Return of the Giants

They are back!

Once victims of greed, whales are again increasing in number as years go by according to Helen Chryssides. In the year 1999, huge number of whales was recorded to visit the vast sea of Australia. With this return of the giants, Chryssides is inviting us to support this advocacy of helping the whales grow in number.

According to Chryssides, the biggest and the strongest enemy of the whales is human greed. Just like her, I also believe that our character and attitude have great impact in helping the whales cope. If we will just continue to be filled with greed, we will just surely push the whales in the brink of extinction and destruction.

Here in our country, we must be happy to have Pamilacan Island—a place which is considered as a haven for whales. In connection with this, as Filipinos, how are we going to respond to the universal call of caring for the whales? Are we going to help our brother whales in their journey toward flourishing? This is a challenge from God.

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI TO THE MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS FOR THE TRADITIONAL EXCHANGE OF NEW YEAR GREETINGS

Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

This traditional meeting at the beginning of the year, two weeks after the celebration of the birth of the Incarnate Word, is a very joyful occasion for me. As we proclaimed in the liturgy: “We recognize in Christ the revelation of your love. No eye can see his glory as our God, yet now he is seen as one like us. Christ is your Son before all ages, yet now he is born in time. He has come to lift up all things to himself, to restore unity to creation” (Preface of Christmas II). At Christmas we contemplated the mystery of God and the mystery of creation: by the message of the angels to the shepherds, we received the good news of man’s salvation and the renewal of the entire universe. That is why, in my Message for the 2010 World Day of Peace, I urged all persons of good will – those same men and women to whom the angels rightly promised peace – to protect creation. In the same spirit of joy I am happy to greet each of you today, particularly those present for the first time at this ceremony. I thank you most heartily for the good wishes conveyed to me by your Dean, Ambassador Alejandro Valladares Lanza, and I repeat how much I esteem your mission to the Holy See. Through you I send cordial greetings and good wishes for peace and happiness to the leaders and people of the countries which you worthily represent. My thoughts also go to all the other nations of the earth: the Successor of Peter keeps his door open to everyone in the hope of maintaining relations which can contribute to the progress of the human family. It is a cause for deep satisfaction that, just a few weeks ago, full diplomatic relations were established between the Holy See and the Russian Federation. The recent visit of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was likewise very significant; Vietnam is a country close to my heart, where the Church is celebrating her centuries-long presence by a Jubilee Year. In this spirit of openness, throughout 2009 I met many political leaders from all over the world; I also visited some of them and would like to continue to do so, insofar as is possible.

The Church is open to everyone because, in God, she lives for others! She thus shares deeply in the fortunes of humanity, which in this new year continues to be marked by the dramatic crisis of the global economy and consequently a serious and widespread social instability. In my Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, I invited everyone to look to the deeper causes of this situation: in the last analysis, they are to be found in a current self-centred and materialistic way of thinking which fails to acknowledge the limitations inherent in every creature. Today I would like to stress that the same way of thinking also endangers creation. Each of us could probably cite an example of the damage that this has caused to the environment the world over. I will offer an example, from any number of others, taken from the recent history of Europe. Twenty years ago, after the fall of the Berlin wall and the collapse of the materialistic and atheistic regimes which had for several decades dominated a part of this continent, was it not easy to assess the great harm which an economic system lacking any reference to the truth about man had done not only to the dignity and freedom of individuals and peoples, but to nature itself, by polluting soil, water and air? The denial of God distorts the freedom of the human person, yet it also devastates creation. It follows that the protection of creation is not principally a response to an aesthetic need, but much more to a moral need, in as much as nature expresses a plan of love and truth which is prior to us and which comes from God.

For this reason I share the growing concern caused by economic and political resistance to combatting the degradation of the environment. This problem was evident even recently, during the XV Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Copenhagen from 7 to 18 December last. I trust that in the course of this year, first in Bonn and later in Mexico City, it will be possible to reach an agreement for effectively dealing with this question. The issue is all the more important in that the very future of some nations is at stake, particularly some island states.

