Attentiveness to the Details of Nature

When my older daughter was in grade school, she got a pet turtle.  One day I found her crying in her room.  When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that, unlike a cat, the turtle did not even care when she came home from school and went to see him.

This led to me wonder about the value of the relationship to her, when there was an unresponsive creature on the other end.  At the time I was reading different authors on the feminist theory of ethics called Care Theory.  This helped me think about the ethical value of attentiveness to the "other."  My daughter over time became attentive to the turtle--she saw how he hibernated in the winter;  she went and got live minnows for him to eat when he started to look lethargic, enriching his environment.  She learned about turtles through being attentive to one turtle and more attentive to natural processes around her.  It was out of this experience that I decided to focus on identifying birds when we lived in New Zealand--it was a way of intensifying our attentiveness.

The balance between human and natural landscapes affects attentiveness to detail in the natural world.  Geographers and artists alike have noted that when nature was threatening--such as the Europe in the times of the development of fairy tales--paintings show little detail and nature is writ large as a fearful place with creatures that can easily overpower humans (and especially human children).  The Puritans, early European settlers to New England in North America, even believed that individuals would revert to savagery is they lived outside the human settlements.  Thus everyone was required to live near the town center.  As the balance between humans and nature changed, we began to pay more attention to the details of nature and paintings began to show individual leaves, flowers, etc.

 
 When I was in New Zealand recently I had discussions with people about whether the overpowering presence of nature--mountains and oceans with a low human population--meant that people took nature for granted.  Or did they need something dramatic to catch their attention? This would explain why it was difficult for some people involved in the restoration of native plants to Sanctuary Park to envision that change taking place.  It was too subtle to draw their attention in comparison to the landscapes and scenes around them.  They could not see the details of the changes in process.

Hong Kong, of course, is in great contrast to New Zealand.  Human landscapes dominate.  Individuals nurture plants in pots in their homes and the flower market is very important.  Older men bring their birds in their cages to the park to hang on poles so that they can get fresh air and commune with their wild cousins.
 It was in this context--Hong Kong--that a blooming tree caught my eye this morning as I looked out my bedroom window.  I ended up taking a walk and looking for these particular trees along the way, enjoying the color against the background of human landscapes. The development of attentiveness to growing things around us enriches our lives and allows us to develop our ability to care for each other and the places around us.

I once met someone who had a tortoise and said that whenever he was depressed, she would put him in the shower and turn on the water and flash the lights to give him some excitement. I've been thinking about getting a tortoise so I can try this out.
   

Hong Kong as a Sauna

It is May and Hong Kong is now a sauna.  I have been working at accepting this as they way life will be up until the time I leave at the end of June.  A cold front will not be coming through.  It will not cool off in the evening.

My apartment used to the be the place of calm after facing the crowds of the city.  But no more.  Everyone has individual room air conditioners that have two or three settings--"low" shoots cold air;  "medium" blasts cold air;  "high" is a monsoon of cold air.  And of course, the noise is constant.  So you have a choice of being in a sauna, or being in an environment like a cold airplane with constant noise in the background.

I have tried everything to get around this.  I try turning on the bedroom air conditioner and then blowing the cool air into the living room--it can't keep up with the humidity.  When I sleep, I've tried to cool the room off and then turn on the fan.  It doesn't work. And of course, when you get up in the morning and open the bedroom door you walk into the sauna.

And then there is the problem with my laptop computer.  It is a midlatitude laptop computer that thrives on cooler temperatures and low humidity.  In order to keep it from crashing I have to have the air conditioning on and a fan blowing on it to keep it cool.  Have you ever tried to skype with a room air conditioner and a fan blowing on your computer?

I have never thought of the serenity prayer applying to climate, but I find myself mumbling regularly:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

Stretching of Faith; Restoring of Nature

Evangelical churches are unlikely places for finding environmental movements.  I had the privilege this past week of spending six days with Lifezone Church in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.  I went there to explore their congregation's journey in their struggle to understand what God is asking of them in relation to restoration of a small piece of nature.  In Evangelical circles we actually don't call this an "environmental" movement, but rather the "Creation Care" movement.  "Creation Care" recognizes that God is the creator and sustainer of all.  And rather than separate nature from humans, Creation Care requires that we work with God in restoring wholeness in relationships amongst humans, nature, and God wherever we can.  As the Evangelical Environmental Network (www.creationcare.org) states--It's about Life!

