In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called
to shift to a new level of consciousness,
to reach a higher moral ground …
A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other.
That time is now.—Wangari Maathai, Nobel Lecture, Oslo, Dec. 10, 2004
I first heard this quote years ago while listening to Kenyan environmentalist and activist Wangari Maathai offer the 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate Prize address. As the first African woman to receive the Nobel Prize, she spoke with such deep humility, such poise, such pride for the efforts of her country of Kenya and the people of Africa, while also acknowledging the efforts of so many individuals and groups clear across the globe from her home country.
Wangari’s words resounded within me. Her conviction ran deep, “In this year’s prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has placed the critical issue of environment and its linkage to democracy and peace before the world. For their visionary action, I am profoundly grateful. Recognizing that sustainable development, democracy and peace are indivisible is an idea whose time has come.”
Just one year into ministry here at Prairiewoods, a place which also knew such a time, I was so grateful, though new and green, to be engaged in a similar mission. Wangari’s inspiration stemmed partly from her childhood experiences of nature in rural Kenya. She witnessed forests being cleared and replaced by commercial plantations, which destroyed local biodiversity and the capacity of the forests to conserve water. From a very early age, she understood that peace on earth depends on our ability to stand courageously against oppression to ensure safe ecosystems for all who depend on water, food, fuel and medicine. She planted trees!
Wangari’s inspiration continues to inspire so many today. Most recently, she inspirits the efforts of a weekly series, “The Constellation Project,” a partnership among Harvard Divinity School, the Center for the Study of World Religions and the Planetary Health Alliance. The free Monday evening series “explores the spiritual crisis that underlies the ecological and public health crises associated with destruction of Earth’s natural systems. How do we share news stories about our relationship to each other and the natural world that could help set us on a different path?” Check it out. “The time has come.” See https://mailchi.mp/yale/climate-of-now.
—Ann Jackson, PBVM, Prairiewoods spiritual services coordinator