It is proper, however, that this concern and commitment for the environment should be situated within the larger framework of the great challenges now facing mankind. If we wish to build true peace, how can we separate, or even set at odds, the protection of the environment and the protection of human life, including the life of the unborn? It is in man’s respect for himself that his sense of responsibility for creation is shown. As Saint Thomas Aquinas has taught, man represents all that is most noble in the universe (cf. Summa Theologiae, I, q. 29, a. 3). Furthermore, as I noted during the recent FAO World Summit on Food Security, “the world has enough food for all its inhabitants” (Address of 16 November 2009, No. 2) provided that selfishness does not lead some to hoard the goods which are intended for all.

I would like to stress again that the protection of creation calls for an appropriate management of the natural resources of different countries and, in the first place, of those which are economically disadvantaged. I think of the continent of Africa, which I had the joy of visiting last March during my journey to Cameroon and Angola, and which was the subject of the deliberations of the recent Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The Synod Fathers pointed with concern to the erosion and desertification of large tracts of arable land as a result of overexploitation and environmental pollution (cf. Propositio 22). In Africa, as elsewhere, there is a need to make political and economic decisions which ensure “forms of agricultural and industrial production capable of respecting creation and satisfying the primary needs of all” (Message for the 2010 World Day of Peace, No. 10).

How can we forget, for that matter, that the struggle for access to natural resources is one of the causes of a number of conflicts, not least in Africa, as well as a continuing threat elsewhere? For this reason too, I forcefully repeat that to cultivate peace, one must protect creation! Furthermore, there are still large areas, for example in Afghanistan or in some countries of Latin America, where agriculture is unfortunately still linked to the production of narcotics, and is a not insignificant source of employment and income. If we want peace, we need to preserve creation by rechanneling these activities; I once more urge the international community not to become resigned to the drug trade and the grave moral and social problems which it creates.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the protection of creation is indeed an important element of peace and justice! Among the many challenges which it presents, one of the most serious is increased military spending and the cost of maintaining and developing nuclear arsenals. Enormous resources are being consumed for these purposes, when they could be spent on the development of peoples, especially those who are poorest. For this reason I firmly hope that, during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to be held this May in New York, concrete decisions will be made towards progressive disarmament, with a view to freeing our planet from nuclear arms. More generally, I deplore the fact that arms production and export helps to perpetuate conflicts and violence, as in Darfur, in Somalia or in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Together with the inability of the parties directly involved to step back from the spiral of violence and pain spawned by these conflicts, there is the apparent powerlessness of other countries and the international organizations to restore peace, to say nothing of the indifference, amounting practically to resignation, of public opinion worldwide. There is no need to insist on the extent to which such conflicts damage and degrade the environment. Finally, how can I fail to mention terrorism, which endangers countless innocent lives and generates widespread anxiety. On this solemn occasion, I would like to renew the appeal which I made during the Angelus prayer of 1 January last to all those belonging to armed groups, of whatever kind, to abandon the path of violence and to open their hearts to the joy of peace.

The grave acts of violence to which I have just alluded, combined with the scourges of poverty, hunger, natural disasters and the destruction of the environment, have helped to swell the ranks of those who migrate from their native land. Given the extent of this exodus, I wish to exhort the various civil authorities to carry on their work with justice, solidarity and foresight. Here I wish to speak in particular of the Christians of the Middle East. Beleaguered in various ways, even in the exercise of their religious freedom, they are leaving the land of their forebears, where the Church took root during the earliest centuries. To offer them encouragement and to make them feel the closeness of their brothers and sisters in faith, I have convened for next autumn a Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East.

