David Attenborough at 100

 

Sir David Attenborough, the nature film-maker and environmental activist extraordinaire is 100 today. He is still remarkably astute and alive, continuing to work on project and speaking out on behalf of all creatures in an age of peril. 

We watched his recent documentary David Attenborough’s A Gorilla Story in which he harkens back nearly half a century to a demanding expedition into the mountain forests of Rwanda. His film crew for this Life on Earth episode had to negotiate with a suspicious military and other dangers -- gorilla researcher Dian Fossey facilitated the excursion and she was murdered there a few years later. 

The goal was to film the gorillas from a safe distance as Attenborough discussed opposable digits on our hands. To their total surprise and eventual delight the gorillas approached David and began to play with him. One named Pablo, a three-year-old playfully climbed up on him as he spoke.  Two other young ones pulled off his shoes. Pablo grew up to be the leader of this troupe of gorillas.

Attenborough began doing nature programs in 1954 but this experience ranks near the top for him:  “The words I used are, ‘There’s more meaning in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than any other animal I know’, And I stick by that. I think that’s true.”  

These mountain gorillas were on the road to extinction but happily, the efforts of Fossey and Attenborough's documentaries have reversed that course and their numbers are now robust. 

I feel that Attenborough has done more than any other film-maker to invite us into what the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber described as the I/Thou relationship rather than I/It. Buber wrote about these encounters in terms of God and other humans, but why not with other creatures? As humans we have objectified and demeaned other species to their peril and ours. Attenborough has invited us into enchantment and respect. 

What a marvelous life and legacy for David Attenborough. Well done and thank you!

Sunset Alert!

 

                                                                             Ruth photo

Praise the Lord!

Praise, O servants of the Lord;
    praise the name of the Lord.

 Blessed be the name of the Lord
    from this time on and forevermore.
 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

                                                             Psalm 113: 1-3 NRSVue

As the sun begins to set, its light must traverse a thicker layer of the atmosphere, particularly near the horizon. This elongated path through the atmosphere results in more scattering of the shorter blue and violet wavelengths, leading to their dispersal across the sky. The longer wavelengths, particularly red, orange, and yellow, are less affected by scattering and continue on their trajectory, creating the warm, golden glow that characterizes the sunset.

source: Weather Geeks 

A couple of evenings ago Ruth let out a gasp and pointed out the window. I leapt to my feet -- well, kinda -- and saw a glorious sunset I was missing because of my position in our family room. We went onto the deck where Ruth took the photo at the top of the page. She messaged it to our three adult children who began responding with their pictures. All of the households had noticed the sunset as well and the photographers are aged 10 to 72. Everyone was in awe and we all made the appropriate "Zowie!" responses to the other images. We shared our delight from hundreds of kilometres apart, everywhere from a rural setting to downtown Toronto.

                                                                             Emma photo

What is about humans that we are astonished and moved by a sunset and want to share the experience with others? The scientific explanation is great but our souls are stirred by what we experience at sunrise and sunset, as different cloud formations pass overhead, as lightning flashes. The Northern Lights or an eclipse have a similar effect. I'm sure that many scientists who study these phenomena are enchanted as well

                                                                                  Jocelyn photo

I figure that we are hard-wired for beauty and attending to what we see and hear and feel around us is essential to our being. These are spiritual experiences, whatever "spiritual" means to us. The great Jewish rabbi and writer of the last century, Abraham Joshua Heschel, when asked by an interviewer what he believed his greatest gift to be, replied: “My ability to be surprised.”

Our surprise and astonishment can be elements of praising both Creator and Creation. There are times when life seems unfair and desperate and mean, then we have a revelatory moment and are compelled to express gratitude. 

Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by?
You never get to stop and open your eyes
One day you're waiting for the sky to fall
The next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time

                                 Bruce Cockburn 

                                                                                     Emily photo

 I continue to turn to the poems of the late Mary Oliver and this one is brief, yet perfect. 

