An Evening with Thomas Berry
Meeting Thomas Berry
Though I have heard of Thomas Berry over the years, I realized some time back that I had often confused Thomas Berry and Wendell Berry when seeing quotes along the way. My good friend Jeanie Martin helped clarify their uniqueness when I asked her how she thought each author would summarize in one sentence his central purpose. She felt Wendell Berry would say “Stay at home, live a sustainable life and get out of the death culture.” Thomas Berry would say, “Discover your dream and life purpose and live fully into it.” In the last few years I have had the privilege of getting to know a number of people who are close to Thomas Berry and more and more it seemed important that I have some time with him as I feel I am embodying many of his messages in my life walk and teachings. Fortunately the opportunity came for me to spend an evening with him this last summer. Here is what I can recall from our time…
Tim and I arrived at the Green Tavern and were escorted through the busy restaurant to a booth in which sat Thomas Berry back in a corner in a suit that had grown a bit too big. I could see the dustbowl, fields of corn and his many decades of living woven into his presence. Across from him sat the dynamic Carolyn filling him with all sorts of loving energy. While Tim showed Thomas family pictures, Carolyn and I caught up, excited to be sharing this experience together. Thomas held the elder spot at 92 and that brought out the youth in all of us. I noticed immediately how his eyes sparkle when you catch them. His southern drawl warmed me but I had to tune into it, finding it soft and distant at first like a breeze stirring up leaves. But once my ear found his tune I heard his song loud and clear.
Carolyn set the vibe nicely sharing an account by the author of “Last Child in the Woods” on meeting with Thomas. Then Thomas asked me what I spend my time doing. As I began to answer the waitress made her presence known and took our orders. Tim shared with Thomas his perspective of who I am and my work. We talked of plants some and the theme of showing people how to truly “see” came up the first of several times that evening. I spoke of my time with the San (bushmen) in Namibia and Botswana and their being our oldest human relatives (They could be legally hunted until the late 1950’s!!). As I shared my stories Thomas asked repeatedly if I had written down my experiences. I let him know this is an important part of my work (as hard as it is to do!) Tim and Carolyn expressed how I needed to have someone with me recording my experiences for the world. (Any volunteers?) One of Thomas’ main points was that we had to stop living in the 20th century and open up to the 21st century. This involves fundamental shifts in all aspects of our human culture. We need to consider the Gaia macrocosm not just the human microcosm. This has been spurred on by the astronomical growth in human population and economics. He commented that there were 1 billion people in 1540, 2 Billion in 1920, 3 Billion in 1960 and now (2005) over 6.5 Billion. He said the economic system has grown at six times that rate! These huge pressures on the environment are bringing an end to the Cenozoic era. We pondered whether we would perish or awaken to a new Ecozoic era by reconnecting with nature? He seemed hopeful. This is all explained in his cornerstone book of the Ecozoic era, “The Great Work.”
Thomas mentioned how important it is to give names to things. He recalled how hard it was to remember his nature experiences as a young child when he did not know the names of the plants. He shared how, when he had become a boy scout and learned the name “oak” for the tree he had known his whole life, the world of the oaks in all their diversity and detail opened up so much more. He could then remember the details of the forest through their names and share his experiences with others. He recounted an article he had written long ago called “Goldenrod”. He seemed to have a great love for nature!
He asked me where I was going next and I shared with him that I would soon be returning to Africa to go deeper with the plants and peoples there. Our conversations were broken by the frequent appearance of waiters, but we held the focus well knowing the sacredness of our time together. We had a number of rounds of good, heartfelt laughter. And though the restaurant got louder as the dinnertime peaked, Thomas too seemed to become louder and more animated. He spoke of how thousands of years ago China was divided by fifteen warring factions. One soldier from one of the factions was late for his duty as a sentry. The consequence of this was to be put to death. Rather than meet that fate, he led a rebellion that ignited the support of the common people. He was so successful that all of China was united and has stayed so to this day. Unfortunately this man was not a good leader in times of peace and was soon overthrown. Thomas indicated that a good revolutionary does not necessarily make a good leader.
Somehow the hours flew by. Our meal disappeared and became dessert and then this too was finished and it was time for us to go our own ways. We all rose together from the booth and Thomas gave me a hug and placed his hand on my head in a sort of a blessing (after all he is a priest) and let me know beyond words that I was on the right path. I will always carry that time with me. And as much as I enjoy his writing and the enthusiasm people have for the torch he has lit, I will most remember the gleam in his eyes and the assuring smile on his face as a man who has seen into the future and knows everything is going to be alright.
FCC
Postscript:
Where to go from here? I read through “The Great Work” carefully while traveling through Africa recently and feel it does a wonderful job giving an overview of our current condition. So what to do with it? I think it is important to not abstract on it too much but to get the opportunity it presents out to as many people as possible and apply it to our lives. I propose that we inspire a group of people to read through the “The Great Work” together and every couple of weeks on the computer share our impressions of each chapter. I propose the focus be how we are bringing Thomas’s words into our lives and into the community around us. How many of you are willing to help focalize this with me and bring other people into the discussion over the year? Please let me know your thoughts on this. Love and Light, Frank