May, 2009

Richard St Barbe BakerThe assumption that the "good life" requires more individual consumption, constant meat-eating, larger homes and vehicles, and disposable everything will need to fade.  A spirit of shared and equitable material sacrifice can replace it - with no loss of what really matters, such as active good health, strong communities, and time with family.

The Earth's soil and vegetation can remove billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere. Agricultural landscapes can accomplish this while improving food and fiber production and minimizing the need for artificial fertilizer and fossil-fuel-driven tilling and raising farmer incomes  (Worldwatch, January, 2009.)

Richard St. Barbe BakerRichard St. Barbe Baker, was among the first conservationists to tell the world about the importance of conservation and its effect upon humanity and global warming. In 1954, St. Barbe wrote: "When the trees go, the rain goes, the climate deteriorates, the water table sinks, the land erodes and desert conditions soon appear".

At the tender age of four, Richard St. Barbe Baker planted his first tree.  St. Barbe was born in 1889 and lived until 1982 and spent his entire life teaching conservation.  His father was an evangelical minister and loved gardening and was instrumental in teaching St. Barbe the skill to grow gardens and trees and from the pine forests near his home he developed his love for nature and the beauty of the forests. “In his travels around the world, he became known as the “Man of the Trees”… source from “Man of the Trees” printed by Ecology in Action, 1989.

Have you ever wondered what it would take to establish, maintain and develop a local choir, provide it with music, and with opportunities to perform?

New Era Bahá’í Choir performs in Perth, Australia - Photo by Ryan LashKathryn Tahiri and Ludwig Tuman are the co-authors of the booklet “Nine Steps to Raise and Nurture a Community Choir.”   Kathryn is a composer, choral and orchestral conductor, performer, educator, and former director of the Bahá'í Temple Choir in Wilmette, Illinois. Ludwig is actively engaged as a composer, music producer, educator, writer, and speaker.

The booklet is designed to help communities establish and manage their own choir.  Ludwig says: “The human voice is perhaps the most basic and magical of musical instruments, and choral singing is inherently both an artistic and a social activity. These common features make the process of creating and maintaining a choir remarkably consistent in cultures around the world.”

American Samoa Choir

When asked how important is music to the development of a community? Ludwig replied, "Singing in a choir is one of life's most joyful and rewarding experiences. Making music together is a wonderful way to build communities.  It brings hearts together in unified effort.  It builds friendships and a sense of belonging.  It immerses us in a shared artistic experience that lifts our spirits while subtly teaching us about many spiritual truths.  To have such an activity is a major social and spiritual asset.”

We probably all remember the "Peace Prayer" of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) by an anonymous Norman c. 1915 A.D. The prayer goes like this "Lord make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, Let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is error, truth; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, Joy. O Divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled As to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Unleashing the Power of Detachment through Self Mastery by Cal Feldman."We cannot attain Peace without first changing ourselves says Cal Feldman, today humanity is suffering as a result of its severe attachment to material existence with little concern for deeper meaning of life’s purpose.  As a result, we witness a fragmented humanity – both individually and collectively – unable to realize its true nature.  However, at a closer look, we discover that many of us travel along parallel paths of attachment and detachment, moving between these two as we encounter many of the trials and tribulations (tests) that we face in the course of our development towards self-mastery. Eventually, we achieve our purpose and enter the gate of Divine Oneness – returning to our true home with the completion of our journey here on Earth.”