Instructions for living a life.

Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.

GG Louise Arbour, Champion of Justice

 

Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with Louise Arbour, who he named as Canada's next governor general, in Ottawa on Tuesday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Take away from me the noise of your songs;

    I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24 But let justice roll down like water
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

                       Amos 5: 23024 NRSVue

I find the office of Governor General something of a head-scratcher. Why does Canada still need a GG in a time when many citizens are indifferent to the monarchy and with it the role of the Crown's representative. I do think that most of our Governors General have deported themselves with dignity, wisdom, and grace. I imagine the majority of those who still pay attention continue to scratch their heads over Julie Payette, but you can't win 'em all. Mary Simon held her head high despite the criticism regarding her lack of French and the racism she endured because of her Indigeneity was relentless. 

I'm intrigued by yesterday's announcement of Louise Arbour as the new Governor General. She is highly respected as a jurist, not just in Canada but around the world. She served on Canada's Supreme Court but I was more aware of her work prosecuting war criminals such as former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milošević for crimes against humanity after his involvement in the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo.

She also led the tribunal that prosecuted high-level perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide saying: "National, ethnic, racial or religious intolerance is the plague of the modern world," Arbour has never been afraid to speak the truth and as UN human rights commissioner she was critical of Israel's actions against the people in Gaza during a 2008 conflict with Hamas, not a popular opinion with the Conservative government of that time. 

Reading about her human rights stance on behalf of refugees, immigrants, and those of different religions paints an impressive picture of a fearless person. 

Arbour attended a convent school as a young person and was known for her irreverence on the school newspaper. I have no idea whether she a person of faith today but as a Christian I admire her commitment to the plight of others, a biblical and prophetic outlook. We'll see where her honesty takes her during the next five years. 

Does Red Dress Day Still Matter?

 

May 5th is Red Dress Day in Canada, a memorial for Aboriginal women and girls who have gone missing through the decades, victims of misogyny and our Canadian society's disregard and even contempt. I have a sense that the importance of this day has faded in recent years at a time when there has been a resurgence of anti-Indigenous sentiment. It was as though some Canadians grudgingly decided that there might have been some injustices as part of the colonial agenda, even took some ownership, then searched for ways to deny and denigrate Indigenous peoples and culture. At times I have found this disheartening. 

I hope that as people of Christian faith will continue to honour this day and pray for a deepened commitment to Truth and Reconciliation within the United Church of Canada and in our broader society. Here is a description of Red Dress Day from a British Columbia source and links to visual representations of the day, including one from the United Church: 

May 5th is known as Red Dress Day and is recognized as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. It is a day to remember and honour the countless Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people who have disappeared or been victims of violence, often receiving little to no legal justice. Learning about the history behind Red Dress Day, and the continuous challenges that Indigenous communities face, is essential in understanding its true significance. 

The origins of Red Dress Day can be traced back to 2010, when Métis artist Jaime Black initiated the powerful art installation, “REDress Project”. Black used red dresses as a visual representation of murdered or missing Indigenous women across Canada. The haunting sight of empty red dresses hanging in public places, from trees to lamp posts, was meant to call attention to the startlingly high rates of violence that Indigenous women experience. 

The REDress Project gained recognition worldwide, igniting discussions about the violence against Indigenous women and the underlying issues that perpetuate it. People wear red dresses or ribbons on May 5th to commemorate the lives lost due to violence and to call for justice. Red Dress Day took hold in Canada but has since spread internationally. It has evolved into a day of solidarity, reinforcing the Calls to Justice made by the 2019 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This inquiry is closely related to Red Dress Day.  

