealthy citizens and corporations that never delivered on their promise of growth and jobs.  Likewise, economist Paul Krugman insists that government deficits are a symptom of a greater economic disease, not the disease itself.  

In the light of this context, we identified some specific recommendations for the government. I  won’t get into all of our recommendations but here are two from the section on Job Growth and Environmental Care:

• Invest in public transit and create new revenue tools dedicated to public transit expansion.
• Invest in high-quality training programs that are available and accessible to all Ontarians, especially unemployed individuals and members of marginalized communities, in order to ensure that Ontario’s workforce is equipped with the skills and knowledge needed in the green economy

Then, in the section addressing Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth we pointed out that, when people living in poverty get an increase to their income, they spend it on basic necessities.  In other words, the money goes right back into the economy, supporting all kinds of local businesses.  Poverty reduction measures have a positive impact on economic growth and, more importantly, these measures help to create a fair society.  Again, here are just three of the many recommendations:

• Raise the minimum wage to at least $11.50 (indexed to inflation). 
• Take measures to reverse the growth in precarious employment by reforming outdated employment laws and enforcing strong employment standards.
• Work toward implementation of the Social Assistance Review Commission’s recommendations and start by immediately increasing the rate for single people receiving social assistance by $100/month.

We have a new Premier in Ontario. The upcoming budget will tell us if we’re heading in a new direction; if we’re moving beyond austerity.

Sue Wilson csj

Putting a Face on Climate Change: Help Build Earth Day Mosaic

Based on data from previous years, an estimated one billion citizens from 192 countries participate in events to celebrate Earth Day. The link below features an interesting invitation to take part in Earth Day 2013. Organizers of this year’s Earth Day have envisioned a creative initiative to engage the public in portraying its global theme, “The Face of Climate Change”. Their venture is to create a digital mosaic. This international mosaic composed of accumulated photographs will be shared on April 22, at Earth Day events around the world. This collection of images will depict the current reality of climate change by focusing our attention on people, animals and places presently directly affected by this change.  In contrast, the mosaic will feature positive steps being taken by concerned planetary persons to slow and reverse the devastating course of events. Organizers hope this project will personalize a complex, debated, and often seemingly remote reality. This year, be one of billion citizens to take personal steps to counter climate change. Let’s harness the momentum to speak to power for systemic change.

Take 1.16 minutes to learn more about this international endeavor at                           http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s1cG_T0s280.

You can visit www.earthday.org/2013 and scroll down to see the mosaic take shape.

Nancy Wales csj

Conscious Evolution: More than just a “Buzz Word”

Conscious evolution is the growing awareness that we are all inherently connected and that everything we do affects the whole. In other words, WE ARE ONE. “Conscious evolution refers to humanity’s new ability to choose what the species Homo Sapiens becomes in the future”. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscious_evolution)

As a human species we are all caught up in this conscious evolution that takes us far beyond the words in the song “No [man] one is an island.” 

From simple observation, it is apparent that the massive changes that are affecting the entire universe are sending a loud message to the human species here on earth: evolve or die.  Many of these changes have come about because of the newly discovered advances in technology, science...advances that have been made by the human species, for better or for worse.

Many of these massive changes have resulted in huge tragedies. Consider the number of major climatic tragedies of the past several years due to our pollution of the ecosystem: the tsunamis, Hurricane Sandy, global warming which is causing the depletion of the Arctic environment and hence endangering many species dependent on it. Noteworthy as well, is the over consumption and dependency on oil at the expense of the health of the planet, such as the Alberta tar sands and the proposed pipeline expansions.  

We see that problems that were created in the past need new innovative solutions for a sustainable future: War is not the answer to peace; having more material goods is not the answer to happiness; treating the earth as an object to be used is not the answer to a sustainable life together. The list could go on and on. We are the only species on this Earth aware that we can destroy ourselves by our own actions. This may be the greatest wake-up call to the evolution of consciousness since the origin of homo sapiens.

There are many people today searching for greater meaning and expressing it in creative ways. Because “We are becoming aware that through our own consciousness the universe can know itself, this awareness reveals incredible new potential for our individual and collective humanity.” 

As Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada we are committed to graced evolution of consciousness and we continue to ask ourselves, “What transforming energies need to be nurtured and released in ourselves and in the world”? We commit ourselves to living into this urgent question and invite you to consider the ramifications for yourselves. There are opportunities for action to unleash transforming energies in ourselves and in our world.

 

“Conscious Evolution is a process by which we can individually and collectively take responsibility for our future. It is a process of giving direction to the evolution of human systems by purposeful action. And most importantly, Conscious Evolution enables us, if we take responsibility for it, to use our creative power to guide our own lives and the evolution of the systems and the communities in which we live and work. It is a process by which individuals and groups, families, organizations, and societies can envision and create images of what should be, and bring those images to life by design.” (http://www.barbaramarxhubbard.com/site/node/8)

Kathleen Lichti csj

Weekly Pause & Ponder

"Those who seek well-being, who grasp for more than their share, will find life pinched and fearful. They will reap only the anxiety of needing more and more, fueled by the fear that someday everything will be taken away. But those who reach out in service to their brothers and sisters, knowing that true abundance is found, not in hoarding, but in community, will find a life of plenty. Having been there for others, they have reason to believe that others will be there for them. Surely this is a conversion–literally, “a  turning”—for it takes the world’s logic of scarcity and turns it upside down. Grasping brings less; letting go brings more. What God wants from our fear of scarcity is not a voracious capitalism but the spiritual insight that we cannot buy the identity and security we seek. Those will come to us only as we let go and live in God’s grace. Which means living in solidarity with those for whom scarcity is no illusion but a matter of life and death.

Taken from The Promise of Paradox by Parker Palmer, p.104;
Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco, CA 94103-1741