And those who know and those who seek. Amidst the chaos, find your peace

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Jeff Kisling

Yesterday I wrote of the anger I’ve been feeling about the severe flooding in the Midwest and in Mozambique. Anger because these are just the latest environmental disasters, and won’t be the last. I’m angry because I have tried all my life to get people to change, to stop burning so much fossil fuel, to stop driving cars. And knowing that is nothing compared what indigenous people across the world must have been feeling by seeing environmental destruction evolve for centuries despite their efforts to protect Mother Earth.

Below is a clip from Nahko Bear’s performance at the Black Hills Unity Concert, September, 2017, for the Black Hills, the Earth, and all her people.Honoring the sacred. I often listen to Nahko’s songs at times like these.

Where my warriors at? And so I feel like what has been said many times tonight and I appreciate the sentiment that we can say this now in this time and this generation is that prayer is the most G thing you can do, homey. And I can say that for my life, in the things that have happened in my life, the anger, for the pain, for the hate, that I’ve carried, that forgiveness, and therefore remembering to pray for those that oppressed us, is the most powerful testament to mankind.

For the West
For the North
For the East
For the South
 
Grandfather, I’m calling on you
Need your guidance now
Grandmother, I’m calling on you
Need your guidance now

Directions – Nahko Bear

This is the place for all my relations
To bring celebration through meditation
Giving thanks for all of creation
We are so provided for
We are so provided for
We are so provided for
We are so provided for
All of the blessings I have received
How could they have been bestowed upon me?
So I’ll put it all back in the ground
Back in the soil where I am found
It all started
Wakan Tankunl Skan Skan
Something holy moves here on the land
It is my brothers’ and my sisters’ hands
It is the way we make our plans
We don’t make them
Well this is it, what is this?
This is Eden, Eden is
Where I live and where I give
My whole being to the Great Spirit
We are waiting and we’re on our way
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin
This is the place for all my relations
To bring celebration through meditation
Giving thanks for all of creation
We are so provided for

Mitakuye Oyasin – Nahko Bear

We feel that racism and sexism and class separation
That these are desecrations
And we feel that the American flag does not represent
Integrity, honor, justice or truth
 
My country ’tis of thee
Sweet land of poverty
For thee I weep
Land where my mother cried
Land where my father died
Sweet land of genocide
Pride of my heart
 
My country ’tis of thee
Sweet land of industry
We’ll break your back
Clean out your minerals
Fill you with chemicals
We kill for what is profitable
Oh concrete world
 
Our climate’s suffering
All nature feels the sting
Poisoned progress
All of these mouths to feed
All of this land to seed
From sea to shining sea
Gold underground
Our people left to die
Battlefield country-side
Paved-over graves
Suburban privileges make desolate villages
Broken treaties, Broken promises
Conquer, repeat
 
All warriors represent
Remind those who forget
The time is now
To walk in humble pride
Prepare and fortify
Resist comforts of compromise
Pray for guidance
Pray for guidance
Pray for guidance

My Country – Nahko Bear

Maybe I’m not here to be a superstar after all
Maybe I’m here to pray for all those who have lost hope along the way

I’m on the verge of everything
Been lookin’ to be surrendering so honestly
Tiptoe to the edge of my destiny
Free fall backwards, great mystery
Speakin’ to me, the pain of the youth
The confusion of the people and their struggle for truth
Yeah, regroup and renew
Time to regroup, renew the ambition of a nation
Zombies treadin’ on decaying foundation
Wasting, creating hostility among us
Turning our back on our mother
We’re turning our back on our mother

Look at what we’ve done
I remember
I remember
I forgive
I remember
I remember
I remember
I forgive

These people are relentless, senseless, violent and racist
Providing installation in my day-to-day, endless
Positivity can definitely be contagious
Persuasive, cause I’m speaking my truth
I got pennies in my pockets, but I’m picking fresh fruits
Yeah, picking fresh fruits
Got pennies in my pockets, but I’m picking fresh fruits
Yeah, whoa
Cause I live in a land of abundance
Where the rain off my roof is sacred and precious
And (now we get to work and be found[?]) riding horses
And normally with the courage that we like to front
Bringin’ it back to the land when there was food to hunt
And yeah, when there was food to hunt
And yeah, oh

I got one last thing on my mind
I remember
I remember
I forgive
I remember
I remember
I remember
I forgive

I’m learning the language of the planet
We inhabit and stab it with
The chemicals that we practice
And I’ve had it with habits, it’s tragic
This trajectory course that we’re on
Separated from the dirt, from ourselves, from the song
Every robot sings, with his hand to his heart:
“I will kill for God, and I will hit my mark
And I will stand, like a fool, for the cause, the treason”
Nobody’s bombing me, but other countries are weeping
Choppin’ the mountains in half
Can’t you hear the earth screamin’?
Whoaoh, can’t you hear the Earth screamin’?
Oh
Blood oil for dinner, better have an appetite, yeah
Cause we rape, pillage and plunder

So you can heat your house tonight
I remember
I remember
I forgive
I remember
I remember
I remember
I forgive

All my empowered people, put your ones up!
Recognize our tribes are independent and restless
Searching for purpose beneath the rubble and wreckage
The message: Forgiveness starts with me!
Yeah! With me!
Stop blaming other people, take on the responsibility
Of generations to come
May they live in a world without governments and guns
Without governments and guns
Hey, whoaoh
Your people who killed my people
My people kill your people
But our people are all one people
United by compassion for humanity’s sake
We wake and meditate on the light of a new day
New chapter in the book of a thousand tongues
Yeah, a thousand tongues

We shall overcome
I remember
I remember
I forgive

Yeah, we shall overcome
(We shall overcome)

We Shall Overcome – Nahko Bear

So which wolf will you feed
One makes you strong, one makes you weak
And those who know and those who seek
Amidst the chaos, find your peace (yeah)
I know which wolf I’ll feed
I know which wolf I’ll feed
 
Great spirit, I’ve had it
Bring me back to the nomadic
Way of weaving through the damage
Mindful, stay mindful
Great spirit, for my sisters
Let me be a flowing river
Flood the banks, the rocks that bind her
Carry, I’ll carry
 
Great, Great Spirit
Oh oo oh
Great, Great Spirit
Oh oo oh
 
Great spirit, for my brothers
Let me be a mountain under
Which he climbs to discover
His process, now that’s progress
Great Spirit, all that hinders
Tie reminders to my fingers
I must speak to you more often
 
Great, Great Spirit
Oh oo oh
Great, Great Spirit
Oh oo oh
 
Great Spirit, for my relations
Give them strength to face racism
In every single situation
Easy now, go on, speak loud
Great Spirit, take me instead
Guide me down the road of red
Tunkashila, I am shamed, Great
 
