Awaakening The Dreamer: Changing the Dreamer

What could indigenous people teach us?  I was stunned to learn their courage, simplicity, and wisdom!  Last week at the center I attended the Pachamama Alliance program entitled: “Awakening the Dreamer: Changing the Dream” led by Sr. Kathleen McCabe, OSF and Lynne Piser.  The Pachamama Alliance was born out of an invitation from the Achuar people to work in partnership to preserve their land and culture while bringing forth a new worldview that honors and sustains life.  The Achuar are a group of indigenous peoples who have lived in the Amazon on either side of the border between Ecuador and Peru.  They have had a fierce devotion to their land and kept their sophisticated culture and worldview remarkably intact as late as the mid-20th century when individuals and corporations from the so-called “modern” world have sought to exploit their land for its oil, disregarding its irreplaceable ecological and cultural wealth.   Their response shows the depth of wisdom of their leaders and the simplicity and courage of this people..  Get more detail about the alliance in this twelve minute video clip A Call for our Time: The story of the Pachamama Alliance.  

Thought-provoking, challenging, and deeply moving, the program is a dynamic multimedia presentation drawing on some of the most respected social and scientific experts of our time, interwoven with wisdom and inspiration from the indigenous peoples of the Amazon.  It is well worth your time and is offered all over the world.  It invited us to explore a new global vision built on Sustainability, Spiritual Fulfillment and Social  Justice and confront head on the biggest challenges and opportunities of today.  Some examples of the topics covered were:  the state of our industrial world and the thinking that got us where we are today, a new dream--new ideas about what really matters, leading to deep connection and surprising solutions, and how you can be a part of what's emerging,!  Here is a four minute video that will move your heart to change your dream and brings us to the awareness that everyone can do something::  Awakening the Dreamer: Equality and Sustainability for all.  

As a Franciscan I sat there telling myself I can do more than recycle and monitor my ecological footprint. I left knowing that nature had rights that I had violated and that there are collective rights of all peoples that I never allowed to enter my consciousness.  In partnership with our brothers and sisters we can change the world and create a new dream.  The program  touched both the heart and mind. It provided insight into how our modern worldview and economic and political systems are preventing us from creating the world in which we want to live.  Our human and environmental crises is urgent, and we need each other’s support to shift the way we look at and live in the world on a mass scale.When you leave you believe that we live in a time of  extraordinary possibility. and you are committed to being part of the solution rather than part of the problem.  We can all make the shift from the so-called “modern” worldview that places short-term economic gain over the long-term interests of people and planet to a fulfilling life where we can  have a positive impact on our families and communities and truly respect all as brother and sister.   Join us in creating a new way forward for the entire human family.  You might want to consider joining the movement and making the difference.  Here is their website and you might find a symposium near you:  The Pachamam Website.