A favorite movie!
One of my favorite movies as a child was Journey to the Center of the Earth. I can remember exactly where I saw the move and what seat I sat on… well really, I was on the edge of my seat. I was enthralled.
I wanted to be Hannah, the one to serve as guide to Professor Anderson and his nephew Sean. Trapped in a cavern, the only escape route was to go deeper and deeper beneath the earth’s surface. They encounter unexpected places and strange creatures. And, of course, the volcanic activity adds drama and presses the need to find the way out.
The Land of Ice and Fire
Imagine my delight when our daughter Elizabeth wanted to go to Iceland for her high school graduation. We have now been twice. The land of fire and ice! Magical… mystical… and hauntingly beautiful, Iceland tells the story of climate change and equity.
Visit the Vatnajökull glacier and you will see how the inches have become feet, which have become yards, of melting glacier; a daily reminder of global warming. Memories of the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull remain an ever-present reminder of our utter dependence upon the earth as our home. While the decisions made after the subprime crisis tell a story of what happens when a country chooses equity over greed.
Iceland’s journey provides invitation as we emerge from the pandemic. How we re-enter after a year of stay-in-place will reflect just how much (or little) we have learned. Will we take responsibility for our stewardship of creation? Will we finally come to honor our inter-dependence? Or not?
Iceland’s Response
The story of Iceland’s response to environmental, economic, and identify issues model a way forward for us to engage with our own communities. In many ways, the country’s response mirrors the Martin Luther King’s Six Principles of Non-Violence:
- PRINCIPLE ONE: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
- PRINCIPLE TWO: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
- PRINCIPLE THREE: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people.
- PRINCIPLE FOUR: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.
- PRINCIPLE FIVE: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.
- PRINCIPLE SIX: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.
Join me on a (virtual) pilgrimage
With Principle Six, especially, we are invited to understand the connection between the environment and justice. This coming Sunday at noon, EST, I am leading a virtual pilgrimage to Iceland. This online journey is an invitation to reclaim the heart of what it means to be, belong and become as together we honor people and planet. I hope you’ll join me and others from across the globe as we journey to the center of our beings. There is no charge. Just bring yourself (and a friend, if you like). Here is the link!
And, then a retreat with Anita Howard
After making Pilgrimage, my hope is that your commitment to reentry with intention will be deepened. To support you further, I invite you to register for the online Beloved Community retreat with Anita Howard to learn more what it means to be beloved… and community. While popularized by Martin King, the term that was first coined in the early days of the 20th Century by the philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce, who founded the Fellowship of Reconciliation. As we re-enter, how might our communities come to embody justice, equal opportunity, and love of one’s fellow human beings… and creation?
Never forget that our paths are made by walking!