Oh Tunkashila, yeah
Tunkashila, yeah
Tunkashila, yeah
Tunkashila, oh yeah
 
Great Spirit, system collapsed
Nothing but the Earth will last
And I will be singing sweetly until the darkness
And how life is
Great Spirit, on my tongue
Be still, be still, the time will come
When everyone will sing “All Life is Sacred”
Well, I’m waiting
Great Spirit, my fist is up bringing the power to the people
You’re a reflection of us
Some of you’re people can’t hear it
The cries of the Earth
Some of you’re people can’t feel it
The way that it hurts
And it hurts, Great Spirit
Oh, and it moves, Great Spirit
Interconnected in the wreckage of a paradigm on
Its way out, its way out
Speaking of spiritual lyrical testimonies
A spirited lyricist weaving around false prophecies
A spirit directed and selected with the message I bring
While the ship slowly sinks, I’ve been directed to sing
I’m like a wrecking ball breaking down the walls of the past
I made up a list, living off bliss with the last of my cash
You’re gonna be justified with how you treated the land
You’re gonna be by my side, when I stand and demand a change
Change
 
They know not what they do
They know not what they do
Can we forgive them for that too?

Great Spirit – Nahko Bear

We’re a part of something special
We’re a part of something special
We’re a part of something special
It’s a crack in time, a wrinkle
Fallen from the nest, young eagle
I will pull my feathers out
Stay humble
Stay humble
Stay humble
Stay humble
Stay humble

Uncle Mana taught us like an elder
Took us under, older brother
He said
This is powerful country
This is powerful country
And we felt like we were returning
To our land rebels
And the shepherds of the sea
Takers are taking what the leavers will leave
So grieve me the black prince cicada
Such a loud voice for a tiny creature, oh
Teach me to let go of all of my pain
I do forgive, I don’t forget these things
I do forgive, I don’t forget these things
We burn the blue gum for a safe passageway
Drink of the earth, smoke of the dirt
And my warpaint was red ochre clay
Hoka hey
My warpaint was red ochre clay
Hoka hey
Red ochre clay
Our prayers igniting, cast out into the shire
And the song of our struggle
Came straight from the fire
It goes:

Holy, holy grandmother, we sing
Wash us clean of our pain and suffering
Give us strength for our new beginnings
In my best thanks I sing

It’ll wash away, it will wash away
Lift ’em up
It’ll wash away, it will wash away
Lift ’em up
It’ll wash away, it will wash away
Lift ’em up
It’ll wash away, it will wash away
Lift ’em up
Ooh lift ’em up (yeah)
Ooh lift ’em up (yeah)
Ooh lift ’em up (yeah)
Ooh lift ’em up

In my dreams you were an aboriginal man
Gave me your hat
And your past in one hand
You said
You’ve come to be with the rainbow serpent
Red hands, red land, red worship
Red hands, red land, red worship
Just then I heard bush mama crying in the chasms
For a stolen generation
And the children that haven’t
Come home, come home, stay home
Come home, come home, stay home
My bullets are my words
And my words are my weapons
Chain me to the pipeline
For our rivers and mountains, we scream
Today’s a good day for my ego to die
Today’s a good day for my ego to die
Spirit, live on in my heart
In my body, my mind
In my body, my mind
Then sister crow came with the murder that day
So we tattooed the bird nation onto our faces
She said, “we sing to let go of all of our pain
We dance the story
To remember when things changed”
Remember when things changed
Remember when things changed

Holy, holy grandmother, we sing
Wash us clean of our pain and suffering
Give us strength for our new beginnings
In my best thanks I sing

It’ll wash away, it will wash away
Lift ’em up
It’ll wash away, it will wash away
Lift ’em up
It’ll wash away, it will wash away
Lift ’em up
It’ll wash away, it will wash away
Lift ’em up
Ooh lift ’em up (yeah)
Ooh lift ’em up (yeah)
Ooh lift ’em up (yeah)
Ooh lift ’em up

We danced the ghost dance in two separate countries
To this old song
So familiar to memory
The road will teach you how to love and let go
It can be lonely but it’s the only thing
That we’ve ever known
It can be lonely but it’s the only thing
That we’ve ever known
Our mommas told us
Let go of jealousy
And for vagabonds and vagrants, that won’t come so easy
We’ve come from nothing
Nothing
We have come from nothing
Nothing
So teach me to love you in a different way
Same cuts, same guts, same crazy
Same cuts, same guts, same crazy
I traveled halfway across the country and back
Only to find love undefined
And I’m okay with that
‘Cause I’m gonna be a guardian
Be a man among men
Be a guardian
Be a man among men
Or be a woman
Among women
Be a guardian
Be my friend
Be my friend

We’re a part of something special
We’re a part of something special
We’re a part of something special
It’s a crack in time, a wrinkle
Fallen from the nest, young eagle
I will pull my feathers out
Stay humble
Stay humble
Stay humble
Stay humble
Stay humble

Wash it Away – Nahko Bear
Posted in #NDAPL, climate change, Indigenous, peace, Spiritual Warrior, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Grieving for Mother Earth

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Jeff Kisling

I hope you haven’t been directly affected by the massive flooding in the Midwest. Of course we will all be affected by the damage to topsoil, impact on crops, and financial ruin for some farmers.

I’m having a lot of trouble dealing with my anger right now. I can’t even talk to people who are so surprised this flooding has happened. All of my life I have been trying to get people to take all the damages being done to Mother Earth seriously. I wonder what more I could have done? For those who don’t know me, I was led to give up having a personal automobile about 45 years ago. I thought my example might encourage others to do the same, but it did not.

This makes me think about how terrible this has been for indigenous people around the world, who have seen this all unfolding for centuries. I can’t know the depth of that sorrow and it further increases my gratefulness and respect for how hard indigenous people have worked, and continue to work to make us see how wrong our white settler colonial culture has been and continues to be.

One of the most alarming things to have happened during this flooding is the break of a 4 inch natural gas pipeline near Le Mars, Iowa. Which brings to mind one of the many things we tried to warn about regarding building the Dakota Access Pipeline under the Missouri River. #NoDAPL

On top of all this are the two bills passed by the South Dakota legislature to proactively force protestors to pay for damages related to pipeline protests. Think about that. Punishing people before they do anything! In response the Crow Creek Sioux and Oglala Sioux tribes have asked that their flags not be displayed in the South Dakota Capitol building.

Although it is probably too little, too late, beginning work on the ideas of an indigenous led Green New Deal is the only hope I see to at least slow down the continuing climate disasters. This flooding is just an example of worse to come.

