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SPIRITUALITY IS SOMETIMES
associated with a "world within" in contrast to natural science's
concerns with the "world without." Yet, the further we progress
in either domain, the less the distinction seems valid.
This is particularly important when countries are reporting a loss of
biodiversity at a scale unprecedented in human history. At the global
level right down to the survival of distinctive species and the communities
and habitats they live in, the scale of the problem challenges natural
scientists and communities as a whole to find new ways to act, new ways
to research, even new ways to think about sustaining biodiversity.
Scientists respect objectivity about what they observe, and increasingly
they are observing themselves and the way their thinking conditions their
observations. The traditional scientific approach of reductionism-which
looks at small parts of nature in isolation-doesn't work when the problems
are as big and complex as sustaining biodiversity. A transition from single-species
wildlife management to an endeavor to understand and manage whole ecosystems
has been a response to this challenge. Looking at the larger picture focuses
attention on interdependence and mutual well-being, and shifts biological
explanation higher than dog-eat-dog competition.
If we always look for conflict and competition, we may fail to develop
alternative explanatory approaches. Yet diversity, cooperation, and complementarity
come into view as organizing principles as we expand our world view. I
see a connection between this and a statement in Science and Health with
Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: "Observation, invention,
study, and original thought are expansive and should promote the growth
of mortal mind out of itself, out of all that is mortal."1
At the heart of environmental degradation, there seems to lie a sense
of separation from the natural world around us. It has been widely observed
that indigenous peoples often developed an empathy with nature that allowed
them to relate to other creatures as sisters and brothers. But in the
context of the global economy, it seems too much to ask people just to
return to a more simple life. Technology may have given some people much
greater independence from the limits of the natural world, but at a cost
not only to nature but to ourselves.
I sense we need to profoundly transform the way we see the world and the
way we relate to our fellow creatures, from the tiniest bug to the most
noble tree or creature. This is a task of spiritual magnitude. We need
to find the resources to inspire and transform thought. For me, the study
of Science and Health is central. Its ideas go directly to the core of
healing a separation of humanity from a higher sense of itself and the
universe.
One of many telling experiences I have had in conjunction with my study
of this book took place about three years ago. I was acting in a support
role to an endangered species program. A search was under way on a southern
island for survivors of a rare and lovely bird. I was studying Science
and Health and read, "The divine Mind maintains all identities, from
a blade of grass to a star, as distinct and eternal."2 I
reflected deeply on what this meant, and realized that to the infinite
Spirit, Life itself, there could be no process of extinction, no loss
of any idea. I could see that if, in fact, identity is spiritual, not
merely a vulnerable genetic fingerprint, then an active, infinite, and
loving Mind sustains that spiritual expression. Not only did this lift
me above a sense of hopelessness and refresh my approach to my work, but
shortly afterward, a search team found more birds in an area where they
previously were thought to have been lost, and they were able to be moved
to a predator-free sanctuary. This small incident accorded with other
experiences, which suggests to me that prayer based on spiritual insight
does affect our experience. And the more expansive and inclusive our prayers,
the greater the possibilities for the planet and for all that live here.
1 Science and Health, p. 195.
2 Ibid., p. 70.
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