Ladies and Gentlemen, to this point I have alluded only to a few aspects of the problem of the environment. Yet the causes of the situation which is now evident to everyone are of the moral order, and the question must be faced within the framework of a great programme of education aimed at promoting an effective change of thinking and at creating new lifestyles. The community of believers can and wants to take part in this, but, for it to do so, its public role must be recognized. Sadly, in certain countries, mainly in the West, one increasingly encounters in political and cultural circles, as well in the media, scarce respect and at times hostility, if not scorn, directed towards religion and towards Christianity in particular. It is clear that if relativism is considered an essential element of democracy, one risks viewing secularity solely in the sense of excluding or, more precisely, denying the social importance of religion. But such an approach creates confrontation and division, disturbs peace, harms human ecology and, by rejecting in principle approaches other than its own, finishes in a dead end. There is thus an urgent need to delineate a positive and open secularity which, grounded in the just autonomy of the temporal order and the spiritual order, can foster healthy cooperation and a spirit of shared responsibility. Here I think of Europe, which, now that the Lisbon Treaty has taken effect, has entered a new phase in its process of integration, a process which the Holy See will continue to follow with close attention. Noting with satisfaction that the Treaty provides for the European Union to maintain an “open, transparent and regular” dialogue with the Churches (Art. 17), I express my hope that in building its future, Europe will always draw upon the wellsprings of its Christian identity. As I said during my Apostolic Visit last September to the Czech Republic, Europe has an irreplaceable role to play “for the formation of the conscience of each generation and the promotion of a basic ethical consensus that serves every person who calls this continent ‘home’ ” (Meeting with Political and Civil Authorities and with the Diplomatic Corps,, 26 September 2009).

To carry our reflection further, we must remember that the problem of the environment is complex; one might compare it to a multifaceted prism. Creatures differ from one another and can be protected, or endangered, in different ways, as we know from daily experience. One such attack comes from laws or proposals which, in the name of fighting discrimination, strike at the biological basis of the difference between the sexes. I am thinking, for example, of certain countries in Europe or North and South America. Saint Columban stated that: “If you take away freedom, you take away dignity” (Ep. 4 ad Attela, in S. Columbani Opera, Dublin, 1957, p. 34). Yet freedom cannot be absolute, since man is not himself God, but the image of God, God’s creation. For man, the path to be taken cannot be determined by caprice or willfulness, but must rather correspond to the structure willed by the Creator.

The protection of creation also entails other challenges, which can only be met by international solidarity. I think of the natural disasters which this past year have sown death, suffering and destruction in the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Taiwan. Nor can I pass over Indonesia and, closer to us, the Abruzzi region, hit by devastating earthquakes. Faced with events like these, generous aid should never be lacking, since the life itself of God’s children is at stake. Yet, in addition to solidarity, the protection of creation also calls for concord and stability between states. Whenever disagreements and conflicts arise among them, in order to defend peace they must tenaciously pursue the path of constructive dialogue. This is what happened twenty-five years ago with the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Argentina and Chile, reached thanks to the mediation of the Apostolic See. That Treaty has borne abundant fruit in cooperation and prosperity which have in some way benefited all of Latin America. In this same area of the world, I am pleased by the rapprochement upon which Columbia and Ecuador have embarked after several months of tension. Closer to us, I am gratified by the agreement concluded between Croatia and Slovenia on arbitration regarding their sea and land borders. I am also pleased by the accord between Armenia and Turkey for the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, and I express my hope that, through dialogue, relations will improve among all the countries of the southern Caucasus. In the course of my pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I urgently appealed to the Israelis and the Palestinians to dialogue and to respect each others’ rights. Once again I call for a universal recognition of the right of the State of Israel to exist and to enjoy peace and security within internationally recognized borders. Likewise, the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign and independent homeland, to live in dignity and to enjoy freedom of movement, ought to be recognized. I would also like to request the support of everyone for the protection of the identity and sacred character of Jerusalem, and of its cultural and religious heritage, which is of universal value. Only thus will this unique city, holy yet deeply afflicted, be a sign and harbinger of that peace which God desires for the whole human family. Out of love for the dialogue and peace which protect creation, I exhort the government leaders and the citizens of Iraq to overcome their divisions and the temptation to violence and intolerance, in order to build together the future of their country. The Christian communities also wish to make their own contribution, but if this is to happen, they need to be assured respect, security and freedom. Pakistan has been also hard hit by violence in recent months and certain episodes were directly aimed at the Christian minority. I ask that everything be done to avoid the reoccurrence of such acts of aggression, and to ensure that Christians feel fully a part of the life of their country. In speaking of acts of violence against Christians, I cannot fail to mention also the deplorable attack which the Egyptian Coptic community suffered in recent days, during its celebration of Christmas. Concerning Iran, I express my hope that through dialogue and cooperation joint solutions will be found on the national as well as the international level. I encourage Lebanon, which has emerged from a lengthy political crisis, to continue along the path of concord. I hope that Honduras, after a period of uncertainty and unrest, will move towards a recovery of normal political and social life. I desire the same for Guinea and Madagascar with the effective and disinterested aid of the international community.