I have been working to support the youth in the Sunrise Movement as they build a movement to force politicians to support a Green New Deal. Yesterday on the Fallon Forum I asked Mayor Cownie what Des Moines plans to do related to a Green New Deal. He said he was aware of young peoples’ concerns, and talked about schools having gardens to provide healthier school meals. But he doesn’t seem to see that incremental changes can’t begin to solve our climate crisis. I did talk, in answer to those who criticize students missing classes, about Scattergood Friends School and Farm, and how much education there occurs outside the classroom by which I meant the youth who are striking are getting a real educational experience. You can hear that discussion here: http://fallonforum.com/listen/

We are fortunate the Green New Deal Tour is coming to Des Moines on April 22. Get your tickets here:
https://www.sunrisemovement.org/tour


https://www.sunrisemovement.org/tour

At each tour stop, hundreds to thousands of attendees are treated to a multimedia experience and an emotional journey.
We’ll share stories about how the crises of climate change and inequality are threatening the people and places we call home. We’ll hear from political leaders about how the Green New Deal would protect communities across the country from the worsening impacts of climate change while boosting our economy. Then we’ll lay out the plan to make the 2020 election a referendum on the Green New Deal, so we can make the Green New Deal law in 2021.
Speakers will include political leaders who are championing the effort for the Green New Deal in Congress, movement leaders mobilizing thousands to join the fight, and local community leaders who are leading the way to the transition to a society that works for all of us and protects the air we breathe, water we drink, and places we call home.

https://www.sunrisemovement.org/tour

March 15th saw massive student climate strikes around the world. The students are demanding action now to support a Green New Deal. Here in the United States, we are calling for an Indigenous Led Green New Deal.

On March 15th, my friend Rezadad Mohammadi and I went to Scattergood Friends School and Farm to visit with the students and staff there about a Green New Deal. Both of us attended school there. Reza is taking a class on climate change this semester at Simpson College. I wrote about that visit here: https://kislingjeff.wordpress.com/2019/03/17/youth-and-the-yearly-meeting/

Reza and Jeff at Scattergood Friends School and Farm
Posted in #NDAPL, civil disobedience, climate change, Green New Deal, Indigenous, Quaker, Sunrise Movement, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Historic Flooding in Nebraska

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Jeff Kisling

I’ve been out of touch with news this past weekend as we were at Bear Creek Meeting, cleaning and getting ready for Midyear Meeting. The broken dam and historic flooding is hard to believe. Climate chaos is here now.

Iowa Friends Nancy Jordan and Carol Gilbert have marked themselves as safe on Facebook.

Marshall Massey says “Those poor farmers in the Missouri bottomlands!
This interchange is smack on my path to Iowa (Conservative) Midyear Meeting — in fact, my mother’s house is in the blur near the horizon under the curl in the airplane’s wing. The detour I’ll have to take, down through the center of Omaha, will be slow and jammed with semis (long-distance trucking across the continent). But it’s nothing compared to what the bottomland communities are suffering.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NebraskaALERT/permalink/2304136739872365/

Several areas in the Midwest experienced record flooding this past week, with high water on Saturday causing more levee breaches on the Missouri River, prompting widespread evacuations and isolating neighborhoods and towns.
Record-high river levels were reported in at least 38 locations in the Midwest, particularly in Nebraska and Iowa, said Jonathan Erdman, a senior meteorologist with weather.com. Heavy flooding was also reported in Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota, and the National Weather Service said it would continue past the weekend.


Record-High Floods in Nebraska Breach Levees and Isolate Towns 3/16/2019by Mihir Zaveri, New York Times,

A roadway in Omaha, Neb., is underwater on Saturday as flooding continued in parts of the Midwest.Credit Jeff Bundy/Omaha World-Herald, via Associated Press

Whitetail Fit, Published on Mar 16, 2019
What is happening along the river banks of Nebraska is absolutely devastating and heartbreaking. These towns are being destroyed and severely affecting the people who call these places home. People, Cattle, and livestock being trapped without any way to get to them, homes being submerged by a rush of 10 foot water and 2 foot thick chunks of ice bigger than a truck. These are the same river banks I have had some of my most memorable hunting experiences on. Those properties are 100% under water right now.. I am partnering with the American RedCross of Nebraska and have set up a means and outlet through Whitetail Fit and GoFundMe for people to donate and help out however they can to get food, water and clothing to the 15+ shelters set up along the eastern border of Nebraska. This money will also be used to help rebuild these peoples lives. This is our community, our town and our State. I may not be able to do much on my own, but together and through the Whitetail Fit family, I’ve seen some pretty amazing things happen. I believe in the Hunting community, and the passion everyone has in their hearts to help when there are those who are helpless. I’ll be posting more from here out and keeping everyone up to date on the efforts. Thanks guys!

Joel Burham, Owner Whitetail Fit

At least one man is dead, two others are missing and nearly 900 people are inside temporary shelters amid the worst flooding in Nebraska in 50 years following a “bomb cyclone” storm that wreaked havoc across the Great Plains this week.

Nebraska slammed by worst flooding in 50 years after massive ‘bomb cyclone’ USA Today, Joey Garrison, March 16,2019
Two dead after historic flooding, CBS Weekend News, 3/17/2019

All this is a tragic background to the youth climate strikes that occurred around the world Friday. The following photos were taken by Shari Hrdina at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines for Bold Iowa, used with permission.

Posted in climate change, climate refugees, Quaker, Quaker Meetings, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Youth and the Yearly Meeting

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Jeff Kisling

Yesterday my friend Rezadad Mohammadi and I traveled to Scattergood Friends School and Farm. Reza graduated from Scattergood 2 years ago and was glad to see friends and teachers. I graduated in 1970.

I met Reza when he was among a group of Scattergood students who joined us for Midyear Meeting several years ago. Then in 2017 I saw reference to a video Rezadad produced related to his summer’s work with an American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) project in San Diego. I was impressed with the video, and contacted him about it. We began to correspond via email and text messages. Last year we met face to face again when Gordon Bivens and I went to Graceland University, where Reza was going to school. This year he has been attending Simpson College which has presented opportunities to spend more time together. He has become a close friend of mine.

Reza writes about our trip:

“I was thrilled to be back at Scattergood yesterday (March 15, 2019) to visit my instructors and friends and also educate Scattergoodians about my social justice activities. During this time, I elaborated how individuals could take action to be an activist and tackle social problems while big entities such as corporations or government can’t/won’t. I also talked about climate change and shared possible ways that could help individuals and a community like Scattergood to fight for a clean environment and climate. Besides, I discussed my trip to D.C.  that will happen from March 23rd-26th as I will be lobbying for immigration policies and reforms with FCNL and members of Congress with five student from Simpson College.” 

