Think Both Locally and Globally
Act Both Locally and Globally
In Canada we are fast approaching the season of Thanksgiving, an opportunity to give thanks to God for his bountiful blessings. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get side-tracked and caught up in the busyness of life and nary give a thought to this special time of year. Our Jewish friends do a much better job at such grateful reflection in the parallel season of Sukkot, which lasts for seven days.
But when we offer gratitude for the earth’s gifts—whether it’s a crisp apple, a eye-catching orange pumpkin, or a late harvest of sweet corn—we are more attuned to the rhythm of our Creator and her creation. In such a spirit of gratefulness we are drawn by its magnetic power to care deeply for the tierra we tread.
To this end Rosemary Ruether suggests that Rene Dubos’ famous slogan “Think globally and act locally” needs to be amended. She encourages us to drill down deeper so that the impact of “local and global” is experienced at a more profound level:
We need to think both locally and globally and act both locally and globally…The struggle for local change will lack depth unless it understands itself as an integral part of a global new consciousness…We need to read about, and sometimes visit, groups who are organizing in other parts of the world and learn from what they are doing.” (Rosemary Radford Ruether, Gaia & God).
It is as we “think locally and globally” and “act locally and globally” that we can be steady and resolute in our care for planet earth. Our communal work can teach us “a patient passion, a passion that is not burnt out in a season, but can be renewed season after season.”
When we live out our gratitude with such reflective hearts then everyone wins—our children, ourselves, and living generations yet to come.
p.s. A wonderful place for diving are the waters around Antigua and Barbuda. A recent optimistic story of planet care comes from the restoration of a nearby rocky outcrop called “Redonda.” Good things can happen when we act with intention. Give it a thankful read!
🥰🥰🥰GM, yes thinking is powerful and must be directed right. As Jesus instruct go (local or now command) into All the world (global) and preach ( share/impart) the gospel.
James Allen book As a man thinketh is a favorite of mine as how we view the local impacts the global. And change comes by renewing our mind. Wow, Father is awesome.