Ladies and Gentlemen, at the end of this rapid overview which, due to its brevity, cannot mention every situation worthy of note, I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, for whom “all creation groans and is in agony” and “we ourselves groan inwardly” (Rom 8:20-23). There is so much suffering in our world, and human selfishness continues in many ways to harm creation. For this reason, the yearning for salvation which affects all creation is that much more intense and present in the hearts of all men and women, believers and non-believers alike. The Church points out that the response to this aspiration is Christ “the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created” (Col 1:15-16). Looking to him, I exhort every person of good will to work confidently and generously for the sake of human dignity and freedom. May the light and strength of Jesus help us to respect human ecology, in the knowledge that natural ecology will likewise benefit, since the book of nature is one and indivisible. In this way we will be able to build peace, today and for the sake of generations to come. To all I wish a Happy New Year!

© Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Monday, 11 January 2010

DANGER: GMO and GE Products

“One thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” (Aldo Leopold)

A specter is haunting humanity—the specter of inequality. This ghost has been chasing humanity through out the history. At this point of time, it is very much evident in the world of politics, religion, economics, and even on the issue of food production. Famine, hunger, and unequal distribution of goods are everywhere. Many are crying and battling for food. What is its root cause? What should humanity do?

The world of biotechnology corporations is offering humanity an alternative. They are presently promoting an easy and convenient way of feeding the world and banishing hunger—i.e. through the promotion of genetically modified organisms (GMO) or genetically engineered (GE) products in the realm of livestock and agriculture. Genetic engineering, i.e. injecting or adding of a single cell into an organism for a single desired effect, according to biotech corporation, can guarantee greater production and thus more food supply. For example, in the case of Bt corn and GM rice in the Philippines, by injecting a particular gene to corn or rice—Bacillus thuriengensis (Bt) on the case of corn—they will be protected form parasites. As an effect, it will lead to better and higher production. Biotech even argues that GE crops require fewer herbicides and pesticides than conventional crops and that it will benefit health and environment.

But are GMO and GE products really the answer for global hunger? Is it healthy? Is it also environment friendly?

Sean McDonagh, a Columbian missionary priest, stated that GE is not the answer for food shortage for there is no such thing as food shortage. What really haunts humanity is the specter of greed. But even though, there is still no need to pursue genetic engineering for the fact that it is not safe. According to McDonagh, adding a single gene into an organism may unintentionally cause other harmful reactions within that organism which are not detectable. GE products could cause allergies, toxicity, and even cancer. Genetic engineering also diminishes the nutritional content of a product.

As they are harmful to health, McDonagh also points out that genetic engineering is harmful to environment. It impinges biodiversity. On the case of Gt corn for example, impact on wild life would be one of the major impacts. Because corn is the main and only source of food of some parasites, injecting Bt on corn genes will underlie lost of their food source. In the long run, genetic engineering will just create a sick planet. This would be a new threat for humanity for, as Thomas Berry points it, “we cannot have healthy humans on a sick planet.”

As consumers, it is a challenge for us not to support GMO and GE products. Even the church is one with McDonagh on saying that it is still advisable to support the conventional product because aside from the fact that it will help the third world countries who stick with conventional product, it is also a sign of love and care for our environment and for humanity as well. As Pope John Paul II points it, we must “resist the temptation of high productivity and profit that work to the detriment of the respect of nature.”

STARDUST

Stardust! I am a stardust.