Rezadad Mohammadi

While he was a student at Scattergood, Reza went to Washington, DC, to participate in the Friends Committee on Legislation’s (FCNL). Spring Lobby Weekend. This year he has spoken with friends and to some classes to explain what FCNL and Spring Lobby Weekend are about, so that he could find several students to go to this year. He has found 5 Simpson students to go with him. He also spoke to the Simpson College administration about FCNL, and convinced the college to provide some funds to help with the students’ expenses.

Reza and I are involved with a new FCNL program called “meeting motivators”, which involves inviting people in the local community to come together to discuss their concerns, and find ways to act on them. Reza’s work of speaking about FCNL is what meeting motivators is about.

Reza and Jeff

Especially since I am clerk of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative), I am always looking for young people who are interested in social justice actions for several reasons. I’m glad to have more people to work with on shared concerns. And I hope sharing some of my experiences might be helpful to young people who are beginning their own journey of work on social justice issues. And especially to share my feelings and experiences related to spirit-led concerns and actions. I have too often seen people discouraged by seeing little apparent result from their justice work. Without being led by the spirit, justice work is often ineffective, and unfortunately can even have negative impacts.

In 2015, at Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative), Junior Yearly Meeting came up with the idea of selling flowers to raise money for FCNL. The flowers from campus sold out quickly, but Friends continued to donate. I believe over $60 was raised. It was their example that made me realize we need to include, and learn from, the work and concerns of our young Friends. I realized we haven’t worked hard enough to invite the participation of young Friends in our peace and social justice work and have since tried to correct that.


Junior Yearly Meeting raises money for FCNL’s climate wor

We are deeply moved and appreciate the contribution of Junior Yearly Meeting to our ongoing concern regarding changes in our environment. Their project to raise funds for FCNL’s efforts to address environmental concerns by selling flowers was both spiritually and artistically beautiful.

— Minute approved by Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2015

In 2017 I asked the youth leader to find out what young Friends were concerned about.

“We are exploring concerns of our younger Friends. Junior Yearly meeting at this Yearly Meeting are concerned about greenhouse gas emissions and rebuilding infrastructure in countries ravaged by war.”

2017 Minutes of Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative)

Last summer at Yearly Meeting I was invited to spend time with Junior Yearly Meeting, to talk about fighting, war and violence and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. One young Friend defined nonviolence as “zero percent chance of violence.”

This past year I’ve been talking with a young Friend in our Yearly Meeting about the Sunrise Movement and the Green New Deal.

My goal in seeking an opportunity to talk with Scattergood students on the day of the student climate strike was the same as Reza wrote above. I wasn’t sure the students were aware of some of the social justice work being done by the yearly meeting. But more importantly, I hope to develop ongoing conversations, so we can continue to learn about each other’s work. We would really benefit from hearing more about the concerns and actions of young people today. I was disappointed that I didn’t provide more time to hear from the students while I was there, but hope that will be possible going forward. Scattergood teacher Sam Taylor and I have briefly talked about the possibility of me being somehow involved in Quakerism classes next year.

When I spoke with the students, I tried to show how nonviolent resistance has been the key to successful social justice campaigns, beginning with the Vietnam war, then Keystone Pipeline Resistance and Dakota Access pipeline efforts as exemplified by the powerful example at Standing Rock. And now the Sunrise Movement and School Climate Strikes. I also shared about how significant I believe it is to honor the leadership of Native Americans, especially as we begin to figure out how to build up a Green New Deal. I talked about the wonderful opportunity the First Nation-Farmer Climate Unity March was for us non-Natives to learn from the Native Americans during those 8 days and 94 miles of walking together. I described how several of us who were beginning to know each other visited Senator Grassley’s office to talk about two bills related to Native affairs in the U.S. Congress.


Jeff, Fox, Shazi, Christine, Shari and Sid

I also spoke about the Sunrise Movement action in Des Moines with Senator Joni Ernst’s staff.

Ed Fallon talks with high school students at the Sunrise Movement action with Senator Ernst’s staff in Des Moines

I had hoped (I couldn’t find the video at the time) to show the following video of Nahko Bear speaking and singing at the Water Protectors Youth Camp Concert at Standing Rock just three days after security dogs attacked and bit women, men and children who were returning from a prayer gathering.

Remember that nonviolent direct action is the way to a successful revolution. And that is a hard one, because they are so bad (chuckles). When they come at us you just want to hit ’em, you know? Just sit with that. I know it’s tough. They’re going to try to do everything they can to instigate you. But remember what we’re here for. We’re here to create peace for our Mother. We’re not here to create more violence.

When you’re feeling bad, when you’re feeling frustrated, put all your prayer into your palms, put them to the ground, put them back to the sky, honor the Father, the Mother, just know it will be alright.

Are you guys feeling proud, are you proud of yourselves?  Because the whole world is watching.  The whole world is watching.  So whatcha gonna do?  Gonna show love?  Are you gonna be smart?  You gonna think before you act?  Take care of each other?  Your gonna show ‘em what family does.  They don’t know what that’s like.
You gotta put down the weight, gotta get out of your way.
Get out of your way and just look around the corner at your real self and look at all the potential that this beautiful Earth and love has to offer you.

It’s crazy being out in front of you guys.  I had a moment there.  I was like, I like started spacing out and I’m like oh god they’re looking at me aren’t they?  I was thinking about how much happened before any of us were here.  You know?  There is a lot of history here.   We gotta hold that when we’re standing out there.  You gotta hold that when you’re on that line out there, too.  You’re here for a lot more than just this pipeline.
It’s about rejoicing, it’s about laughter right now.  We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow folks.  So, I just want to say I’m so grateful and I’m really proud of you guys.  I’m really proud of you.  (and then he turned away with obvious emotion).

Nahko Bear


“Directions”

For the West
For the North
For the East
For the South

Grandfather, I’m calling on you
Need your guidance now
Grandmother, I’m calling on you
Need your guidance now

For the West (hmm)
For the North (hmm)
For the East (hmm)
For the South (hmm)

Grandfather, I’m calling on you
Need your guidance now
Grandmother, I’m calling on you
Need your guidance now

“Directions” Nahko Bear

#NODAPL   #MniWiconi #RezpectOurWater #AllNationsYouth

Posted in #NDAPL, civil disobedience, climate change, First Nation-Farmer Climate Unity March, Green New Deal, Indigenous, Keystone Pledge of Resistance, Quaker, Sunrise Movement, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Global Climate Strike

Posted on March 16, 2019 by Jeff Kisling

Yesterday thousands of students in over 100 countries went into the streets to demand action on climate change instead of going to classes. The following statement from the Sunrise Movement describes why this is a youth-led and youth-centered movement. The following videos show what this looked like yesterday.

Sunrise’s decision to be youth-led and youth-centered is both a strategic and cultural one. In the climate crisis, young people face an unfortunate reality: every one of us will see the devastating effects of climate change in our lifetime. We have inherited a crisis that we did not create— and there is a story to tell about a new generation of Americans who are standing up to protect their future. Throughout history, we have seen that youth voices hold a unique moral clarity, and the climate crisis is no exception. Choosing to focus on young people is a key part of our strategy to reach millions.