“Indigenous women in the provinces were more likely than non-Indigenous women to have experienced violent victimization, with the comparison being 64 per cent of Indigenous women versus 45 per cent of non-Indigenous women in Atlantic provinces, 62 per cent versus 43 per cent in central Canada, 61 per cent versus 48 per cent in the Prairies, and 65 per cent versus 50 per cent in British Columbia.”  – CBC News, 2022 

Notwithstanding these concerning figures, MMIWG2S cases frequently remain unsolved, leaving families in the dark and without closure. Red Dress Day is an emotional symbol of how important it is to continue raising awareness and advocating for systemic change. It draws attention to the ways that colonialism, racism, and sexism intersect to further marginalize Indigenous women and place them more at risk to be subjected to violence. To effectively tackle the problem of MMIWG2S, society needs to face its ingrained prejudices and strive for solutions that prioritize the perspectives and experiences of Indigenous people. 

On this day of memorial, let us keep in mind the lives that it represents. Lives taken too soon, leaving broken hearts in the communities they have left behind. Let’s pay tribute to the fortitude of Indigenous communities across Turtle Island and pledge to support those who are impacted by colonial violence.  

https://unitedchurchfoundation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Red-Dress-Day-posters.pdf

https://www.jaimeblackartist.com/exhibitions/

Encampment by Maggie Helwig for the Win

 

We have normalized delinquent, disorderly behaviour in our cities for too long

Robyn Urback

Back in November Robin Urback wrote an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail about the challenges of homelessness in Toronto with this headline and with her usual directness. She comes out swinging, as these two paragraphs demonstrate:  

For years, a vocal minority of social activists have effectively dictated public policy in Canadian cities. Homeless encampments in parks and beside playgrounds have not simply been tolerated, but recharacterized as legitimate neighbourhoods to be protected...

It is not simply a matter of restoring the use of public spaces for everyone, but restoring a sense of order, of social cohesion, of faith in the institutions of governance. Because the longer visible signs of social decay are allowed to fester, the more inclined those with means will be to simply check out – figuratively and literally – leaving those without the ability to relocate to deal with playgrounds littered with drug paraphernalia. No one wants to live in a place where they perceive the rights of those breaking the law to take precedence over those who have chosen to abide by them.

Urback doesn't quite call those who support those who are in homeless encampments as "liberal bleeding hearts"  but she comes close. There were many responses including one from a former Toronto city planner who seems to agree and speaks of the social contract that is key to a healthy community. 

Of course, the notion of a social contract and faith in the institutions of governance makes sense to those who are employed, housed, and have enough to eat. For those in society who figure that the rules favour a few and not those on the margins. including the working poor, these notions ring hollow. 

i don't disagree with the concerns for safety and access to public spaces. We all want our kids to be able to move about freely and all of us to be able to use our parks as they were intended. But after I read the article I returned to the book Encampment by Anglican priest Maggie Helwig. This is a grace and God-filled reflection on her work with those who are unhoused in the heart of Toronto, some of them living literally on the doorstep of the church called St. Stephens-in-the-Fields. She describes the huge difficulties of accessing a system of support for those without shelter and other basic necessities of life. She is both boundlessly compassionate and clear-eyed and frames her work in the context of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She includes excerpts from sermons that are powerful. 

Encampment is brilliant in my estimation, a view I've discovered is shared by actor and director Sarah Polley, who gives copies to friends.

Last week Helwig won her second award for the book, the  Shaughnessy Cohen Prize. She received the $40,000 monetary prize.at the Politics and the Pen gala, an annual fundraiser attended by some of Ottawa’s power players. According to the Global News report Helwig was direct herself: 

“There is a tendency among politicians these days to speak as if you were helpless, as if you had no real volition or power but are only slaves of the God of the economy. But the God of the economy is a human creation, and you do have power, and you do have choices about how you use it,” she said in her acceptance speech.

She encouraged the politicians, lobbyists and businesspeople to consider the experiences of unhoused people as they wield their power.

“Policies of neglect, exclusion and displacement have a body count. The median age of death for homeless women in Toronto is 36 years, and it is not much better for men,” she said before reading a list of 20 names, all belonging to unhoused people in her community who had died in the last couple of years.

