The Great Work by Thomas Berry - Book Report/Review Example

The Great Work by Thomas Berry The greatest historical events are those where people are able to attain their deepest aspirations while in harmony with the larger destinies of the universe. In America, the great work begun from the time of the First Peoples when they set out to the continent and bring prosperity. However, efforts to fulfill the great work often fall short and have flaws-even though they may the best intentions. In North America, the European Occupation brought a sense of liberty and prosperity for the settlers. Yet they assaulted the locals’ lands and brought diseases that were hitherto unheard of. Although the Industrial age brought heralded great strides in industry, commerce and finance, the side effect was an enormous discord with nature. The Great Work going into the future is to transition from a period of destroying the environment to an era in which there is sustainable development. In recent times, there has been a large scale disturbance of the geo-biological balance due to human activity. There has a blatant destruction of natural biodiversity leading to extinction of some wildlife. Human beings have exhibited disregard to other forms of life in the planet. This is a breach of the fundamental fact that the earth is an integrated community with all its component members. It is inappropriate to haphazardly destroy forests and mess up the natural habitats of world animals in the name of industrial growth. There is an urgent need for us to move from the Cenozoic era to an Ecozoic era. The present situation is grave and there is need to act fast and decisively to save our planet. Chapter Analysis What is the Great Work of the future regarding our relationship with the environment? Chapter two: The meadow across the creek It is the simple natural beauties of the universe that make the world a wonderful place. The peaceful co-existence of all flora and fauna in the universe should be the yardstick of doing right in the community. Sustainable living should be the mantra in all endeavors, be it political, economic, religious or education. The natural bio-systems should be allowed to express their inner beings in their own way. In our early stages, we learnt to appreciate the universe as it were. The indigenous people lived in a cosmological order. Yet in present times, our country has become sort of a political and business world. Notably, there is little or no appreciation of the universe. The development of steel and concrete buildings has even made it possible not to see the sun during the day.. Although advances of technology have led to a better understanding of the universe, people have grown more discordant with their environment. Oddly enough, more resources are being spent on some research that is even predatory on the sources where we came from. Yet a casual observance of children at their early stages indicates that they are drawn to the natural world. It is critical that people must recreate their relationship with the universe. No meaningful restoration of the planet will occur before people reconnect with the universe and give it the important treatment it deserves Chapter Two Analysis Why have people disregarded their relationship with the universe? Chapter Three: The Earth Story There is need for people to make concerted efforts of developing a new understanding of our planet earth. The earth in itself is a distinct beauty and a great marvel. Yet most people are enclosed in thinking of it as tied up with our perceptions of commercial frenzy and perhaps the woodlands A deeper understanding of the earth will lead to a more intimate appreciation of its richness. In the earlier times, animals and human beings existed as relatives. There was a cyclic relationship among the natural phenomena, human beings and the cosmic. During these moments in history, the supreme achievement of human beings was to experience total harmony in the natural world and the cosmic. Even in the religious settings, Christians synchronized their worship to correspond to the times of sunrise and sunset. The uptake of secular lifestyles has made people to lose intimacy with the universe. For a sense of reality, we need to commit to observational science, a developmental universe and to an inner self organizing capability. There is an inherent need for the society to see the earth in its sequence of transformation. The earth has evolved over millions of years and it is still evolving. Also, the universe, with its compelling array of stars and the solar system is truly a marvel. In order to appreciate the universe, there is need to consider it as a representation of ourselves and it as our representation. Chapter Three Analysis What are the implications of the creation and evolution of the earth? Chapter four: The North American continent The continent of North America is between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is endowed with the rich biodiversity contained in swamps, deserts, prairies and mountains. The earliest inhabitants of the continent were known as the first peoples. These people lived enriched lives in complete harmony with the universe. They performed ceremonies such as the Iroquois Thanksgiving that showcased their beliefs in the universe. Throughout the centuries, these indigenous people managed to preserve environments that allowed for self determination and prosperity despite the challenges of the time. The arrival of Europeans heralded a new chapter in the history of the continent. These foreigners had a clear intention of exploiting the land and the local people for commercial gain. They disturbed the established settlement patterns and disrupted the harmonious existence that existed. As time went by new discoveries were made that led to development of steamships, factories and railway lines. The settlers had the quest to be rich by whatever means. Thus, the European Occupation was more of a clash between anthropocentric and nature centric cultures. Yet even after the Europeans left, the continent is still environmentally devastated. The primordial forests have been destroyed, air and rivers polluted. Although the American Dream has caught on, the communities have destroyed the life sources that once existed. There is a need for an integral community of human