#YoungAtHeart

ANN ARBOR, MI – Police detained some Climate Strike protesters following a sit-in Friday, March 15, at the University of Michigan Fleming Administration Building.
“You’re threatening us with violence in response to non-violence,” the protesters responded.
“We’ve really tried to do all the polite things that we can,” she said. “(The sit-in) is not super fun. We’re here. We don’t have a lot of food. People are tired, but we don’t want to leave. It just seems like the only option at this point. I don’t think we have any other way to get them to listen to us.”

Police detain Climate Strike protesters at University of Michigan sit-in

Guardian News Published on Mar 15, 2019

School and university students in more than 100 countries have gone on strike to demand that politicians take urgent action on climate change. The coordinated protests were organised on social media under the Fridays for Future banner and inspired by the 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who is in her 30th week of striking on Fridays. It’s our time to rise up’: youth climate strikes held in 100 countries Think we should be at school? Today’s climate strike is the biggest lesson of all

Guardian News 3/15/2019
Global News 3/15/2019

Students across America are expected to skip class Friday in the first national school strike over climate change. Similar demonstrations have already swept through Europe and Australia. Friday’s protests are planned for more than 130 cities in the U.S. and about 90 countries worldwide. Tony Dokoupil reports.

CBS This Morning 3/14/2019
ABC News (Australia) 3/15/2019

Students strike to demand climate action | ABC News. On Friday March 16, Tens of thousands of Australian students walked out of school to march in support of action on climate change.

ABC News (Australia)
France 24 English 3/15/2019

For several months, thousands of European high school students have been protesting climate change by skipping class on Fridays and hitting the streets. They’re hoping the movement builds to a crescendo this Friday. Classrooms are set to empty around the world as young people urge adults to use their power to save the planet. Here in France the message is even starker: “In 2050 you will be dead, not us.” Hugo Viel, a 20-year-old engineering student and climate activist, gave us his perspective.

France 24 English 3/15/2019
Now This 3/15/2019
Students strike for climate change in New York City — and around the world
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Global Climate Strikes

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Jeff Kisling

News of today’s climate strikes are beginning to come in from around the globe.

https://www.youthclimatestrikeus.org/
https://www.youthclimatestrikeus.org/strikes

Iowa Climate Strike will occur at the Iowa State Capitol tomorrow (3/15/2019) from 2-4 pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/2564757000232326/ This event is hosted by Iowa Climate Strike.

A massive crowd of students has gathered in the Sydney CBD to rally against climate change inaction, with protesters overflowing from Town Hall to the next block.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore praised the ‘fantastic turnout’ for ‘School Strike 4 Climate’ on social media, after recording a video message on Thursday encouraging young people to take action.

‘Fantastic turnout’: School climate strike draws big crowd in Sydney, The Sydney Morning Harold, 3/15/2019

Teenagers in Philadelphia prepare a banner for the “U.S. Youth Climate Strike.” Students around the world have skipped school as a protest to call for more action on climate change.
Skipping School To Protest Climate Change, Jeff Brady, NPR, March 14, 2019

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/students-across-the-globe-to-skip-school-for-climate-change-strike/

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/students-across-the-globe-to-skip-school-for-climate-change-strike/

The demands of students vary from country to country, but one common thread among them is that countries cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Strikers in Australia are fighting against a controversial coal mine project and are demanding a full transition to renewable energy by 2030. Among the demands of the UK protesters is lowering the voting age to 16.
Kids in the US want a radical transformation of the economy. Here’s what that agenda includes, according to the Youth Climate Strike website:
a national embrace of the Green New Deal
an end to fossil fuel infrastructure projects
a national emergency declaration on climate change
mandatory education on climate change and its effects from K-8
a clean water supply
preservation of public lands and wildlife
all government decisions to be tied to scientific research

Kids around the world plan to skip school this Friday to demand action on climate change, By Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 4/13/2019

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teen who helped spark a massive movement to combat climate change, on Thursday was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. 
“We have proposed Greta Thunberg because if we do nothing to halt climate change it will be the cause of wars, conflict and refugees,” said Freddy André Øvstegård, a Socialist member of the Norwegian Parliament, according to The Guardian. “Greta Thunberg has launched a mass movement which I see as a major contribution to peace.”

Swedish teen who inspired global youth climate strike nominated for Nobel Peace Prize, By Justin Wise, The HILL, 03/14/19

Paris (AFP) – It began with a solitary, 15-year-old girl camped out in front of Sweden’s parliament next to a hand-written sign: “SCHOOL STRIKE FOR CLIMATE”.
Barely six months later, Friday’s youth-led strike — promising 1,000 actions spread over 100 countries — could be a “milestone moment” in a grassroots campaign to goad world leaders into confronting the threat of global warming, activists and experts say.
“We are only seeing the beginning,” tweeted Greta Thunberg, who has since turned 16.
“I think that change is on the horizon and the people will stand up for their future.”
So far, the weekly walk-outs have seen tens of thousands of mostly high school students spill out into the streets in Germany, Belgium, Britain and France, with a smattering of actions in half-a-dozen other countries.
But on March 15, classrooms are set to empty in cities across the globe, from Boston to Bogota, Montreal to Melbourne, Dhaka to Durban, Lagos to London.

Global youth climate strike could be ‘milestone’ moment, Marlowe HOOD, with AFP bureaus worldwide,AFP•March 13, 2019

Haven Coleman is out to save the world.
The 12-year-old seventh grader from Denver, Colorado, protests climate change outside government buildings and businesses. She calls out state lawmakers in speeches at town halls and on Twitter. And on Friday, she’ll take on her biggest endeavor yet: co-organizing the US Youth Climate Strike, a national student protest on March 15.
Inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and the school walkouts in Europe , Coleman brought the movement to the US along with co-directors 16-year-old Isra Hirsi and 13-year-old Alexandria Villaseñor. Now students in nearly 50 states will skip school on Friday to fight climate change.

12-year-old Denver girl co-organizing the US Youth Climate Strike, CNN, 3/14/2019

Therefore, as we strike on March 15 for climate action, we will continue to stress the power of the collective youth voice, the impact of youth activism, and the silent statement that is conveyed by us as we participate in civil disobedience by not attending school. So far, thousands have answered the call: 1,659 towns and cities in 105 countries are expected to strike with us on Friday.
We are striking because decades of inaction has left us with just 11 years to change the trajectory of the worst effects of climate change, according to the October 2018 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report. We are striking because, despite moderate efforts, some of our world leaders have yet to acknowledge, prioritize, or properly address our climate crisis with the urgency it requires. We are striking because marginalized communities across our nation — especially people of color, disabled people, and low-income people — are already disproportionately impacted by climate change.
We are striking because we believe if the social order is disrupted by our refusal to attend school, then the system will be forced to face the climate crisis and enact change. With our futures at stake, we call for radical legislative action to combat climate change and its countless detrimental effects on the American people. We are striking in support of the Green New Deal because we believe in the fair and just transition to a 100% renewable economy it would offer, and because we seek the creation of additional fossil fuel-related infrastructure. We believe the climate crisis should be declared a national emergency because we are running out of time to avoid its worst effects.

