Watching these people and the way they interacted with each other, I could not help but be impressed. But there was another feeling, difficult to define. Was I possibly jealous of this Quechua family? There was no denying that I who had never known poverty or hunger felt, if not jealous, at least envy for their ability to enjoy so completely each other, their work, the meager food and homes they shared, and all that was around them. I had learned that Andean Indians often talk to nature. It is not uncommon to hear a man or woman murmur words of greeting to a bird, flower, or cloud. Such things are a part of their lives and the source of immense pleasure. Was it possible that these people knew something I did not understand? Could I learn from the Quechua what my own culture and background had failed to teach?
To discover the universe is a big step toward knowing ourselves.
As humans we are born of the Earth, nourished by the Earth, healed by
the Earth. The natural world tells us: I will feed you, I will clothe
you, I will shelter you, I will heal you. Only do not so devour me or
use me that you destroy my capacity to mediate the divine and the human.
For I offer you a communication with the divine. In the vastness
of the sea, in the snow-covered mountains, in the rivers flowing through
the valleys, in the serenity of the landscape, and in the foreboding of
the great storms that sweep over the land — I offer you inspiration
for your music, your art, your dance. All these benefits the Earth
gives to us: individually, communally, and throughout the entire Earth.
~ Thomas Berry in MAKING PEACE ed. by McConnell and van Gelder
