Hope for Humanity
Sermon | August 21, 2022 | Lisa Jebsen
I love this quote from the Barbara Kingslover novel.
I think of my coping mechanisms as a collection of tools. And of all the tools that are in my toolbox, hope is one of the most essential. However, hope is not like a hammer that I can just pull out as needed. Hope must be cultivated. And there’s no better way to do that than to seek out the positive. With all that’s going on in the world, that’s a big ask. Nevertheless, I honestly believe it’s critical. While I don’t recommend denying the sorry state of the world – I don’t recommend wallowing in it either.
It kind of reminds me of a rather animated conversation I had with one of my aunts a couple of years ago. I don’t remember her exact words but she basically asserted that the youth of today are a bunch of lazy, good-for-nothings. As the mom of one of those young people, I got a little defensive. Let’s be real. There are lazy people in every generation and in the history of human kind, I don’t think that any older generation has ever looked at the youth as a whole and had much good to say.
And yet!
During this lively discussion with her, I couldn’t let this statement stand. I spoke passionately about the Pickwick Players at the Midland Community Theatre as evidence that all is not lost. Here is a group of teens who give up their entire spring break to work from 7AM – 5PM to provide elementary aged kids the annual Fine Arts Camp at the theatre. While other teens slept in or went on family vacations, this group gave over 100 school aged kids a week filled with music, dance, art, acting and fun.
If an organized group of teens voluntarily waking up early on a non-school day doesn’t give you hope for the future, then I can’t help you!
So in the effort to continue the cultivation of our collective hope, there are some recent news stories from around the world I’d like to share. With Jessica’s assistance, I’ll include the links to the stories and articles I used at the end of the transcript of today’s sermon that we post to the website.
My first news item for you today comes from an article on Science Daily dot com and it strikes a very personal cord with me – as many of you know, my father suffered from dementia in the last years of his life… So reading the reports from a team in Bochum, Germany made me very happy. These researchers have developed an immuno infrared sensor that can detect signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the blood up to 17 years before the first symptom shows.
This simple blood test can identify misfolded protein biomarkers which will allow patients to start therapies before plaque develops in the brain. It is this plaque build up disrupts nerve cell function and leads to the classic symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
This discovery could also help with early diagnosis of other neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and ALS. It’s awesome to think what can be done for these patients with a 17 year head start!
From Germany to Ecuador… After decades of fighting pollution and deforestation the indigenous community of the Shuars have obtained national protections in its rainforest.
Ecuador’s National System of Protected Areas now includes the Tiui Nunka Forest where the community of El Kiim lives. This area is nearly 14,000 sq. acres, It provides sustenance to about 35 families. Preserving this area will allow the tribe to continue cultural practices and traditions like making medicines and ritual waterfall baths.
The end of this decades long fight means that the area is now safe from mining, cattle ranching and agricultural encroachment that threatened clean water sources and habitats of animal species like the mountain tapir and the spectacled bear.
This info comes from an article on mongabay.com with a quote from Milton Asamat, president of the Shuar Kiim Center who said, “Nature gives us many things to survive and that’s why we need to conserve this protected area. Our elders left us as an inheritance to take care of nature and all species. We want to conserve the water, the plants and everything that has life.” This sounds a lot like our 7th Principle of Unitarian Universalism that calls for us to respect the interdependent web of life!
In other good news for the environment, a group known as The Ocean Cleanup posted a wonderful report on their website theoceancleanup.com on July 25 to tout the fact that they’ve reached an important milestone: they have officially removed 100,000 KG of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
In case you are not aware, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world and is located between Hawaii and California – it is roughly two times the size of Texas and as you can imagine these pollutants are quite harmful to marine life.
The Ocean Cleanup reports that their System 002, AKA “Jenny” has swept a 3,000 square KM area – about the size of Rhode Island collecting debris that weighs about as much as 2 Boeing 737s. It will take 1000 more sweeps like this to clear all of this trash – which sounds like some bad news creeping into this report – however “Jenny” is a prototype – improvements are being made for Series 003 which could potentially remove trash 10 times faster!
