A new beginning

For all of us who love nature, find wonder and solace there; in the cacophony of spectacular processes and creations, decay and regeneration, the cycling of nutrients and the interactions of organisms - let us take courage and hope. Even in the most artificial of concrete landscapes nature pushes through cracks, delights taste buds or draws one sensually deep. Nature allows me to easily live in the moment, to muster courage for the hard work of standing, of remembering, of speaking, of working for the change I believe is possible. I am grateful for having the senses and perhaps, humility, to enter in and know that I too am a part of nature. All of me. My mind and consciousness both arise out of the stuff of life: the molecules that make up our miraculous palate of life. This palate of life and the mysterious "suchness" that fires up those complexities into being- it is what I must stand for: the sacredness of life.
So it is with the belief in the resilience and inspirational power of nature that I offer a prayer for new beginnings in this year of revolutionary change. For there is no doubt that we are entering extremely paradoxical and critical times that will require philosophical leaps, mobilization, cohesiveness and willing transformation to avert the serious ecological and humanitarian crises that we are facing each day in more startling detail. There is no easy solution, no quick fixes, no coercive forces nor ponzi schemed bailouts that will take us there: we have to let go of the old and use the lessons of what failed us to rebuild. And we have to start here and now, with this new moment, from this one complex body and mind made up of those sacred molecules of life that we all share, that have cycled through the biosphere for millions of years. It is a perfect time now to remake our human economy to reflect our belonging to the biosphere.