“Fès Forum” 2006
Summary of Discussions, June 7, Day 5:Spirituality and Ecology
“We do not inherit the earth, we hold it in trust for future generations and for God”
African proverb, quoted often by St. Exupery and amplfiied at Fes.
The 2006 Forum’s fifth and final day began with Faouzi Skali’s introduction, followed by a presentation by Jean-Marie Pelt, a panel exchange, and brief concluding comments for the Forum overall.
Faouzi Skali’s set the tone for the day: issues for environment must be seen as having the utmost importance, and never an optional concern in global discussions or the province of nature lovers. Values and the wisdom and mobilization of spiritual and religious institutions and communities, again, are highly relevant, with consequences at every level, from the global to the personal; they are not marginal but central to the matter.
The day abounded with vivid metaphors and images from nature. The great Barbary oak of Fès under which we sit each day has inspired every successive Forum meeting to awe and joy at its majesty and an infinite series of metaphors for topics ranging from coherence within nature and harmony, to natural laws. Second, the olive tree, which has linked and symbolized so much of Mediterranean culture, ancient and modern, is sturdy, with multiple uses from cooking and building to medicinal products, art and as an emblem of peace. But even the oliveis under threat today. Jean-Marie Pelt savored his memories and the profound lessons he learned from his grandfather working in his beloved garden, respecting profoundly each plant, stroking each rose before he plucked it. Pierre Rabbhi again offered humus as a symbol of the strength, extraordinary workings, and unity of nature; humus teaches humility and epitomizes renewal. Faouzi Skali highlighted a proposal to create gardens following different cultural traditions in Fès, complementing and enriching the celebration of world sacred music. Gardens, he said, help to glimpse each culture’s vision of paradise. The musical birds, the swifts, living in the oak together seem to live and sing in harmony and happiness, without contributing in any fashion to carbon emissions. And seeds were mentioned again and again (as well as yeast) – seeds to plant and tend, yeast to expand and amplify ideas and actions. Finally we were again called to imagine the earth seen from space, the sight of our beautiful but vulnerable blue planet floating in the universe that so profoundly transforms the astronauts who have witnessed it.
The calls to action had a more urgent and demanding tone on this day, partly echoing grave and far reaching worries about current ecological trends, but also because so many potential threads of action do lie quite directly in the hands of those present at Fès. Within a discussion striking for its sharply differing perspectives and rich sharing of ideas, experience and information, there was strong resonance in the recurring affirmation of the gravity of today’s ecological challenge and its urgency: effects of climate change are so dramatic that in 60 years we will have created terrible economic havoc. While the changes are often hard to see, an event like Hurricane Katrina can help to bring home the real impact of what is taking place. But the window of time for action is very narrow. There was sometimes a tone of despair but above all a passion for moving quickly. There was a call for “men and women of peace” to speak loudly on these topics.
Themes wove back and fourth but eight topics stand out.
(a) Interconnectedness and diversity. Ecology is above all about interactions. The interconnectedness that we see in facets of globalization is intricately tied to the interconnectedness of nature. Looking from a different perspective, we are all interconnected, and we are all part of the problem and thus must all be part of the solution. The discussion returned again and again to this fundamental focus on connections and the integrity of natural systems,with perspectives drawing both from science and spiritual wisdom. Jean-Marie Pelt and Rupert Sheldrake, with equal conviction, see a strongly emerging consensus from science that all natural phenomena are linked; new research constantly bolsters and amplifies this conclusion. Past assumptions that phenomena could be seen as separate, a perspective or assumption reinforced by increasing specialization within scientific disciplines, are crumbling. Ancient spiritual traditions always saw a fundamental unity in nature and powerful bond between man and nature. An Indian tradition, to give just one example, called on people to care for nature with as much gentleness and attention as their mother. Poets of many cultures echo similar sentiments. Today’s religions and spiritual traditions are coming again to a sense of how deeply embedded care for creation is in their sacred texts and teachings, and how important it is to impart wonder and respect for nature as the essence of each faith.
(b) Predatory, selfish attitudes vs. voluntary simplicity and moderation. The discussion was scathing in its vocabulary and images of man’s abuse of nature. Greed, waste, overblown appetites, purposeless consumption, obsessive fixation on gadgets and objects, were described again and again. Today’s urban cultures were seen as accentuating the rupture between man and nature; Jonathan Rose called suburban sprawl, which encourages increasing gasoline consumption, a culture of malls, and personal alienation, America’s worst contemporary contribution to the world. A sharp distinction was drawn between today’s “Bohemian bourgeois” who travel thoughtlessly in search of pleasure, compared with nomadic cultures which never carry more than is absolutely necessary as they are on the move, and yet who always ensure that they carry what they need.
c) Sustainable Development as Solidarity. We explored why the notion of sustainable development is so significant. It was described most cogently as solidarity with future generations, and between rich and poor. Sustainability speaks above all to the future and to the notion of renewal. It links directly to the concept of stewardship for the earth, what some call “creation care”. When ecology is seen as an integrated, living system, then not only man is concerned but also the world’s animals, plants and the oceans are encompassed (70% of the earth’s surface is covered by bodies of water). Biodiversity is a fundamental part of the earth’s ecology and loss of biodiversity one of today’s greatest threats. The echo between the diversity of natural species and world cultures and especially music and language, highlighted in each Fes Forum meeting today, took on special meaning and significance.
