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It is finally no secret that life itself is threatened in our modern world. The facts are in and the responses we all have are individual. However, as in any crisis or difficulty my first question is; What is the opportunity? It's obvious that co-existence is a fact and now cooperation becomes a necessity. As in all things, this is an art, which will take many different forms. The recognition of our interdependence as nations may well come out of the creativity we exhibit locally, as America turns toward local involvement with one another when the Peak Oil and energy crisis is fully understood.

It is easy to feel despair and helplessness over the direction we are heading as the climate and weather changes. (What has happened to the bees?) But to quote Kenny Ausubel (page 210 in Restoring the Earth) “There is a global renaissance at the heart of which is the simple principle of reverence for life in all its forms. It is often founded on a new covenant with nature and a reaffirmation of compassion for all the world’s peoples.”

Johnathan Schell adds “All the technical solutions for environmental problems are insufficient to correct our straying course without a deep renewal of life-affirming values.” (His book is The Unconquerable World) Shifting our priorities from commodities to life may be the central spiritual challenge of our time according to Kenny Ausubel. His involvement in this by creating the Bioneers, over the past decade, with Paul Hawken and others, has been the project of large numbers of individuals and communities all over the world.

America can BE the republic that demonstrates the checks and balances of three branches of government to shift our current policies and revive the social, economic and ecological agendas of the country. If NOT, local communities and neighborhoods can choose to work together for the sustainability of their area.

The creative response to our times requires a personal integration that extends trust, discerns the practicalities needed and comes from the wisdom inherent in the human being whose intentions are high. Our responses are beyond political or religious affiliations. The questions of our time about Valuing Life could unify us, and heal many separations.

“In our everyday lives, we may accept change grudgingly. In the garden, however, we nurture and celebrate its stunning Beauty. All gardens remind us that we are part of a larger universe” to quote Lauri Brunton and Erin Fournier from The Sanctuary Garden. Interestingly, only America is new to the need for neighborhood gardens. Our visits to England, France and Australia show the common practice of neighborhood gardening as a part of life.

Over the years the larger Growing Domes have been a central piece for about fifteen schools and communities in their garden project. The legacy of life offered there as a living classroom and a central hub of activity may now become a refuge for those who wish to grow locally, as the opportunity for organic food from far distances is reduced.

For information on the Global Climate Crisis and our need to respond, please read The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler, or The Winds of Change by Eugene Linden. See the DVD called The End of Suburbia….and June 19th, at 8pm, PBS will host a special called Earth at the Edge, by Bill Moyers.

-- Puja Dhyan