Futility and the New Paradigm
Reflection given to the Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, June 12th, 2015
The first time I attended ICUJP was in September, or perhaps October, of 2009. The date could be checked if such records are kept because the Reflection that morning was given by Dr. John Cobb.
Last weekend, as I am sure you all know, and as some here today even experienced, Dr. Cobb produced the four-day conference “Seizing an Alternative: Toward an Ecological Civilization” under the organization he co-founded, Pando Populus, and which was held at Pomona College in Claremont. I was fortunate to attend for most – though not all – of Saturday.
Three days later, which is also to say three days ago, at an interfaith gathering not too dissimilar to this one, each of us was asked to share our current mood and way of thinking in just 60 seconds. Like many in the room, I was still conscious of the John Cobb event though my comment could hardly have caused more alarm and consternation for I confessed that, to my own mind, most of what we do is futile.
Moreover, it was not a new thought nor, may I say – despite its undertones – unduly depressing. It just described my hardened way of thinking.
Conversing later via email, I compared this thinking to the sentiment expressed by the general in the beautiful book (and film), “Babette’s Feast”. Standing alone before the mirror, bedecked in all his finery and medals, he gazes at himself for a long while before remarking with a sigh, “All is vanity.”
In a more religious context, I am reminded of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount when he says:
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
"And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"
Well, I know this is not a direct or even fair comparison, but I will continue this attempt to explain myself, noting Shakespeare’s observation that it can be by indirection that we find direction out.
To wit, I recently saw it explained that if we consider the planet to be 46 years old (as a simpler form of reckoning than its more actual age of 4.6 billion years), then mankind has been here merely for the past four hours. The Industrial Revolution took place one minute ago, and in the past 60 seconds we have destroyed more than half the world’s forests and so much more besides.
In other words, it is hard not to see mankind as a terminal disease or as a barely conscious, yet suicidal baby unlikely to live beyond its first few hours.
Jesus concluded his key-note speech upon the mountain by saying “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
John Cobb, in a somewhat different way, summed up his conference by calling upon us to find a New Paradigm, and while I do not disclaim this noble vision – and even share it – my point about futility is that I have yet to see such a search paralleling the exhortation of the Master Jesus, to seek the kingdom of God above all so that all else might be added unto it. And to my way of thinking, all lesser efforts otherwise sought might be termed as futile; or in layman’s language, a continuation of putting the cart before the horse.
None of this diminishes my considerable admiration for John Cobb. As he has, equally, so well observed, “At this point, we either re-think everything or give up hope. So we’re re-thinking.”
My question is how far are we willing to be mentally stretched, for it takes far more than merely an academic, intellectual approach – which, on its own, can at times become an impediment to progress.
Much more, it takes the breaking of the human heart to really heal the world: a global mourning for the tragedy we have wreaked upon ourselves and upon our planet.
To me, this is the real beginning of any lasting change and without it I am convinced that we need prepare for shock. Without a collective sense of deep remorse, and a genuine reconciliation and desire to truly know and understand God in a far more enlightened way, all our deeds – no matter how well intended – are unlikely to lead us very far from the gates of hell towards which our civilization is being frantically drawn.
Meanwhile, Dr. Cobb’s fellow co-founder of Pando Populus, Eugene B. Shirley – an equally fine man – writes in his recent blog:
“Many people today recognize the central importance of ecological relations. But few realize that this implies a fundamentally different view of what is real.”
I believe that this is our greatest challenge – to note that we are existing not merely upon a living planet with oceans, forests, eco-systems and bio-diversity, but upon one which is also conscious; just as the Sun, the Stars, the Galaxy and the Universe are conscious; that we belong to an Infinite Wisdom not merely contained within the four-hour old baby that, within the last few seconds, barely conscious that it is even alive, is already sowing its own destruction.
This, I believe, is the New Paradigm we must collectively find – this notion of what is truly real – but which, as yet, lies beyond the boundaries of our so-called intellectuals. Urgency is required, and an openness to understand that “Every really new idea looks crazy at first”, to quote Alfred North Whitehead, the philosophical mentor behind Dr. Cobb, Eugene Shirley, and this conference.
In recent weeks I have struck up a very enjoyable correspondence with Dr. Cobb and a kind invitation to join him for lunch. I look forward to sharing some of these thoughts when we meet, and the opportunity to perhaps discard at least part of my present cloud of futility.