Live Globally

Last updated on: December 8, 2016 at 11:11 am by Marilyn McEntyre

Live Globally 2016-12-08T11:11:54-07:00 Marilyn McEntyre

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Screen Shot 2016-12-08 at 10.07.19 AM

Two of our dear friends get up every day and read Al Jazeera along with the New York Times. Another gets his morning news from the British-based Guardian, another from Der Spiegel, and another from The Independent, because Robert Fisk seems to him one of the most reliable journalists alive. We feel that way about Amy Goodman, whose commitment to showing up in dangerous places and reporting stories or points of view that are omitted or underrepresented on networks controlled by large corporate interests make her a partner of the poor as well as a champion of human rights. Her news hour, Democracy Now!, has regularly featured victims of natural and humanitarian catastrophes around the world, whistleblowers, soldiers whose boots have been “on the ground” and who live with the PTSD that is a common cost of war. I have set my homepage to commondreams.org, a source that similarly stays free of commercial sponsorship and hosts thoughtful discussion of global issues. These are only a handful among the many providers of global perspectives that are so important now, living as we do in a world where national boundaries mean less and less in the face of climate change, multinational corporations, and resource interdependence.

The bumper-sticker advice (and there’s plenty of it on the highways I travel) to “Think Globally, Act Locally” seems to me more important as the months go by. Even though a lot of us suffer periodic spasms of “information anxiety” and news overload, it matters to know that courageous doctors without borders are working among Syrians in Aleppo who are trapped without food, water or adequate medical care; that indigenous people in Mexico, the Philippines, Ecuador, Nigeria, and the US are working with nonprofits to protect land and water from the effects of aggressive oil extraction; that Paul Botoman, the “borehole doctor,” has repaired wells in 140 villages in Malawi with the help of water.org, quietly saving lives and livelihoods.

We can’t each know all the news—bad or good—but we can widen our imaginations and compassion and sense of relatedness to others who share the planet. We can connect the dots—not that many of them—that lead from our kitchen tables to the coffee fields in Columbia or the olive groves in Israel-Palestine, or the rice paddies in Vietnam. We can remember that a dollar spent is a vote for a process and do what we can to make sure we are involved in just and sustainable processes. We can go to where we will meet immigrants and hear their stories, show up at fundraisers for just causes and do the homework required to understand the complexities of the issues being addressed.

We were all sent here on assignment. This earth is indeed our home (and I highly recommend the documentary simply entitled Home to help deepen our understanding of that truth), and its inhabitants our fellow travelers. Advent is a good time for adventure; we can venture into new places of the earth without leaving much of a carbon footprint by plugging into public conversation and learning from each other how to help heal broken systems and broken hearts, giving thanks, always for the beauty of the earth.

Image: photo of collage by Judy Neunuebel (http://www.judyneunuebel.com)

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 7, 2016

Live Prudently

Next Post

December 9, 2016 Live Locally

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who interpreted the "writing on the wall" for King Belshazzar?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daniel Isaiah Ezekiel Jeremiah