Martin Luther King's network of mutuality

There are so many reasons to honor the memory and the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. My blog will be one of many to praise his courage, his compassion and his gift to move people with his words...a gift that most bloggers would love to have. I was 16 in 1964 and I was deeply moved by King's message of non-violent resistance. His cause was just. His words were eloquent and inspirational, moving those who agreed with him, and often those who did not.

I wish that we had such an inspiring voice for the cause of peace, disarmament and nonviolence today, and I truly believe that we need someone whose words can move both hearts and minds to speak to the impending environmental crisis that we, as a global community, are facing.

It is a crisis that we still don't really see, just as we didn't really see the stark face of racism in our country until it was broadcast on the national nightly news. Those who suffered the effects of racism were all too aware of it. It was a fact of life that they could not escape. But, it was easy for the majority of Americans to live in denial of the reality of racial injustice.

Dr. King made us see it and, more importantly, he made us care. He spoke to our consciences at the same time that he spoke to our hearts and minds.  He appealed to our better angels; to our sense of justice; to our ideals as Americans.

It is true that he was reviled by many who felt that he was asking too much of us - hated and feared by those who felt American society would not survive if it made the changes for which he marched and protested. He was called a communist, an agitator, a trouble-maker and worse by some. Yet, he prevailed and so did his message.

At the heart of that message was love. A special kind of love- love combined with the courage to do what was right. No matter how hard it was. He said, "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

I want to hear these same words spoken about the environment. It seems that the vast majority of people still do not realize how serious the impending environmental crisis will be, unless we take serious action now. People, for some reason, are not moved by scientific evidence.

So, I think the environmental movement needs a voice of love.  A voice that reminds us that it is our duty and our privilege to save what we love.  A voice that reminds us of the power of working for change with love in our hearts.

I know that I sound hopelessly idealistic, unrealistic, naive and foolish to many who read this. But those same words were applied to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s.

Dr. King said that he refused to "accept the idea that man is mere flotsom and jetsom in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events, which surround him."  I agree with him. We don't have to watch helplessly as decisions are made that further endanger a sustainable future. We don't have to mindlessly use water, fuel, and electricity as if they are limitless. We have influence and we must learn to use it.

Dr. King said, "On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right."  He was talking about war and I totally agree with him.

But I also believe that many politicians and leaders are cowardly about the environment. They don't want to ask the public to make changes in the way we live, because they don't want to lose votes. They don't want to make necessary environmental regulations for businesses because they might lose contributions. I don't really blame them for feeling this way. After all, look at what happened to Jimmy Carter when he advised people to wear sweaters instead of turning up their thermostats!

But, if we had a voice like Dr. King, we would not give in to cowardice, politics or vanity. We would listen to our consciences telling us that we owe future generations a sustainable future. And, if a "sustainable future" sounds too abstract, the voice of the environmental leader would help us to realize that our children and grandchildren are part of that future. Will they have access to clean water? Not unless we make sure they do now. If that sounds far-fetched, check out the drought in California.

Maybe the words of Dr. King that most directly apply to the environment are found in this quote: “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.” This is so true when it comes to the environment. The way we live; the choices we make; what we use and what we conserve - all of it affects everyone, now and in the future.

Fifty years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act our nation - the whole world, actually - faces an enormous challenge. We can act with courage, with love for our families, with love for humanity, with love for the earth that nurtures us. I hope we find the voice that inspires us to do so.

If you love the ocean, now is the time to show you care.

Think for a moment about the oceans. What do they mean to you?

For most of my life, I have lived less than an hour's drive from an ocean and it gives me comfort to know that I am so close. I can't really imagine not being able to see, smell and hear the ocean whenever I want to. For me the sea shore is a place where I find peace; where I feel most connected to the infinite energy that gives us life.

I feel loved and loving when I see a sunrise or a sunset on the water. I feel connected to those who live on the "other side" of the immense and beautiful sea that connects one continent to another.  I feel, indeed, that I could not live without the ocean.

And I am right. Even if I lived hundreds of miles from it, I could not live without the ocean. Neither could you. Literally.

Oceans are integral to human survival.