Meanwhile on the website bittersweet monthly I read the story of Shershah Wahidi and his family. They were among the very last Afghans to be evacuated from Kabul when the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Thanks to the group Homes Not Borders in the Washington DC area they had a safe, comfortable home to start their new life here in the US.
Since 2017, this group has led efforts to provide housing and home furnishings and household items to refugees like this family. I love the values they reflect while serving this mission.
Client First Mindset – give priority to the perspective of those they are helping
Dignity – leading with respect and dignity in everything – only accepting donated items that are in good condition and participating and promoting in ways that respect those they serve
Equality – helping those without making judgements based on religion, country of origin, race, gender or sexual orientation
Cross Cultural Sensitivity – being sensitive to the needs and expectations of other cultures while teaching about our own
Community Building – collaborating with others to make the community stronger
Since they started, they have provided over 218 homes to families and provided valuable household items to 112 other families. These numbers that I found at the group’s official website only go up to 2020 – so you can be assured that there have been many many more asylum seekers who have been helped.
I’d like to finish with two animal stories to lift your spirits. Who doesn’t like a good animal story? Whenever my spirit needs a lift, stories, videos, photos of animals always help!
In an August 6 news article from allongeorgia.com the numbers for Loggerhead sea turtle nesting hit a new high this year, surpassing the 2019 record for most nests on beaches on the state’s Atlantic Ocean coastline. This is the largest count in 33 years, since Georgia Department of Natural Resources began doing these surveys back in 1989.
These numbers also reflect a ten-fold increase in sea turtle nests since its lowest point of 358 nests in 2004.
Georgia Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd said, “Loggerheads are a long-lived species that don’t reproduce until 30-35 years of age.” (That’s something I have in common with the turtles!)
Although the area’s population of loggerheads in on the Endangered Species list it has been increasing at approximately 4 percent annually since the early 1990s – which is good. However, Dodd believes it will take at least another 20 years before recovery goals are reached.
Nevertheless – we’ll celebrate the progress in saving these large reptiles!
And finally – some good news from Ukraine of all places!
Photos of a new nest with a mother stork and her two chicks has become a ‘symbol of hope’ for the country.
Although about 16% of the storks in Europe nest in the Ukraine, the Russian invasion interrupted their normal spring arrival from.
Pictures of the nest were taken by the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds outside the city of Kyiv. Their director, Oleg Dudkin, explained that horrible explosions, shelling, and noise of tanks frightened the storks away.
“These birds have long been symbolic of many things for Ukrainians. Their return is symbolic of the arrival of spring and fertility.” He also noted that the birds also represent big harvest, family happiness, cessation of conflicts and love for the homeland.
This last bit of symbolism is particularly poignant in light of the fact that the storks were spotted only a couple days after the Russians left.
“She has come to symbolize not merely a mother’s devotion to her young but also the great love and devotion of Ukrainians to their motherland and a readiness not to leave,” said Dudkin. “Storks will always be amulet birds for Ukrainians, strengthening the hope for peace and the inevitable victory of spring over winter and good over evil.”
I hope these stories have nurtured your sense of hope. Every so often I’ll check back with more good news items like these, so we can live under the roof.
SOURCES
German research team makes a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s study
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220721132038.htm
Shuar tribe wins battle to protect rainforest
Ocean CleanUp Removes Plastic from the GPGP
https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/first-100000-kg-removed-from-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch/
Homes Not Borders Helps Refugees and Asylum Seekers
https://bittersweetmonthly.com/stories/homes-not-borders#article
Loggerhead Turtle Nests at a Record High
https://georgiawildlife.com/loggerheads-slow-recovery-continues-state-nest-record
Cranes Return to Ukraine
https://www.newsweek.com/ukraines-nesting-sacred-storks-offer-hope-war-torn-country-1732280