In his book What makes us
tick social researcher Hugh McKay has a section headed “Why listening is
the greatest gift of all”. In it he
says, “In fact if I had to identify one way to make the world a better place,
I’d say: Listen more attentively and sympathetically to each other.”
Should we apply this
principle more broadly by listening carefully to the non-human voices in our
Earth Community? What might we hear? Expressions of pain? Joy? Desperation? Loss?
How might we respond? A greater sense of
wholeness perhaps? Maybe feelings of
sympathy or inspiration.
One such Voice of the Earth
serves to illustrate.
A small planted forest stands
beside a grassed area near a home at Waterview Heights. Nature places a forest
red gum seed in the open area and new life begins.
Slowly the tree grows,
initially in isolation, but later as part of a mulched bed of planted trees and
shrubs. With a trunk maybe 15
centimetres across and a height of seven metres it is doing well and its voice
is saying, “You have encouraged me and now I am on my way to help rebuild the
natural habitat of the area. The koalas
will love me.”
But – these hopes seem dashed
when grubs carve out a comfortable home within its trunk. Black cockatoos discover them and tear into
the tree with their powerful beaks to reach their tasty meals. A pile of timber chips at its base and a
large wound in its trunk are clear evidence of a weakened tree. Weeks pass and inevitably a strong wind fells
it to the ground.
Months pass and although the
stump seems dead no attempt is made to remove it. It is still an important part of this bed of
habitat.
And then from the stump new
growth comes forth, and a green abundance is soon climbing skywards.
A familiar Voice of the Earth
exuberently cries out - “Look at me now! I am alive. You gave me a chance and now watch me
respond. I will play my part in our
Earth Community.”
Stan Mussared
This article was originally published in the VOICES FOR THE EARTH column in The Daily Examiner on December 18, 2017.
