Three
Worlds and Cooking the Planet
The
earth is suffering. We are cooking our planet by focusing only on the present
for our short term gains. We have failed to grow in our sense of community, and
global warming, fast approaching a point of no return, is the most extensively
visible result.
On the other hand, embracing
the three worlds of past, present, and future provides us with a key to understanding
how we may achieve a bright and beautiful future for ourselves and the planet.
By developing a longer view of ourselves in space and time and embracing these
three worlds of past, present, and future, we may begin to move from planetary
suffering to planetary health. By increasing our awareness, we begin to get in
touch with larger community.
The solution to
global warming begins with developing a greater awareness of this planetary community
of which we are a part. Touching this larger community is an experience of healing
for planet and person.
The world of the future
To begin embracing the world of the future, we must
learn to live, as any good parent does, in such a way as to contribute to the
well-being of future generations. If we cannot do that, we must, at least, cease
living at their expense. For years we have pursued the paths of immediate gain
that have pushed us close the point of no return on global warming. In so doing
we are passing on an enormous expense to future generations.
Shame
on us! What good parent would treat a child in such a way? It is time for us to
begin to live with more energy efficiency, so that future generations inherit
a more beautiful, cleaner, healthier planet. A truly loving embrace of the future
is one that delivers greater healing rather than greater suffering for the earth
community.
The world of the past
Equally
important for our growing awareness is our embracing of the world of the past.
To embrace the past is to honor those who have gone before us. Holding their memory
in our hearts, we hear their voices again. When we stand in the footprints and
walk in the paths of the ancient ones, we reach beyond ourselves to expand, through
time, our vision of community.
The world of the
past is a rich storehouse of all the hopes and treasures of the earth and the
family of humans. We are the only ones who can protect these treasures. When we
bring them to new life, they begin to speak to us and enable us to expand our
own awareness and hope for the future.
The
Japanese tell a story of Todo Takatora, who had lost the lid to a golden
tea kettle. The whole household searched and searched for the lid. Finally it
was concluded there was no hope. Takatora ordered another lid to be made. The
craftsman suggested that due to the high cost of making a pure gold lid, it would
be better to make one of less expensive metal and plate it with gold. However,
Takatora ordered the new one to be made of pure gold. He said, "It is not
impossible that this one may be lost like the first, and if it should be found
and discovered not to be pure gold, then the reputation of the kettle itself will
suffer and people will think that it is only gilt too. One cannot be too careful
about the repute of one's family treasures."
When
we embrace the world of the past with pure hearts, we are, like Takatora, protecting
the reputation of our human family treasures. By creating our own "lid of
pure gold" we bring the world of the past to life.
The
world of the present
Embracing the present
is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks. To be fully aware in the present moment
escapes most of us most of the time. Making matters worse, we often suffer because
we dream of the past and future — not in order to affirm those worlds in
their own right, but rather to escape the world of the present. We begin to live
mindlessly, unable to find ourselves or our community.
On
the other hand, there are special moments when the beauty of nature touches us
and we know we are not alone. In these moments we are reconnected with a larger
community in space and time. A moment of being present to the present is a moment
of magic — an ancient truth. By practicing mindfulness and embracing the
three worlds, every moment becomes bright and shining.
Sometimes
when I am making something in my woodworking shop, I have rare moments when none
of my moves have any wasted motion. These are magic moments. Without wasted motion,
I reach for a tool and there it is. That moment, displays a smooth flowing of
my life. My past planning, my intention, my hand, the tool, the future hope, the
object being made: one totality celebrating the world of the present. I know that
you also have had this experience; we have embraced the present together, something
too special to miss.
Being made whole is one
definition of health. This is the path of awareness, in which one reaches for
totality. To embrace the three worlds of the past, present, and future is to expand
our awareness and to contribute to the relief of suffering for ourselves and the
earth. This expanded awareness lays the foundation for our solution to global
warming.
- Roger Irwin