Oil Spill Spirituality
By Lisa Hamilton (used with permission) Article: Oil Spill in the Gulf At a time when one might feel that Louisiana has suff...
By Lisa
Hamilton (used with permission)
Article: Oil Spill in
the Gulf
At a
time when one might feel that Louisiana has suffered enough, what looks to be
the largest oil spill in history has just taken place, accompanied by an
explosion on a drilling rig killing 11 people and injuring 17 people in the
Gulf of Mexico. An estimated 840,000 to
1.68 million gallons gushed into the Gulf from the well one mile beneath the
water’s surface. In his Presidential Address on the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on
June 15, 2010, President Obama called this “the worst environmental disaster
America has ever faced.” (Obama)
I am
saddened by the loss of lives, and the economical issues that folks are now
facing due to the loss of business. The devastation that has happened to our
fragile environment appears to be very discouraging. At the same time, my thoughts are drawn to the
teachings of my faith tradition at the Centers for Spiritual Living. We are
taught that thoughts are creative, and that our experience is a direct result
of our thoughts individually and collectively. Although it can sound harsh to
ask ourselves how we could have contributed to such a huge tragedy, I am
comforted knowing that I can actively participate in a healing. Some examples
of thoughts that I might consider revising or editing are: belief that there
are no other options besides fossil fuels, or it’s too late to change course
now because we will never come up with the solution in time, or I am only one
person so I cannot make a difference.
Our
President Obama came to a similar conclusion. During his speech he called it
our “addiction to fossil fuels.” Although we have only 2% of the global oil
reserves, America consumes more than 20% of the world’s oil. This is why we
have resorted to deep water drilling.
My
faith tradition also teaches me that we live in an abundant universe. I don’t think that this means that everything
on this planet is unlimited. I believe that it means that the nature of the
universe, and the nature of God, is abundant.
Although some of the Earth’s resources may be limited, we still have
everything we need because there are infinite possibilities in God. We have the
capacity to discover new resources, and new ways to heal the planet.
During
his speech, Obama stated to the American people, “The one approach I will not
accept is inaction. The one idea that I will not accept is that somehow this
challenge is too big and too difficult to meet.” He continued, “What has
defined us as a nation is our capacity to shape our destiny.” (Obama)
What
we might ask ourselves right now is: what is the highest idea for clean and
safe energy resources in America? Can we envision the beauty of the Gulf beyond
what appears to be great disaster, and can we let go of the need to blame so we
can unify as a nation and take action to restore the natural environment.
The Science
of Mind also teaches that our perceptions shape our experience. In an area that
you would expect to see much despair, the people continue to stand by their
strong faith. Each year fishermen along with clergy participate in what is
called: “The Blessing of the Fleet.”
During
the Presidential address on the spill, Obama described the blessing, “Each year
at the beginning of the shrimping season, the region’s fishermen take part in a
tradition that was brought to America long ago by fishing immigrants from
Europe. It’s called: The Blessing of the
Fleet. And today it’s a celebration where clergy from different religions
gather to say a prayer for the safety and success of the men and women who will
soon head out to sea, some for weeks at a time.
The ceremony goes on in good times, and in bad. It took place after
Katrina and it took place a few weeks ago at the beginning of the most
difficult season these fishermen have ever faced. And still, they came and they
prayed. For as a priest and former fisherman once said of the tradition, the
blessing is not that God has promised to remove all obstacles and dangers. The
blessing is that He is with us always, a blessing that’s granted even in the
midst of the storm.” (Obama)
President
Obama ended his speech by saying, “The oil spill is not the last crisis America
will face. This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them
again. What sees us through, what has always seen us through is our strength,
our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we
summon the courage to reach for it. Tonight we pray for that courage. We pray
for the people of the Gulf and we pray that a hand may guide us through the
storm towards a brighter day.” (Obama)
Something
better awaits us. We are divinely guided by a power greater than ourselves. As
our founder, Ernest Holmes said, “There is a power in the universe that is
greater than you are, and you can use it.”
