The Gaia Community College » science

A Passionate Plea

Biophile — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 14:32:58 +0000

Will there even be a seventh generation from now? We apparently don’t have the capability anymore to be mindful of the seventh generation, but how about starting with the next generation? This most passionate and inspirational plea from a 13 year old girl from Vancouver has apparently been circulating for a while now, but like all great speeches, it has a timeless quality to it, and continues to be relevant. What effect would this video have if it became part of the curriculum at political science universities?

She raises so many good points, but mostly I feel that the depth of her meaning is to remind us to see the forest for the trees. I think that the major shortcoming of the vast majority of environmental discussions, and scientific discussions for that matter, is that they get so lost in the minutiae that they easily forget to place the thoughts in the greater holistic context, and to take the time to find the greater meaning beyond the argument.

My favorite quote of hers ~ “If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it.”

Peace,
Eric

Science of the Heart

Biophile — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:17:59 +0000

Researchers are increasingly becoming aware that the heart is vastly more than a pump, that it is in fact full of neurons and generates a powerful electromagnetic field. I often think of the quote “Be the change you want to see in the world” from Gandhi when I think of human-earth relations, because what we forge within our hearts becomes the basis for how we interact with the world. Along those lines I offer this one minute short from the folks at the Institute of Noetic Sciences about heart science.

This is a beautiful example of just how powerfully our hearts influence our interactions with everything. One of my favorite Thomas Berry quotes also comes to mind ~ “Peace with each other through peace with the earth”, meaning that unless we are able to perceive, appreciate, and inhabit a place of peace within ourselves towards the earth that our chances of establishing peaceful relations within human communities are pretty slim. Of course it all starts within…

Always love,
Eric

Ongoing ~ Brian Swimme perspectives

Aether — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 03:10:54 +0000

I am so in love with Brian Swimme, and am completely unashamed to say so. Every time the man opens his mouth something wondrous emerges to expand on our cosmological appreciation, and this interview from meaning of life .tv is no exception. If you follow this link you will get a very short segment from an hour + long interview by Robert Wright, and you can watch the whole interview below if you have the time. But I selected the “cosmic evolution” clip within the whole program because it contains one of the fundamental perspectives learned from a telling of the great story, that we are literally made of stardust. Every perspective I have encountered that relates this evolutionary fact is glorious, and this is no exception. And Brian once again tries to clarify his meaning on the wedding of science and spirituality that so many people try to pigeon hole him into. Enjoy!