Green Tribe of Belonging

 It is winter, when everything outdoors slows down. The trees have lost their leaves, the grass turns brown, the cold encourages us to cuddle up in our homes. Winter can be a quieter time for us, with more chances to reflect. And like many of us, I've been trying to understand how a man was elected to the presidency who seems to stand against everything that we thought were common values: care for the earth, concern about the climate, the philosophy that all people are equal under the law, the worth and rights of women, aid to the disadvantaged, respect for the boundaries of other countries....  The list goes on and on. And more people voted for this man than for his opponent. How have we gotten to this place? What is causing what appears to be a crazy detour into chaos? So let's look at our values, I thought. What values drive the majority of Americans? And how might that help to explain how we got where we are now? When Europeans first started to migrate to the Americas, the...

  It is Sunday in Iowa, and I sat quietly in our Quaker meeting this morning. It felt like such a special thing, no one fighting for attention, everyone sitting quietly, respectful, waiting for the spirit to grow within us. It is not very often that we do this in our everyday lives. Hardly ever do we have a room full of people sitting in silence, a friendly, warm, welcoming silence. What a novelty compared to our normal gatherings. This group quiet is a time to re-set, to go deep, to send our roots down. However, we’ve been vicariously experiencing the opposite setting in our current political scene. I sat there this morning thinking about this, about the contrast, and about human behaviour in general, about how we got to this current state of affairs. I couldn’t help smiling as I imagined the folks I was sitting with this morning in the guise of early humans, gathered perhaps in a cave or around a fire, close to the earth, banding together for safely, comfort and the sharing of es...

  I wish I were a bold old woman with beneficial super powers. I’d fly around on my walking stick and deal with the problems of the world. I’d hover over the battlefields sprinkling my magic dust and suddenly soldiers would pause and begin to love their enemies. I would wave my wand  over barren landscapes and watch while  green growth reappeared. I would take aim at corrupt politicians, the ones whose egos have taken over, and with a flourish of my fingers rhey would be stopped in their tracks. I would breathe a story of compassion In the ears of sleeping millionaires. And funnel out the taste for power In men who are hooked on domination. I would whisper tales of wild green places to the grand industrial executives, And then, at the end of a long day, I would ride home smiling.