Celebrate!
August doesn't seem to be a big month for holidays, but here are a couple of things worth celebrating this month. Just click on the links below to find information, stories, recipes and more.
What with all the hot weather we've been having in the Northern Hemisphere, August also seems like a good month to take a look at the issue of global warming and ecology.
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We Honor… |
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| Rachel Carson, a writer and marine biologist whose famous book Silent Spring alerted people to the dangers of pesticides. Written in the early 1960s, Carson's book was one of the first to look at environmental problems ecologically—seeing the complicated ways that the whole living system interacts. For instance, she wrote about how a pesticide that was meant to just kill insects, for instance, could end up killing birds, fish and even people too.
You could say that, because she was one of the first people to think about and talk about the interconnections between living beings, and because she saw the sacred in the interconnected life around her, Rachel Carson was a foremother to our Unitarian Universalist seventh principle: "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part."
Read more about Rachel Carson. |
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Nurturing Your Spirit
Many people find that working in a garden, helping things to grow, has as much to do with caring for their spirit as caring for their plants. Gardening reminds us of our deep connections with the natural world, and of our role as caretakers for the world around us. It can help us to slow down and take notice as we watch for signs of growth that don't show from one minute—or hour—to the next.
Even if you don't have a garden, you can enjoy planting seeds and caring for a plant as it grows. If you don't have a plant pot you can use a plastic yoghurt or cottage cheese container. Poke several small holes in the bottom (help from a grownup on this part is a good idea). Fill your container with potting soil, and place it on a plate or a pie pan so there is something to catch the water if it runs out. You can get seeds at a nursery or hardware store, or experiment and see if you have any dried beans or lentils around the house that might sprout—of course, they can't be cooked! You may want to soak large seeds such as beans overnight before planting them. Once your seed or seeds are in the soil you'll need to put them in a sunny place, and keep them damp. With luck, in a few days you may see something green poking through the soil. Remember that as they grow, plants need water, air and sunlight. People, as they grow, need the same things. And our spirits grow best when we remember that our lives aren't really separate from all the growing things around us. |
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Practicing the Principles
As mentioned above, our seventh Unitarian Universalist principle is "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part." UUs recognize that each life affects every other life, so we try to make choices which are healthy for other beings as well as for ourselves.
There are lots of serious ways to think about how we are part of the interdependent web, including some in the Act! section below. But here are a few fun ways to try out being connected:
- Stand next to another person and tie your legs that are closest to each other together. Now try walking, and then running (carefully). Can you skip tied together?
- Blindfold one person, and have another person lead them around, being careful not to let them bump into anything. Remember, your choices definitely affect the person you are leading!
- Facing another person, put your hands up so that your palms are almost, but not quite touching. The leader moves their hands and the follower tries, without touching, to exactly match their motion. The goal of the game is not to trick the other person, but to try to move together as smoothly as possible.
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Act!
Unitarian Universalists have a long history of concern for the environment. Most recently, the UU General Assembly voted to make our Study/Action issue for 2004-2006 the topic of global warming. Global warming, sometime called climate change, means that the overall temperature of the planet is getting hotter because of a build-up of "greenhouse gases" caused by our burning fossil fuels like gasoline. This climate change not only means the weather gets warmer, it also means more severe storms, droughts (lack of water) and a variety of other effects that we can only guess at. Read our UU materials that were gathered to help us study the issue and take action.
Or you might want to look at a site for kids on the topic that has lots of information, and some games to go with it, or let Tiki the Penguin explain what global warming is and what you can do about it. |
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