The United States Youth Climate Strike is an Action in Line With Decades of Activism, Teen Vogue, 4/14/2019

Melbourne #climatestrike has taken to the streets and is moving along Collins street https://www.pscp.tv/w/1mrGmYaBzRvGy

Posted in climate change, Green New Deal, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Youth Climate Strike and Quakers

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Jeff Kisling

Tomorrow students around the world will strike to demand actions to support a Green New Deal to address our environmental crises. Tens of thousands of youth have participated in #FridaysForFuture demonstrations in Europe and Australia over the past several months.

#FridaysForFuture is a movement that began in August 2018, after 15 years old Greta Thunberg sat in front of the Swedish parliament every schoolday for three weeks, to protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis. She posted what she was doing on Instagram and Twitter and it soon went viral.

https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/about

Sky News 2/15/2019

Iowa Climate Strike will occur at the Iowa State Capitol tomorrow (3/15/2019) from 2-4 pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/2564757000232326/ This event is hosted by Iowa Climate Strike.

In the U.S. youth are demanding a Green New Deal. The Sunrise Movement says “together, we will change this country and this world, sure as the sun rises each morning.”

On 3/12/2019 The New York Times Editorial Board said “Grown-Ups Get a Scolding on Climate. Inspired by a Swedish teenager, students around the world on Friday will protest political inaction.”

“We have not come here to beg world leaders to care,” Greta told COP24. “You have ignored us in the past and you will ignore us again. We have run out of excuses and we are running out of time. We have come here to let you know that change is coming, whether you like it or not.” Out of the mouth of babes …

New York Times Editorial Board

I was interested to hear what Scattergood Friends School and Farm might be doing tomorrow. A strike wouldn’t make much sense there, being out in the countryside. And I am sure Scattergood students and their teachers are well aware of our environmental crises. Spending time on the Farm, I imagine they have a deeper understanding of climate change issues than most High School Students.

I was told classes at the School tomorrow will focus on the environmental crises. I saw this as an opportunity to talk with the students about the Green New Deal and the Sunrise Movement that I have been working with. With some work on scheduling, I will have that chance tomorrow afternoon.

I’ve been wondering how to frame this discussion. I think it is important that adult Friends (Quakers) recognize how significant the generational gap is related to climate change.

Sunrise’s decision to be youth-led and youth-centered is both a strategic and cultural one. In the climate crisis, young people face an unfortunate reality: every one of us will see the devastating effects of climate change in our lifetime. We have inherited a crisis that we did not create— and there is a story to tell about a new generation of Americans who are standing up to protect their future. Throughout history, we have seen that youth voices hold a unique moral clarity, and the climate crisis is no 
exception. Choosing to focus on young people is a key part of our strategy to reach millions.  
 
Sunrise is also filling a cultural gap for young people in the movement. Young people today have grown up knowing that the stable climate that human civilization has depended on for millennia could crumble within our lifetimes. Yet, we’ve seen political leaders continue to fail us, often laughing us off  or calling us young and naive. That’s been deeply discouraging for many of us. In our society, there aren’t many spaces that trust and uplift the leadership of young people. Young people were searching for a space that would not only allow them to organize but would also give them the community they were searching for. Our youth-centered focus makes sure that we are building a community and an 
identity— vital ingredients to keep a movement together. 

#YoungAtHeart Guidelines

After years of work helping lead various environmental efforts, it is a change to realize my place now is to be supportive of the youth led movements. In many ways, a welcome change.

Which leads to the question of what right do I have to speak to the Scattergood students tomorrow, when I know they are the leaders now? And especially when I know Quakers have let them down?

I know many Friends have done a lot of work on their environmental practices, and I am very grateful for that. But I think most Friends believe we should have found ways to do more. Try as we might to reduce our carbon footprint, we have lived in a society that has continued to rely on fossil fuel energy. That we have allowed to continue to mine and burn fossil fuels.

Quakers believe our lives should demonstrate our beliefs, and the leadings of the Spirit within us. We often feel what we are led to do doesn’t make much of a difference. But we also know what we think should happen might not be what God intended. We sometimes learn years later that someone did do something based on our actions in the past. Being faithful to the Spirit is what is important.

One of my own experiences related to this was how I came to give up owning an automobile in the early 1970s. When I moved to Indianapolis I was shocked by the clouds of noxious fumes. This was before catalytic converters were available. I remember the moment when I envisioned my beloved Rocky Mountains shrouded in smog, which shook me as few things have since. I felt a strong spiritual force telling me I had to give up having a car, and I haven’t had one since. This has led to years of frustration because as far as I know not a single other person gave up their car. Discouraged as I often was, I knew I couldn’t own a car myself.

This resulted in a number of inconveniences, but some sacrifice is an important part of being true to a spiritual vision. If you aren’t made uncomfortable, there is more you need to be doing.

So one thing I hope to share with the Scattergood students are some of the ways this spiritual vision led to many new experiences in my life.

I also hope to share especially my recent experiences with Native Americans. As I was often discouraged by the lack of concern and work related to our evolving environmental crises, I looked for others whose lives were spiritually grounded, and lived with environmental integrity, whose lives spoke. I kept thinking about Indigenous people and their culture. I knew I couldn’t depended on written accounts, both because I didn’t know how to separate fact from fiction. And I knew Native Americans relied on oral history.

I was glad when Native Americans in Indianapolis joined us as we worked to protect the water, to work to try to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. But we were only together for a short time during these public actions, so I didn’t get to know anyone then.

When I heard about the First Nation-Farmer Climate Unity March, the Inner Light burst into flames, and I had no doubt that was something I must participate in. The March was a group of about fifty Native and non-Native people who walked along the path of the Dakota Access Pipeline for 94 miles over eight days (from Des Moines to Fort Dodge, Iowa). Although I was uncertain whether I could walk that distance, I had no doubt I was led to go as far as I could. I was grateful I did complete the March, because that let me learn more and more about my Native friends. And I was really impressed by what I observed and learned. And after the March, my friends continued to educate me by telling me of books and videos that were accurate depictions of Indigenous beliefs.