Communities of all sizes in this country are toiling away at addressing the issues of poverty and the need for what Urback calls social cohesion. I don't question the sincerity of our local politicians, social service agencies, and faith communities as they do this important and often thankless work. I pray that by the grace of God we will find solutions that are good news and Good News, as bleak as circumstances may seem. We must remember that the "unhoused" are human beings with names and needs who desire a better life.

This is a long blog entry but a final note: Helwig has chosen to give her awards of $20,000 and $40,000 to those who need rent money to get into housing. She literally puts her money where her mouth is. 

My Tale of Two New Urban Parks

 

                                                     Kiweki Point Park, Ottawa

 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city.

 On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 

Revelation 22:1-2 NRSVue

Last week, within the course of three days, we spent time in Toronto and Ottawa, the two largest cities in Ontario. We made a point of visiting urban parks in both, one along the Don River and the other overlooking the Ottawa River. Biidaasige Park is the billion dollar-plus redevelopment and rewilding of the mouth of the Don, which had essentially been killed as a natural waterway and habitat. Kìwekì Point, newly redeveloped, offers panoramic views of Parliament Hill and Ottawa-Gatineau. 

Both parks have names which acknowledge the historic and, hopefully, the current importance of these rivers to Indigenous peoples who travelled them and harvested from them for centuries before colonization. 

Biidaasige Park hasn't been completed and won't come to fruition for decades because there are thousands of young trees and other plantings which will take time and at this point require imagination about what will come. Still, in the created wetlands there are already water birds and songbirds. Biidaasige will be serviced by a light rail line to make it accessible without driving and there are bike lanes as well. 

                                          Artist's (AI?) rendering of Biidaasige Park, Toronto

I write from time to time about the importance of urban green spaces and these are two examples of a thoughtful and enduring approach to the challenge. I've noted that the Christian bible begins in a garden and concludes in a city where a clean river and trees are at the heart of it. Celebrating Creation shouldn't require us to head to the wilderness and this can be possibility to all. These urban parks can be sacred spaces as well. 

Now, if Premier Doug can be stopped from turning Little Norway Park in Toronto into a runway extension for jets...

Silence is Green and Golden

                                                         Nordik Spa, Chelsea Quebec

 We got away for our anniversary spending time in Ottawa and Chelsea, Quebec. Chelsea is the gateway to Gatineau Park and home to a Nordik Spa. Quebec does a lot of things better than Ontario including local bakeries, cycling infrastructure and spas. I'm not really a spa guy but Ruth loves them and judging from the male/female ratio we saw of about 20/80 this isn't unusual. I'll admit that it takes work to get me to one yet our experience is always relaxing and enjoyable. This was the best one yet with a host of options and we were impressed by the way it is nestled into the surrounding rock and trees. 

Did we have a quibble? Certainement...the silence, or lack thereof. The expectation is that guests go device-free, an excellent idea. And folk are encouraged to be respectfully quiet with an area where silence is required --big signs. Except that there is music playing constantly of the woo-woo variety, I imagine to create a zen-ish atmosphere, but it seemed loud and intrusive. Why ask patrons to observe the quiet when they don't, even in the Silence area? I regretted not bringing earplugs. 

Here is the irony. While we were rambling about on a trail in Gatineau Park immediately after the spa there was a wonderful Spring chorus of birdsong amidst the emerging green. 
We realized we saw very few birds at the spa and they be absent because they are establishing mating territory at this time of year and need to be heard.

Our walk took us to a waterfall and the streams  along the trail were in full voice after so much rain a week ago. There were trilliums and hepatica and trout lilies, the Spring ephemerals. We were virtually alone as we walked so the atmosphere in Creation was contemplative and uplifting. 

Yes, we got the best of both worlds and we thanked the Creator for it all, including the boulangerie just a few steps from our accommodation. Vive le croissant non libre!

                                           Waterfall Trail, Gatineau Park Quebec (not a current photo!)