It is a fact that man comes from ape. But the real story does not started here. We must widen our horizon. The Darwinian story of evolution is just a small part of a far more longer and complicated story of evolution—a story that starts from that very first beam of light that appears in space and time (the primordial flaring forth).

Having seen evolution on this way, we can really say that all things are connected. All beings share a certain commonality—that we all have the same origin. We all came from stardust.

This reality should somehow make man realize his spot, his niche in the universe. We’re not in the position to say that we are the apex and the most important creatures—that we are the elite. We must learn to view reality using new lenses. Because we are all brothers and sisters, we, human beings, must live in communion with other beings—the non-humans. We must treat tem as subjects and not as mere objects. It is only through this act of love that we can again experience the ‘oneness’ that had happened in the primordial flaring forth.

This is the call of the new generation—a new spirituality. A life of communion with others—the unity of all the stardust.

THE ECOZOIC ERA

As we think about the future form of an integral Earth Community we might begin with the observation that in the sequence of biological periods of Earth development we are presently in the terminal phase of the Cenozoic and the emerging phase of the Ecozoic era. The Cenozoic is the period of biological development that has taken place during these past 65 million years. The Ecozoic is the period when human conduct will be guided by the ideal of an integral earth community, a period when humans will be present upon the Earth in a mutually enhancing manner.

The Cenozoic period is being terminated by a massive extinction of living forms that is taking place on a scale equaled only by the extinctions that took place at the end of the Paleozoic around 220 million years ago and at the end of the Mesozoic some 65 million years ago. The only viable choice before us is to enter into an Ecozoic period, the period of an integral community that will include all the human and non-human components that constitute the planet Earth.

The first principle of the Ecozoic era is recognizing that the Universe is primarily a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects. This is especially true of the planet Earth. Every being has its own place and its own proper role in the functioning of the planet, its own presentation of itself that might be identified as its voice.

Our difficulty is that we have become autistic. We no longer listen to what the earth, its landscape, its atmospheric phenomena and all its living forms, its mountains and valleys, the rain, the wind, and all the flora and fauna of the planet are telling us. Since the Seventeenth Century we have not heard, we have not understood the inner world about us. We have experienced the external phenomena. We have had no entry into the world of interior meaning. We have not heard the voices.
Until we do listen, until we do hear these voices and understand what they are telling us, our lives will continue to be shriveled, our judgment as absurd, as destructive as we can presently observe in what we have done to the soil, the water, the air, and the living forms of this loveliest of planets. We will appreciate or revere the planet if we are to form a viable Earth Community.

To achieve this intimacy with the Earth we need new religious sensitivities. The redemption- oriented religions in their traditional forms have fulfilled a significant part of their historical mission. Cosmologically oriented religion is the way into the future. We need to recognize the story of the universe as we know it through our empirical sciences as our sacred story. From its beginning the universe has had a psychic-spiritual as well as a physical-material dimension.

Earth in a special manner has given expression to this psychic-spiritual dimension of the universe. The human belongs among these forms. It establishes with them a single community. There is no effective spiritual or religious mode of being for the human in isolation from this community. The visible world about us is our primary scripture, the primary manifestation of the divine, and this for human communities throughout the entire planet.

A second principle of the Ecozoic era that might be proposed is the ethical principle that beyond suicide, homicide, and genocide, there are even more violent crimes -- biocide and geocide: biocide, the wanton killing of the life systems of the planet; geocide, the killing of the planet itself in its major forms of expression. Ultimately humans cannot extinguish life on the planet. What humans can do is to severely damage the planet beyond recovery to its former grandeur within any comprehensible period of human historical time. This in some manner deserves the designation of geocide.

We might indicate the third principle of the Ecozoic era by noting that the human is derivative, the Earth is primary. The primary concern of every profession, institute, and activity of the human betrays itself unless it makes this larger earth community its primary referent.

So with Economics, the first concern, the first principle of understanding, must be the economic integrity of the planet. Concern for the Gross Earth Product must be the primary concern, not the Gross Human Product. Only within the ever-renewing cycle of Earth productivity can human productivity be sustained.