(d) Religion, ecology and spirituality. Against a shared assumption that spirituality and ecology were both linked and compatible, we explored their rather complex interlinkages. If science is about the “how” things work, then religion and spirituality are about the “why” – about purpose and meaning. Mankind has extraordinarily deep and ancient links with nature, depending utterly on nature for food, clothing, housing and water, but perhaps even more to give meaning, joy and understanding to life. These affirmations and reminders of how deeply values come into play for issues of global warmingcontrast all too sharply with a view that religious institutions, communities and leaders still too often oblivious or apathetic in the face of today’s threats. Yet leaders like St. Francis of Assisi, whose powerful message to love nature and live in harmony with it echoes still today and Pope John Paul II who kissed the ground whenever he landed in a country do show the way. The 1986 meeting in Assisiwhere Pope John Paul II convened leaders of the world’s great religions and faiths highlighted the powerful common bond among them that respect and love for nature constitute. Religions have huge audiences, enormous capacity for mobilization, and perhaps still more a real prospect of awakening conscience and consciousness. In short, spirituality and religion have vital roles to play.
(e) Politics and Ecology. As on previous days, the reality of shared responsibilities and dangers of sticking in traditional roles and partnershipscame into the discussion from many angles. Political leaders and processes at every level must play central roles and indeed encouraging evidence of mounting will to action is evident. Politicians DID agree on the Kyoto Protocol, and the European Union has succeeded in speaking in one voice on it. There is no substitute for policy action and it needs to be seen at many levels, from global leadership to local communities. International organizations, the World Bank among them, are seen as important actors who need to learn more, to work in a much more interdisciplinary manner, but who also have made great contributions and have more to offer for the future.
(f) Business and ecology. Multinationals and private companies more generally came in for some harsh blame for their contributions to fueling appetites for consumption and ignoring all too often their impact on nature. But there was also recognition that they play vital and increasingly quite positive roles. More than that, they are essential to the solution. Jonathan Rose highlighted what is happening and what is possible in creating liveable, environmentally friendly, walkable communities which offer social diversity and recognize multiple needs, including the spiritual. These can be economically viable. Above all they offer an example of what can be done.
(g) Incentives and the carbon footprint plan. Rupert Sheldrake suggested that science can help directly by shedding concrete, practical, quantified light on individual behavior. Websites and respected science journals offer accessible means to measure each person’s effects on carbon emissions. For Sheldrake, the troubling finding was that airplane travel accounts for two thirds of the damage he, personally, does. Such information makes clear how disproportionately consumption of richer people, richer countries, and the rich world overall affects global warming. Even with this knowledge, however, he was skeptical that personal conscience would transform behavior to anything like the degree needed. So he urged mechanisms that put carbon consumption into the light in very specific ways. Two ideas were put forward. First, ranking countries on a carbon emission scale similar in format to the corruption scale of Transparency International. Second, badges at future meetings of the Fes Froum might carry a number. Working on people’s conscience together with their concern for their reputation is the key.
(h) Education. Teaching about ecology and responsibility in schools is fundamental and it needs to start very early. Science teaching should come under review as it was seen, across many cultures, as divorces from the tangible realities of nature, across cultures, even from the age of five. A questionabout how teaching on ecology is evolving in the countries represented went largely unanswered and offers a good, tangible agenda item for the future.
The brief concluding remarks for the Forum highlighted the panoply of project ideas that are emerging and thanked the many people who made it happen (with Faouzi Skali in the lead). In closing, Jonathan Rose expressed a hope that all beings would attain the four part Buddhist ideal: happiness, that is free from pain, that embodies the joy that has never known suffering, and that is freed from attachment. Faouzi Skali quoted a verse from the Koran: “We draw death from life and life from death”.
Preseners included: Musical introduction:Albouairi Ensemble, Morcine Zejjaf
Introductory comments:Faouzi Skal; Summary of June 6 discussions: Katherine Marshall
Presentation by Jean-Marie Pelt
Round Table Panel: Faouzi Skali (moderator), Katia Légeret, Pierre Rabhi, Jonathan Rose, Rupert Sheldrake; commentary by Siddharta.
Note: Draft, subject to review.
Katherine Marshall; June 8, 2006
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