This power that Holmes is talking about is the power of Life Itself flowing through and as each one of us. Life is constantly generating and regenerating. Even now, scientists have discovered a new species of microbe that is consuming the undersea plumes in the Gulf oil spill. (Spotts)
It is promising to know that nature has a way of healing itself. I believe that it is our job to learn from our experiences and not be limited by them. We have a responsibility and a duty to be good stewards of this amazing planet and of each other. We can start with our own thoughts, and we need to make conscious choices that support the good of all.
Bibliography
Obama. (n.d.). Presidential Address on Gulf of
Mexico Oil Spill. Retrieved 09 10, 2010, from C-SPAN Video Library:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/294074-3
Spotts, P. (n.d.). Is
a new species of microbe gobbling up Gulf oil spill? Retrieved 09 10,
2010, from The Christian Science Monitor:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0824/Is-new-species-of-microbe-gobbling-up-Gulf-oil-spill?sms_ss=facebook
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4 comments
Thank you Edward & Lisa for sharing thoughts on this subject. I took this class awhile back and it was a very good one, not only in that it challenged how I think about the out-picturing of the world, but how I was challenged to view the world and all that transpires in it as One with me.
ReplyWhat happens when I expand my thinking about this oil situation into a giant metaphor? Could this possibly be a metaphor for a collective drilling that is the mechanical, technological world we/I use daily/hourly, and that is in my life/my mind/my consciousness and a part of who I am in the 21st century? Could this technological machine be drilling into our collective psyches (my psyche) causing a hemorrhaging of our/my life force, our/my vital energy? What is it within the psyche of you and me, and the collective, that is being mirrored from the microcosm to the macrocosm in this environmental disaster? What mechanical something is wrecking havoc in the environment within me? What may be causing a profound leaking/hemorrhaging of vital energy within my body/my temple, which is One with the Earth?.
I am grateful for your proactive, positive perspective on healing and viewing the resultant environmental and social hardships. I too believe this is a healthier approach to problem solving and acting in a socially responsible manner. And our philosophy teaches much more, as I work to understand it and embody these teachings. Everything outside of us lives within us in some capacity. I live my life in pondering all of the implications of this and all I can do is ask the questions and live my life in them.
Thanks for the opportunity to consider the spirituality of "the Oil Spill" and the implications in the Oneness of It.
Love & Blessings,
Sanna Rose, RScP
Wow all I can say is that you are a great writer! Where can I contact you if I want to hire you?
ReplyWow all I can say is that you are a great writer! Where can I contact you if I want to hire you?
ReplyThank you Edward & Lisa for sharing thoughts on this subject. I took this class awhile back and it was a very good one, not only in that it challenged how I think about the out-picturing of the world, but how I was challenged to view the world and all that transpires in it as One with me.
ReplyWhat happens when I expand my thinking about this oil situation into a giant metaphor? Could this possibly be a metaphor for a collective drilling that is the mechanical, technological world we/I use daily/hourly, and that is in my life/my mind/my consciousness and a part of who I am in the 21st century? Could this technological machine be drilling into our collective psyches (my psyche) causing a hemorrhaging of our/my life force, our/my vital energy? What is it within the psyche of you and me, and the collective, that is being mirrored from the microcosm to the macrocosm in this environmental disaster? What mechanical something is wrecking havoc in the environment within me? What may be causing a profound leaking/hemorrhaging of vital energy within my body/my temple, which is One with the Earth?.
I am grateful for your proactive, positive perspective on healing and viewing the resultant environmental and social hardships. I too believe this is a healthier approach to problem solving and acting in a socially responsible manner. And our philosophy teaches much more, as I work to understand it and embody these teachings. Everything outside of us lives within us in some capacity. I live my life in pondering all of the implications of this and all I can do is ask the questions and live my life in them.
Thanks for the opportunity to consider the spirituality of "the Oil Spill" and the implications in the Oneness of It.
Love & Blessings,
Sanna Rose, RScP