beings and the other components of the continent. Chapter Four Analysis How has the North America continent evolved over time? Chapter five: The wild and the sacred Human beings need to appreciate the spontaneity that is associated with all forms of existence in the natural world. There should be restraint in trying to reign over some natural phenomena of which humans have no control over. More importantly, the spontaneous occurrences should not be considered as “wild” and in need of taming. Human beings have the innate urge to control the world around them. There is need for us to appreciate the natural occurrences as they are and recognize their importance. The urge to domesticate the world is at times driven by the few mind blowing inventions that human beings have. However, in attempting to do this, the universe may throw at us its deadliest forces. We should endeavor to appreciate the wild as a raw form of creativity which is the springboard of all existence. The wild should not be mistaken for mere randomness. In reality, what we consider as wild is a form of energy and it glues the planet together. So much with taming the world that actually very few people if any have the sense to live in the natural settings of the universe. An example of how important the wild and spontaneity is, the illustration of an artist is appropriate. The artist may seem to be drawing unintelligible lines in a random manner but in the end, a marvelous piece of art is produced. The natural world needs to be appreciated the way it is without attempting to rationalize everything Chapter Five Analysis What are the implications of the wild and spontaneity in the universe? Chapter Six: The Viable Human There is an inherent need for a change in mindset from human centered to earth centered. Establishment of an earth oriented perspective is the onset of sustainable living. Human beings are both a mode of being in the universe and a distinct being in the universe. All persons receive support from the natural world in terms of basic physical and psychic needs. It is important to recognize that the life community is of greatest importance. Therefore, human beings should first strive to care for this larger community before turning to the human community. The simple logic here is that there can be no human community if there is no universe. The ecological movement has the goal of creating a viable universe for human development. This is opposed to the rampant destruction of the universe by self serving human interests. The world governments and big corporate organizations are the sole controllers of natural resources. It is wrong to reduce the earth to just a resource base for industries. The economic system has to be redesigned to prioritize the creation of viable exploitation of natural resources in a responsible way. The present scenario is as a result of a cultural fixation towards capitalistic tendencies. To remedy the situation, corporate companies have to embrace the concept of environment conservation. The industrial, education and commerce sectors have to factor in environmental concerns in their programs so as to create earth centered mindsets. Chapter Six Analysis What is the importance of earth centered approach to the universe? Chapter Seven: The University The university is one of the vital organizations in the book under focus. It is one of the four establishments that determine the direction of human life. Universities have the brightest brains and its core mandate is to teach them how to be productive. Hence, in whatever field one is associated with, their performance will be determined by the kind of knowledge they attained at the university. Universities should seek to equip graduates with knowledge to jumpstart the emerging ecozoic era rather than teach them to survive in the untenable Cenozoic era. This process does not call just for the creation of ecology courses but rather advocates for an entire shift of the training system such that the proper universe knowledge is imparted across the disciplines. Scholars have played a critical role in determining the directions that human development has taken over the years. Universities are the home of scholars hence they are at center of the process to fulfill the Great Work. In fact, this is no time to lay blame on bureaucracies of the system. Rather, the universities should step forward and boldly offer leadership on the policies that are necessary for sustainable development. The influence of the universe is spread to all fields therefore it is important for all the major university courses such economics, law and engineering to integrate ecological concepts in their training Chapter analysis What is the role of the university in the development of the community? Chapter Eleven: The Corporation Story Modern industrial, commercial and financial corporations have a lot of significance in the society. These corporations target to make profit by exploiting living and non living resources of the planet. As the corporations continue exploiting the planet for financial gain, the bio-systems of the planet remain in grave danger. In order for the planet to survive, these corporations need to replace their profit motive with a concern for integral life of the community. It should be noted that the corporations now control directly or indirectly all the natural resources in the world. Even small states are jostling to have corporations set up shop in the region due to the economic impact that they are bound to create. The concept of corporations started with the European Occupation of North America through the age of railroads to the present day. The influence of the corporations has grown exponentially yet they have left negative impacts in the community. Other than the pollution of the environment, these corporations distribute the income that they earn unfairly. The notion the people can only live good life through industrial growth has been perpetuated by the corporations. There is need for corporations to embrace the culture of being responsible corporate citizens who have the interests of the community at heart. Chapter Eleven Analysis How have corporations influenced the society in regards to the environment? Work Cited Berry, Thomas. The Great Work: Our Way into the Future. New York: Bell Tower, 1999. Print. Read More