So with the healing professions, the primary concern must be to maintain the integral well-being of the planet. Not even with all our medical sciences and technologies can we establish well human beings on a sick planet.

A fourth principle might propose that in the future the Earth will function differently than it has functioned in the past. Throughout the Cenozoic the Earth evolved independently of the human. In the emerging Ecozoic period almost nothing will happen that will not in some manner be related to the human. Not, however, that we will control the inner workings of the planet. We cannot make a blade of grass. But there is liable not to be a blade of grass if it is not accepted, protected, and fostered by the human. We have completely new and comprehensive responsibilities now that we never had before. Ultimately we should be diminishing the domestication of the planet and assisting the wilderness to reactivate itself. A contradiction, perhaps. Yet what is needed is that we accept and foster the wild fertile forces of the planet that are consistently being weakened, unless humans withdraw their terrifying presence and grant to the other members of the Earth Community their rights to habitat and their share of the Earth's benefits.

A fifth principle might propose that any valid Progress must be progress of the entire life community, not progress of the human at the expense of the non-human members of the community. To designate human plundering of the plant as Progress is an absurdity beyond description.

A sixth principle guiding the future might propose the need for celebration. The universe throughout its vast extent in space and its sequence of transformations in time might be considered a single multiform celebratory event. The very purpose of the planet Earth seems to be to exhibit a culminating celebratory mode of expression, something to justify the emergent galaxies, the supernova explosions wherein the elements were formed, the shaping of the solar system, the emergence of this privileged planet. When we ask what is the meaning of the flight of the birds, their song; what is the meaning of the quiet gliding of fish through the sea; what is the meaning of the evening song of the cicada: we can indeed assign some pragmatic answer, but that would not go to the deeper meaning of the phenomena. This we find under the rubric of celebration.

So with the human, our entry into the Ecozoic period can only come through celebration of the grandeur and loveliness and joy of existence on the planet Earth. Once we begin to celebrate, all things become possible even an Ecozoic era.
Thomas Berry is an historian of cultures and a former President of the American Teilhard Association. Presently he is Director of the Riverdale Center for Religious Research in New York. He is author of The Historical Theory of Giambattista Vico, The Religions of India, Buddhism, and most recently The Dream of the Earth, published by Sierra Club Books, as well as numerous articles on human-earth relations.

(written by Thomas Berry)

Praxis and Awareness

Ecological crisis is a fruit of awareness and values crisis!

Awareness! What is lacking in our world today is awareness—the knowledge of the present reality and of the universe story. At present, many of us are not aware that our present era, i.e. the Cenozoic Era, is on its terminal phase. Many of us were already blinded by greed that we only tend to look for avenues that will somehow uplift the human well-being. We are only concerned with the viability of the human person, not of the earth as a whole. We failed to realize that all things are connected—that there is only one story.

During the past few weeks, some parts of the Philippines were devastated by the super typhoon ‘Ondoy’ and ‘Pepeng.’ Many lives were lost, infrastructures were destroyed, and many are still suffering. Today, though many are still haunted by this specter, new super typhoons are threatening to enter the country. Because of this, Filipinos and the Philippine Government are already preoccupied with matters concerning ‘preparation.’

The above situation just show how human-centered is the mindset of most human person. Most of us are only thinking for our own safety—of ‘preparations’ that we forgot to talk about the idea of ‘prevention.’ Yes, human safety is important but what happened is that we forgot to look at the real cause of the problem—i.e. the abuse of the natural world. We failed to see that the excessive cutting of trees, the pollution, improper waste disposal, and the likes contributed and aggravated the matter. So, what is really lacking is awareness. Thus, those who are aware must start the change from themselves and to start influencing others. Little by little, we can minimize such disastrous calamities if we will just be aware that we can make a change.

But change will not take effect if we will be stocked on just being aware. We must also change our value system. Proper action must be done. All of our preoccupations must be done not only for the upliftment of the human well-being but for the upliftment of the well being of the earth community in general. It is only through this way—by acting and living as part of the natural world, that we may continue the story of life…for viability is really a matter of awareness and praxis.

