The Worlds in Which We Live is the topic of the 2011 General Assembly; Those worlds being the Environmental World, the Social World, and the Spiritual World. The first day focused on the Environmental World. Kate Devlin introduced this topic with beautiful pictures and amusing stories. She shared with us some of the findings of her graduate studies with the birds living on the islands off the coast of Maine. She spent many summer months living on these islands studying the actions of these birds. She studied in particular Terns. Population studies are showing changes in the behavior of these birds. How is human behavior affecting these birds and other animals all over the world?
Another part of Kate’s thought-provoking presentation emphasized the influence of social problems on the decisions of our government. It appears that when the main concern is unemployment and creating job growth, protecting our environment becomes a non-issue and it doesn’t get the support in Washington. Job growth is much more of a political issue. People welcoming “Fracking” because it will bring jobs to their area is a good example. The jobs are more important than the damage to the environment!
I was enraptured by Kate’s lesson and feel part of the on going story…. always asking – did the birds return??? why did they leave??? Staying in the moment – so precious. Looking forward to more lessons from my sister Kate!