Maybe that is why so many people love to be near them. Is there something deep in our collective unconscious that knows our survival as a species is intricately connected to the oceans that make up over 70 percent of the earth's surface?

Without being consciously aware that 94 percent of life on earth is aquatic, do we realize in the depths of our being, that we land-dwellers are a small minority and that we are, indeed, dependent on the biodiversity the ocean contains?

When I used to scuba dive in the Caribbean, I was amazed by the diversity and beauty of the underwater life I saw. I never stopped to think about the bio-medical products that have been made possible by the diverse forms of  marine plant and animal life.

When I  enjoy the majesty of Gloucester's rocky coast, or Cape Cod's sandy beaches,  I never once think about how the ocean transfers heat from the equator to the north and south poles, or how it moderates carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. I simply bask in its beauty and relax into the peaceful, contented feeling that being near the ocean always gives me.

I know that millions of people share this love of the ocean. That is why so  many  people choose ocean-based vacations.  Lately, though, I have begun to think that we are drawn to the ocean, not by its beauty, but by our subconscious understanding that it makes life on earth possible.

Has God or the universe created us to have an innate love of the ocean in order  to help us understand that we need it?  I think the answer is yes.

And, if the answer is yes, then it is important to understand what the ocean does for us. Even more important may be understanding what is happening to the ocean due to the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

I am not a scientist so my explanation will be simple. I will include references at the end for more thorough understanding.

The ocean plays a vital role in removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Right now, almost half of the carbon emitted by burning fossil fuel is absorbed by the earth's oceans.  More carbon dioxide can be absorbed and processed safely in cold water than in warm water.

As the earth's temperature rises, it affects the temperature of the water in the ocean.  The warmer the ocean becomes the less able it is to absorb CO2 without harm to marine life, and to the ocean itself.

So, we have a huge problem: as more carbon dioxide is emitted global temperatures increase and the ocean water itself warms and is, therefore,  less able to absorb the CO2.

But that is not the only problem the ocean (and we humans who depend on it) is facing.  The ocean water is becoming more and more acidic due to the increase in carbon dioxide.  Human activities are adding 24 million tons of CO2 to the oceans every day.  Research has shown that the acidity has increased almost  30 percent in the last 100 years! This really matters because a balanced pH level in the ocean is crucial to the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Nature gave us a beautiful system of  carbon exchange between the earth, the ocean and the atmosphere. We have unwittingly debilitated that system. We have taken something beautiful and life-giving and turned it into a vicious cycle.

I don't blame us for what has happened. Most of us didn't know, or didn't understand. But that is in the PAST. All of the information is available to us now.  We have no excuse not to know.

We are so privileged to be the ones who have been given  the gift of knowledge. We must not reject this gift. We can not return it because it isn't comfortable.  We must accept it with gratitude.  We must embrace it. We - you and I - are here NOW.

Martin Luther King, Jr's words from almost 50 years ago state it well : "We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is a such thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time."

We can not wait. We must learn how to live differently. We are the leaders the earth has been waiting for. We are the stewards the ocean needs. We are the humans who have been chosen to  join together and heal the earth.  We can do it. We must do it. Let us begin now.

 Remember that what happens next is up to all of us. We are all connected.

“When people are determined they can overcome anything.” (Nelson Mandela, Johannesburg, South Africa, Nov. 14, 2006) 

References and resources

http://www.noaa.gov/ocean.html

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/fun-surprising-facts-about-the-oceans.aspx#ixzz2mdxwwSHY

http://www.seaweb.org/markets/health.php

http://www.climate.org/topics/climate-change/ocean-uptake-climate-change.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24904143

Speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City. 

I Call Myself Earth Girl, novel by Jan Krause Greene

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Learn what you can do to live healthy and sustainably while helping the ocean

For more information, you can visit:

• The National Academies 2009 report Oceans and Human Health
• Woods Hole Center for Oceans & Human Health
• Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment
• Pacific Northwest Center for Human Health and Ocean Studies, University of Washington
• Oceans and Human Health Center, University of Miami
• Pacific Research Center for Marine Biomedicine, University of Hawaii, Monoa
• NOAA's Oceans and Human Health Initiative (OHHI)