Currently viewing the tag: "the Jewish Kabbalah"

by Christine Maccabee

The Beginning of Wisdom

Some things don’t come until late in life, such as Wisdom, if it comes at all. If it is true that the better fruits of life are born with age, then perhaps the same thinking can apply to the Earth and our aging understanding of our relationship with it.

The Wisdom has always been out there, written in ancient books such as the Bible, the Jewish Kabbalah, and many others. More recently in our history were the eloquent words of Native American elders as they passionately expressed their values of reverence for the Earth and simplicity of living to the white man over and over, seeking to preserve ancestral lands for their people and all living entities. (See the book Touch the Earth.)

However, much as parents try to share their knowledge of life with their children, hoping the children will learn from their experiences without making the same mistakes they did, most children will go out and learn from their own experiences, forsaking the guidance of their elders.

So it is with us, the Children of the Earth. Ancient wisdom and guidance was ignored and mistakes have been made. Materialism and greed have run rampant, and the Earth, our only true home, is suffering.

Perhaps now the time is ripe for humanity to grow up, having learned from its experiences, having grown old with the Earth. Perhaps it is the beginning of a new relationship with the Earth, a greater corporate, and individual, knowledge of our place in the Universe. Perhaps it is time to become humbled and to live more lightly on, more gently with, our precious gift of a planet.

It is not too late. It is the beginning of Wisdom.