I attended one of the formations of the Assumption College of Davao, as part of its faculty development, held at the Missionaries of the Assumption’s Retreat House in Tacunan, Davao City, Philippines.

 

The place was surrounded by lush greenery, unspoiled natural beauty, so serene, so calm, gentle mountain breeze swings the sun-kissed verdant greens what is more astonishing? Silence is deafening, it called to my mind that with the hustle and bustle of the city life, even silence now is a commodity that can be bought and sold.

 

The main topic was the explication of the concept --Ecozoic Learning and Living. Experts in geologic field believed that we already have passed the Cenozoic era and we are now in the emerging stage of Ecozoic era in which according to these authors Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme in their book The Universe Story we are already in the age which the Earth survives and thrives in its integral functioning due to the re-emergence of humans as indigenous, an era where human conduct will be guided by the ideal of an integral earth community, a period when humans will be present upon the Earth in a mutually enhancing manner, an era where we are reminded that every creature, seen and the unseen, known and the unknown, tangible and non-tangible, great and small, wise and wonderful, has its rightful place in this loveliest of planets – the Earth. And rightful place denotes that every creature in this world are worthy of respect and should be dealt with outmost impartiality.

 

It is common knowledge that our early consciousness matters most on how we behave and negotiate things on impending matters, and from this let me bring you to the Philippine socio-cultural consciousness, Pinoys (jargon term for Filipino) were conditioned to dread, chalk, splat with slippers, spray with Baygon, and worst act like your butt is burning, scream to death when seeing and worst crawled by cockcroaches, we kill, dug their holes, hunt them like hell, feared and put us in intense panic when humans run into a snake. We clap flat mosquitoes, accompanied with conviction that you have successfully killed one; we fogged toxic smoke to eliminate them believing they carry horrible diseases. We adore Stuart Little, but we dread its real life counterpart, we even burn a whole house down just to kill a rat. Racumin, dora rat, sticking boards were made-up to eliminate them. We run boiling water, burn a loadful of paper above an anthill. Yet humans are not still contented with these atrocious doings, we have claimed their territories, we have bulldozed their habitat to paved the way for our housing, buildings, leisure parks, mines etc… etc…humans have practically demanded and polluted everything to serve its own desire, unmindful of these so called pests as humans have called them. Countless cruelties, brutalities, ruthlessness, heartlessness (in Tagalog term – karumaldumal na gawain) humans have done to its co- dweller on this planet.

 

Sister Miriam Therese McGillis of Genesis Farm in New Jersey said that … all humans, institutions, professions and activities will be judged as to the extent to which they inhabit, ignore or foster mutually enhancing human – Earth relationship.

 

As a mother of three children myself, undeniably I am sincerely guilty. How many cartoons of disposable diapers I have consumed to serve my convenience, how many plastic pots of beauty products I have disposed to serve me fine-looking, how many plastic bottles of all sorts I have consumed since birth to making life easy as they say, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty …. Then how am I being judged by this? Will my punishment, since I am just a small time polluter be slighter than those professional and big time polluters? This question leaves me guessing until today.

 

 

One of the highlights of the event was the cosmic walk; this is a symbolic re-enactment that brought us back in time to the story of the unfolding and gradual differentiation of the Universe and the Earth from the Big Bang to the present. It’s a time-line walk, with the board paintings as major stations, which allow us to personally imagine the events in the history of the Universe and Earth.

 

I love the idea of the last station, its not a painting anymore but a mirror, seeing yourself as part of the creation. Seeing yourself as a steward of this lovely planet and at the same time a slayer in disguise, it will made you question, what have you done to better the place where you exist? What have you done to ruin the place where you exist?

 

The sharing-of-opinion part is always a highlight in events like this. We were told to choose one event in the walk that struck us most. One colleague said … I felt little that the animals, the cockroaches, the mosquitoes were created even before humans came, others say that humans really are lucky because the Divine had made all these things first before humans came, and that we are a favored creature in this planet.

 

I had chosen the last painting which portrayed the infamous first picture of the blue marbled Earth from space. Some 35 years ago, humans were able to invade non-Earth territory. Technology had led us to greater commanding heights, the quest of humans to rule the world, had given us the chance to see the Earth from a distance, and to the eyes of an astronaut, the earth is like a fragile bubble and one prick it will crumble apart, to others, while the space shuttle was ascending he can see his town, he can see this province, he can see his country and while ascending more, he cannot see the boundaries anymore. We only have one earth, let earthuality be a way of life, our next religion and let the future generations live.