I have come to believe we need Indigenous people to lead us toward solutions for our evolving environmental disasters. This is what I hope to discuss with the Scattergood students. We need to spread the word about this with those who don’t know.

I think it is also important to raise the issues of the genocide and land theft Native Americans have been, and continue to be subjected to. We need to work to stop the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women.

The Green New Deal is as much about transforming our society into one that values people over profits, and stops the destruction of Mother Earth, as it is about a just transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy.

What I hope to convey to Scattergood students is my support for their environmental efforts, and share why I think it is essential that we lift up the leadership of Indigenous people. I see this as a responsibility for me in particular, because as clerk of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative)’s Peace and Social Concerns Committee, I believe we must look to our youth for leadership.

  • Jeff Kisling and Alton Onefeather
  • Bear Creek Friends
  • #noDAPL
  • Student activists with the Sunrise Movement occupy Nancy Pelosi’s office to demand that she and the Democrats act on climate change
  • Sunrise Movement No Excuses protest on Capitol Hill, Washington DC Offices visited Hakeem Jeffries and Steny Hoyer.
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Support criminal justice reform for Native people

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Jeff Kisling

Chase Iron Eyes, Lead Counsel of the Lakota People’s Law Project, is asking us to spread awareness about the need for criminal justice reform for Native people. The video below is made from three talking circles, one in Rapid City, SD, one at Pine Ridge, and one at Standing Rock.

One month ago, my friend from the Oglala Lakota Nation, Robert Horse Stands Waiting, gained his freedom after 20 years in prison. At just 16 years old, he was incarcerated for gang-related activity. Instead of allowing his vitality to be destroyed on the inside, he studied statistics and became an organizer for the past two decades.

Over many decades, we’ve witnessed disturbing trends in our national criminal justice system. Native lives are simply valued less than white lives by law enforcement — and my brothers and sisters are killed or incarcerated at alarming rates.
• According to the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, Native Americans are more likely to be killed by police than any other racial group;
• According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, we are incarcerated at a rate 38 percent higher than the national average;
• According to National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Native American youth are 30 percent more likely than whites to be referred to juvenile court than have charges dropped;
• Native American men are incarcerated at four times the rate of white men and Native American women are incarcerated at six times the rate of white women;
• Native Americans fall victim to violent crime at more than double the rate of all other US citizens, according to BJS reports. And 88 percent of violent crime committed against Native women is carried out by non-Native perpetrators.

Chase Iron Eyes, Lead Counsel of the Lakota People’s Law Project

This link will take you to a web page to send a letter to your Congressional representatives, asking them to support criminal justice reform for Native Peoples. https://www.lakotalaw.org/our-actions/support-criminal-justice-reform-for-native-peoples

Wopila! — You can help change the system! — Chase Iron Eyes

Sample letter:

The movement at Standing Rock began to awaken the world to the intersection between Indigenous rights and sustainability. It also provided a grim reminder that the U.S. criminal justice system continues to target First Nations people unfairly. Today, I ask you to leverage your authority as a lawmaker to help change things for the better.

In America today:

• Native Americans are incarcerated at a rate 38 percent higher than the national average, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics;

• Native American youths are 30 percent more likely than whites to be referred to juvenile court than have charges dropped, according to National Council on Crime and Delinquency;

• Native Americans are more likely to be killed by police than any other racial group, according to the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice;

• Native American men are incarcerated at four times the rate of white men, and Native American women are incarcerated at six times the rate of white women, according to a report compiled by the Lakota People’s Law Project;

• Native Americans fall victim to violent crime at more than double the rate of all other US citizens, according to BJS reports. 88 percent of violent crime committed against Native American women is carried out by non-Native perpetrators.

It is time we started learning from Indigenous peoples instead of incarcerating them. I call on you to actively sponsor and support any and all legislation to level the playing field for American Indians on matters of criminal justice.


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Sunrise comes to Rhode Island

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Jeff Kisling

On March 7th, students, all members of the Sunrise Movement, ages 15-26, spoke at a rally at the Rhode Island statehouse, asking for the passage of the Rhode Island Green New Deal Resolution. Each student spoke about why passage of the Green New Deal is so important to them. Sharing stories is one of the key principles of the Sunrise Movement.

The Rhode Island legislation has the same objectives as the national plan but also calls for the Rhode Island Green New Deal Research Council to write recommendations regarding the benefits of a local Green New Deal and submitting it to the governor, General Assembly, and state agencies by May 15. Brown University is funding the research and other partners are being sought.

Youth-Led Movement Brings Green New Deal Home, EcoRI.org, March 09, 2019

Climate activist Tim DeChristopher explained that the youth movement has changed the way climate change is addressed.

“We’re no longer going to have the conversation where we have to pretend that political feasibility and maintain the status quo is more important than you people’s lives and young people’s right to a livable future,” he said. “That is what is fundamentally different about this. And that’s the leadership that the Sunrise Movement is taking.

For folks who say they don’t really know what the Green New Deal is, that’s what it is. It’s this moral statement, that we are going to have this climate discourse on the grounds of climate reality and on the grounds of young people’s right to a livable future. That’s where the conversation is going to live from now on. And if anybody wants to be part of this has to come over to that territory of climate reality.”

Youth-Led Movement Brings Green New Deal Home, EcoRI.org, March 09, 2019

Promises of a Green New Deal at the national level trickled down to the Ocean State Thursday, when politicians and community activists alike gathered in the Rhode Island State House to announce plans to research the possibilities for a state Green New Deal.
House Resolution 5665, introduced Thursday and sponsored by Rep. Chris Blazejewski, D-Providence, would support research on economic, social and environmental factors to inform a state-wide legislative agenda to address climate change, modeled off of the national proposal of a Green New Deal. A matching Senate resolution will be introduced shortly, said Sen. Louis DiPalma ScM’89 P’08, D-Little Compton, Middletown, Newport and Tiverton, a sponsor for the Senate resolution. If passed, the Council must provide the information found through its study to the legislature by May 15, said Michael Roles, project manager of Rhode Island Green New Deal Research Council.

State moves to support research on R.I. Green New Deal

The Rhode Island Green New Deal Research Council seeks to explore creative solutions to the local risks of climate change, economic uncertainty, and inequality.
https://www.rignd.org/


Rhode Island Green New Deal Research Councilhttps://www.rignd.org/
Posted in climate change, Green New Deal, Sunrise Movement, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The photo that changed my life

Posted on March 9, 2019 by Jeff Kisling
Long’s Peak from Moraine Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

In January I read the blog post 1:1000, A Picture is Worth 1000 Words by Julianna Whalen on her site, Streets and Streams. Her idea is to write 1,000 words about one photo. Shortly after reading that, I wrote a blog post about one of my photos. https://kislingjeff.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/1-photo-1000-words/ A few days after that I wrote another blog post about a different photo. https://kislingjeff.wordpress.com/2019/01/29/1-picture-indy-art-1000-words/

But ever since I read Julianna’s blog, I’ve known that I wanted to write about the photo above of Long’s Peak rising above Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

I am very grateful my parents chose to take us on camping trips across the United States for our summer family vacations, specifically selecting National Parks to camp in.  Actually camping in the Parks was key to the whole experience.  Our first camper was a King camper, which was an aluminum trailer with a canvas covered framework that unfolded to form the top half when we stopped at the campsite.  Being in the woods, hearing the sounds of the wind and wildlife and the glacier streams rush over the boulders, feeling the cold at night, and smelling the pine trees made the experience so much better than traveling into the park during the day and returning to a motel at night.