A decade or so ago, a member of Lifezone church had a vision from God centered around a piece of land just inside the boundaries of the city.  The church had miraculously sold a previous piece of property for an incredible increase in value in its search for a new space and Keith Hunt, with not long to live, had a vision for this piece of land.  It had been in pasture and he envisioned it restored to native bush, where tourists and local people could come encounter God through his creation.  At the flat-topped center of this restored bush, where an organic kiwi orchard now sits, would be a community center that welcomed the community and served as a meeting place for the church. Keith did not live long after the purchase of the land, but those that caught this vision still talk about it as if it was yesterday.  One called it an experience of being baptized in the Spirit when first hearing the vision.  And those that God moved still feel the burden and responsibility of their stewardship obligations over this small piece of God's Creation.  

Much has happened since this initial purchase of land.  The crash of 2008 meant that the city did not grow out like the church anticipated.  Several pastors have come and gone and much of the membership of the congregation is now new with little knowledge of this history.  In the meantime, those original "holders" of the vision have worked with Kuaka New Zealand, an educational and travel organization, and the local government to plant 40,000 native trees.  Student volunteers from around the world have planted.  My own students planted one hillside when I organized a 2 week class on sustainability in the Bay of Plenty, working with Kuaka New Zealand.  We covered our carbon footprint by planting in what is now called Sanctuary Park (www.sanctuarypark.org.nz)  While the church struggled, God went ahead of them, restoring Sanctuary Park through extensive community and global engagement.

Lifezone Church has recently purchased land and buildings in a warehouse district of Tauranga for its site.  This has initiated a new round of discussions about Sanctuary Park and its purpose and relationship to   congregation's mission.  This may seem to be a conversation that is coming a bit late in the process, but I think not.  Last year, when we planted with my class, it was difficult to envision the restored habitat at Sanctuary Park.  One year later, when I visited, I could only say "It is finished!"  The biggest part of the labor is complete.  After a wet summer, finally the vision becomes real.  The berries are on the trees planted earlier, beginning to draw the birds.  The water route is clear for the endangered White Bait fish to come up the stream and spawn in the wetland.

And as the vision becomes real, so does its connection to the mission of Lifezone Church.  An Evangelical church that gives 25% of its budget to missions and evangelism is finding that the Bible asks them to incorporate God's Good Earth into their vision of Shalom and Salvation.  Will Sanctuary Park become a place for tourists to encounter God?  Will it be a place for quit reflection?  The future is open as the Church grows toward developing a vision for this former pastureland.

And in it all, I can't help but believe that God is doing a greater work than just restoring one small piece of his creation to health.

           Some of the earliest plantings

 Restored wetland for White Bait --right;  Most recent plantings--left

Pasture on left with restored area growing on right

Neighbors hillsides

 

 Trees grown to the point where berries are now coming--a major draw for native birds

April in South Korea

South Korea--four different lectures to eight different audiences, and one interview in four days in four different cities--Pohang, Daegu, Busan, and Seoul.  Bus, taxi, and bullet trains.

Kim chee--vegetables, usually cabbage that is pickled and fermented with hot pepper

Hotel rooms conform to my my image of Japan--Rooms with clean lines and wood, step up into rooms with heated floors.  Electronic toilets with more buttons than I care to explore.


Much bowing.  Bowing to each other and train ticket takers bowing to the passengers each time they pass  from one train car to the next.

Construction workers doing exercises together before the start of work in Seoul


Gift giving, photo taking and larger banners announcing my lectures that amuse my daughter



Kim chee

Terraced fields with temporary green houses, growing rice seedling.  Fruit trees.

 

 

 
 
 
Mountains and more mountains with forests all planted since the Korean War when the country was deforested--looking like the set for MASH



Japanese restaurants with much raw fish and kim chee

Asian Bible Belt--Presbyterian rather than Baptist with a church on every corner and in every village

 
 
Local markets where seaweed and dried fish dominates.



Acorn cakes, popped corn, and kim chee
 
 

 Evidence of Chinese cultural influences--special foods for celebrations related to Chinese New Year and New Moon Festival also associated with honoring ancestors
 



Daegu surrounded by mountain



The major port city of Busan

Traditional pottery making and Yangdong Village, one of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites

Discussions everywhere on the "Four rivers project" which the government (parliament buildings in Seoul below) is pushing--making Korea's four rivers into one commonly connected channel--environmental disaster
 

Cherry blossom time!!!






Kim chee--luckily I like kim chee.

We were shown great hospitality and had a great time.