Thomas Berry's Vision of 'Ecozoic Era': A Paradigm for Ecological Philosophy

The year 1914 marks a new epoch in the world of ecology. It was on this year that the second Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), a French paleontologist, was born in the person of Rev. Fr. Thomas Berry, a cultural historian and theologian.

Thomas Berry, an advocate of deep ecology and ecospirituality and a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, is famous for saying that in order for the human person to understand his/her being as an individual person, i.e. his/her mode of existence, he/she must first have a grasp and understanding of the history and story of the universe. Thus, a comprehensive outlook of the universe needs to be laid down and discussed so that the contemporary world may truly discover and appreciate the wonders of the present time. It is not only the phenomenon of man that matters. What matters most is the universe story—for the story of man is just a fragment of this comprehensive story.

But what is this universe story all about? When did it start? Thomas Berry asserts that the story begins since the primordial flaring forth up to the formation of stars, galaxy, planets, sun, the earth. And in the earth’s context, the story continues up to the emergence of the unicellular organisms, followed by the multicellular organisms, the appearance of fish, insects, reptiles, plants, dinosaurs, mammals, and finally the appearance of man. With this, Thomas Berry concluded that all beings originated from the same story—the developing and ongoing universe story.

But, though there is only one story, the human person of the contemporary world became autistic and was blinded by the ideology that the human person has the highest and distinct story among other beings—that they are the apex and crown of creation. Thus, they forgot that their story is just a part of another story.

But, if we will go back in the course of history, the first human society live their lives in harmony with the larger earth community—with the natural world. They still give importance to the primordial harmony and viewed the universe as having a psychic-spiritual and physical-material dimension.

But the shift in paradigm entered with the rise of the classical and generally literate civilizations. They started to become more and more destructive that they were then alienated from the natural world. Thus, man has become self-centered or anthropocentric. This situation got even worse with the advent of the Cartesian philosophy in the 17^th century—especially when Rene Descartes separated the spiritual realm from the material realm and thus degrading the non-humans into the form of mere machines that can be subjected to industrial exploitation.

With man’s misconception of reality, the primordial harmony was disturbed and the unity within the universe was shaken and destructed. And basically, new sins against the universe came into being—the biocide, i.e. killing of the life systems of the planet, and the geocide, i.e. the killing of the planet itself. Due to this situation, the earth is now suffering from pain, from a deep cultural pathology due to man’s anthropocentric use of the word ‘progress.’

At present, the viability of the human person is in question because his/her existence generally depends upon the condition of the larger earth community—the universe in general. If this problem will not be taken into consideration, Thomas Berry feared that all beings might enter into the destructive Technozoic Era—an era of chaos and inequality among beings. This epoch is also a period where the existence of the non-humans is viewed only in servitude to the human beings. According to Thomas Berry this era will just lead into the total destruction of the natural world—thus of man.

As of this period, the best and the only way to avoid this sudden phase out is to enter into the Ecozoic Era—an era were all beings live in communion and in unity with each other. This era aims to reestablish the harmony within the natural world that was lost during the course of time. In the realization of the Ecozoic Era, the human person must again realize that everyone’s existence, that everyone’s story is just a part of a single story, i.e. the universe story.

According to Thomas Berry, human consensus is needed in the emergence of the Ecozoic Era for they will play an important role in this period. The human person must not only think of himself but of the entire life community. And due to the fact that “the well-being of the earth is primary and that the human well-being is derivative,” (The Ecozoic Era, Thomas Berry) the fields of religion, education, government, and economics should always ensure that the well being of the natural world will always be prioritized.

Today’s challenge of Thomas Berry to the human community is to “move from its anthropocentric norm to a geocentric norm of reality and value” (The Viable Human, Thomas Berry) so that the universe may be able to again celebrate its grandeur, loveliness, beauty, and joy of existence.

Now, everyone’s viability, the future of the earth community, is in the hands of man. It’s just a matter of asking, “what does human person prefer: a life of communion and celebration or death?