Hiking through the meadows and forests and upon mountainsides with countless, stunning vistas, were life changing experiences for me.  I was overwhelmed by the intense beauty.  Rocky Mountain National Park was our favorite, and we returned there time and again as we were growing up. We quickly found that not many people traveled too far from the parking areas, and with even a short hike we were practically alone in the woods.  Hikes of just a mile or two brought us to lakes, canyons, waterfalls, cliffs, meadows, snowfields, boulder fields, and rock walls to climb. Places we were able to appreciate alone.

I hadn’t reflected much on why we sought opportunities to be by ourselves in the mountains. It just seemed a much better experience that way. Now I think it was related to feeling closer to God when we were deep in the quiet of the forests. Having grown up in Quaker communities, I was used to worshiping in silence, as we do so we can hear the whisper of the Spirit. Being enveloped in the silence of the mountains was a natural extension of Quaker worship.

This was also a reciprocal relationship. I was always challenged to find ways to share my spiritual experiences with others. These experiences are ineffable, that is they can’t be adequately expressed with words. But art can often better express spirituality. So I hoped some of my photographs might show glimpses of the Spirit.

I have begun reading Robert Reid’s book, Because It Is So Beautiful:

The writer’s lonely, harrowing struggle to give shape to his or her elusive vision of the world—to complete a book, to discover among the fragments of a thought or a dream the precise image needed to breathe life into a poem—is a familiar chapter in the annals of pain and grief.

How can we save the wilderness? I was a mountain climber whose affection for the high peaks had evolved gradually into political commitment to the cause of preservation. I was, too, a fledgling writer searching for direction. I knew the importance of craft, experience, doggedness, and the other familiar requisites for literary success, but I lacked vision—an understanding of my relationship to the world.

How could we convince lawmakers to pass laws to protect wilderness? (Barry) Lopez argued that wilderness activists will never achieve the success they seek until they can go before a panel of legislators and testify that a certain river or butterfly or mountain or tree must be saved, not because of its economic importance, not because it has recreational or historical or scientific value, but because it is so beautiful.

I left the room a changed person, one who suddenly knew exactly what he wanted to do and how to do it. I had known that love is a powerful weapon, but until that moment I had not understood how to use it. What I learned on that long-ago evening, and what I have counted on ever since, is that to save a wilderness, or to be a writer or a cab driver or a homemaker—to live one’s life—one must reach deep into one’s heart and find what is there, then speak it plainly and without shame.

Reid, Robert Leonard. Because It Is So Beautiful: Unraveling the Mystique of the American West . Counterpoint. Kindle Edition

One reason I began to write was to explore why I take a given photograph.  I hadn’t appreciated this until I was repeatedly told the same thing, which is that a photograph can help the viewer see the subject in a way they hadn’t before.  So as I prepare to shoot a picture, I think about what I am trying to show with it, how to compose it, and set the exposure and focus in such a way as to create the photograph as closely to the image I am envisioning, as possible. 

Note that I said “envision”. I don’t take photos to be as realistic as possible, which would be like make a Xerox copy of a scene.

My hope is that some of my photographs might help others to see and understand the subject as I understand it, and may see/understand it differently than before viewing the photo.

One of the many things I’m learning from Indigenous ways is the Spirit is in all things, including animals, plants, water, sky and mountains. I felt this deeply when I was in the forests and mountains. I’ve heard others express this in various ways as feeling closer to God, and that was how I felt.

This spiritual connection I developed with the mountains, lakes and forests had profound consequences in my life.

When I moved to Indianapolis in 1971, the city was enveloped in smog. This was before catalytic converters, which began to appear in 1975. When I saw the polluted air, I had a profound spiritual vision of the Rocky Mountains being hidden by clouds of smog. The possibility that I would no longer be able to see the mountains shook me to my core.

I was thinking specifically about the photo above, and how terrible it would be to no longer be able to see Long’s Peak. Although I now have many photos of the same view, I was thinking of this black an white photo specifically when I had that vision. The quality isn’t near what I get now with a digital camera. And I developed the film and the print in a darkroom. But this is the one connected to my vision.

From that moment on I saw cars as evil because of the damage they were doing. I decided I could not be part of that, and have lived without a car since then. I began my lifelong study of environmental science and work to try to bring awareness about the catastrophic damage being done to Mother Earth. Although I give thanks that catalytic converters took care of the visible smog, I knew of the continued damage and consequences of the tons of carbon dioxide and other gases coming from the exhaust of ever increasing numbers of cars.

I also saw automobiles as the ‘seeds of war’.  For example, although other reasons were given at the time, the invasion of Iraq was to protect the oil fields there.

“I told [the Commonwealth Commissioners] I lived in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars… I told them I was come into the covenant of peace which was before wars and strife were.” George Fox

“Oh! that we who declare against wars, and acknowledge our trust to be in God only, may walk in the light, and therein examine our foundation and motives in holding great estates! May we look upon our treasures, and the furniture of our houses, and the garments in which we array ourselves, and try whether the seeds of war have nourishment in these our possessions, or not. Holding treasures in the self-pleasing spirit is a strong plant, the fruit whereof ripens fast.” John Woolman

It was camping in the national parks, and spiritual connections to the lakes, forests, wildlife, sky and mountains, that made me become a lifelong environmental activist. And photography was how I tried to express that for myself, and others. I knew environmental damage from burning fossil fuels would damage the mountains, forests and rivers, so I tried to preserve those scenes with photographs. Significant damage will happen with higher air temperatures, forest fires, infestation with migrating insects, torrential downpours, and drought.

It is sad to think such photographs might be historic records of the way things used to be, and no longer are.

Last summer at the annual meeting of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) I was grateful to be asked to show my photographs during one of the evening programs. The program was titled “Finding Truth and Beauty.” For about an hour the meetinghouse full Quakers watched the slideshow of photos in silence. Then, as the slideshow continued, Friends (Quakers) were invited to share their thoughts, which many did. I was grateful for this experience of sharing photos that had a spiritual significance for me, with my Quaker community in the context of silent worship.

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