GOD GRANT ME THE COURAGE TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN CHANGE
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
Known as “The Wisdom Prayer,” this truly is wise advice but how very difficult it can be to put into practice.
Acceptance is often considered to be weakness in our modern, ego-centric society but in reality knowing when the time has come to accept what we cannot change, no matter how much we wish to, is a sign of great strength. If only individuals and nations put this advice into practice, how different and less belligerent would be our world.
For some reason, many human beings find it difficult to accept that not everyone thinks or acts in the same way as themselves. It’s as though such people believe there is a stigma attached to being different; that uniformity should be the norm. Children for instance, often react aggressively towards other children perceived as being different. These differences can range from physical deformity to colour of skin or mode of speech. Children can be taught how wrong such attitudes are and maturity often brings understanding. In surprisingly many people however, these attitudes persist into adulthood. We can perhaps sympathise with individuals but in nations it is a different matter entirely.
You do not need me to enumerate those times one nation’s insistence that theirs is the only acceptable way to behave, their willingness to back this up with force of arms and the immense suffering and loss of life that has resulted. History is littered with examples of such action which is always promoted as being for the greatest good for all but has invariably had the opposite effect. This is true as much for the aggressors as those invaded or co-erced into acceptance in other ways.
Today, in addition to the age old differences between individuals, groups and nations, we have immense differences being wrought by climate change and the interference by human beings into the balance of nature in many different ways. Without exception, these are rooted in selfishness and the lust for power or money. What justification can there ever be, for instance, in genetically changing viruses so that they can attack humans instead of just the animal hosts they historically attacked? Only immature human beings incapable of seeing beyond their own limited aspirations for dominance, can do this type of thing. They are grown up children whose toys are the lives and happiness of others.
Two factors combine to produce the type of madness that leads to diverting human ingenuity into such terrifying activities. One is the hunger for power and the other is fear. If only we could all remove the blindfolds and see the world and the universe of which it is a part, as it really is. If we could cease believing that human beings are the pinnacle and therefore the dominant power in creation. As the great eighteenth century poet, Alexander Pope puts it, “All are but parts of one stupendous whole.”
In this “whole” referred to by Pope, no species is more important than another. Each is dependent upon the other and only by working in harmony can progress be achieved. The natural world is the perfect place to study the truth of Pope’s claim. Many species of animal for instance, are stronger and more aggressive than others but except to provide themselves with food and to protect their young, such aggression is contained. Balance is the key word in nature. If balance is upset, action takes place to restore the balance. If one species becomes too numerous for it to be supported, its numbers are reduced because there is insufficient food to sustain too large a number. In reverse if numbers are reduced by some natural disaster, reproduction increases until numbers are restored.
Human beings are given a unique power to reason and to visualise the effects of actions so we can plan our lives in ways not available to other species. This power also unfortunately, enables us to control the lives of other species and indeed to force the views of one group of human beings upon another. What we frequently fail to understand however is that this power comes at a price. All actions have consequences and for all our much heralded powers of reason, we often fail to foresee the true impact of our actions. The early farmers in California failed to understand the effects of growing the same crops year after year and the great dust bowl was the result. Frequently, pharmaceutical companies fail to see the full impact a new drug or medication will have long term. In their desire to help alleviate one condition, they overlook the impact on others. The list goes on.
To return to the large challenge of climate change being faced by us today. In addition to focusing on renewable energy we are trying to find other means to halt or reverse the change which has been exacerbated by human activity. These attempts, though admirable in many ways are really failing to face the real issue. This failure is probably because we feel once the reality of climate change is accepted, it will amount to giving in; to surrender.
What are we doing to prepare for the possibility that climate change is irreversible? It is more than a possibility that this is the case and whilst our contribution to it through burning fossil fuels is regrettable, we should be planning our strategy to survive as a species in the type of world we will inhabit in future. For instance food production and the ready availability of water. Both these things will be different as climate change proceeds. Also, due to the melting of ice at the Poles, sea water levels are going to rise significantly.
In order to meet these changes, should we not move to the stage of acceptance? We need to plan now for the consequences and be prepared to place resources behind such plans, rather than pouring millions into trying to prevent what now looks inevitable. We need to look at ways of producing sufficient food and water for the population of Earth under the changed climatic conditions. We need to find ways of moving huge numbers of people from low-lying locations. We need to recognise the inevitable changes that will take place in various countries as the warming impact of climate change progresses.
It seems to me that at the moment we are mainly wringing our hands in despair and trying to make changes that are far too late to have a meaningful impact. Surely now is the time to accept the inevitable. Take steps to ensure we don’t make matters worse of course but our main focus should be on changing our ways to adapt to what will soon become reality. It is little use bemoaning our past actions and placing blame here and there for what is happening. We need to be acting, so as a species and in support of other species, we can all survive in the new reality. It will not be easy but it is a wonderful chance to work together constructively for the benefit of all life on Earth. We must bury our ideological differences for if we don’t the consequences for future generations will be dire.
We know that humanity is supremely gifted and has the intelligence to surmount the greatest challenges; what we do not have at present is the conviction that this challenge is so unique that what has dictated human behaviour in the past can no longer work if we are to survive. Once that has been accepted, I have no doubt that human ingenuity will find ways for us to live successfully in our changed world.
I urge those in authority to recognise the need to plan ahead rather than just trying to stem the tide: The need to pool resources, especially of brains: The need to accept our limited ability to change things.
If these things can be achieved it will herald a new era of human co-operation and understanding. There is no other way. Narrow, national interest must be sacrificed in the interest of all life on Earth. Climate change is nature’s way of calling time on humanity’s selfish, unthinking, hedonistic race towards destruction. It can be our salvation as a species and teach us our true role in maintaining the balance essential to sentient life on Earth. Let us grasp this opportunity with both hands whilst there is still time.
