Wise Words III: Thomas Berry

[NOTE: Go here for a brief explanation of what this series of posts is about].

And now for Thomas Berry. From The Dream of the Earth:

"We have before us the question not simply of physical survival, but of survival in a human mode of being, survival and development into intelligent, affectionate, imaginative persons thoroughly enjoying the universe about us, living in profound communion with one another and with some significant capacities to express ourselves in our literature and creative arts."

"This description of personal grandeur may seem an exxageration, a romantic view of human possibilities. Yet this is the basis on which the human venture has been sustained from its very beginning! Our difficulty is that we are just emerging from a technological entrancement. During this period the human mind has been placed within the narrowist confines it has experiences since consciousness emerged from its Paleolithic phase. Even the most primitive tribes have a larger vision of the universe, of our place and functioning within it, a vision that extends to celestial regions of space and to interior depths of the human in a manner far exceeding the parameters of our own world of technological confinement."

"The human community is passing from its stage of childhood into its adult stage of life. We must assume adult responsibilities."

I recommend this book to all members of the subspecies Homo sapiens sapiens (Latin: "wise man"). We need to hear and carefully reflect on these words.