continued from part
1: How America has come and is destined to go, Native American prophecies, the elders speak
There
is much of value that can be learned in the philosophy and wisdom of
the American Indian. We can only pray that as the world focuses
attention on her need for respect and protection and takes action that
Mother Earth will once again find us worthy and be forgiving.
Part 2: America's forgotten responsibility
“We cannot simply think of our survival; each new generation is
responsible to ensure the survival of the seventh generation. Indigenous
people are the poorest of the poor and the holders of the key to the
future survival of humanity.”
"We are placed on the earth (our Mother) to be the caretakers of all that is here.
- Each generation has a responsibility to "ensure the survival for the seventh generation"
- When we begin to separate ourselves from that which sustains
us, we immediately open up the possibility of losing understanding of
our responsibility and our kinship to the earth.
- Our ancestors organized themselves into communal groups that
were egalitarian, self-sufficient and intimately connected to the land
and its resources.
- Inside of extended family systems each member shares
responsibility for educating the children, caring for the sick or
injured, providing for shelter and obtaining the necessary food
requirement for survival.
- Elders are held in high esteem. They alone have the experience and wisdom of the years.
- Our needs in terms of survival must always be balanced with the needs of our families, our community and our nation.
- Everything that we do has consequences for something else. This
circular pattern of thinking is a constant reminder to us that we are
all ultimately connected to creation.
- What we do today will affect the seventh generation and we must bear in mind our responsibility to them today and always."
“Our Responsibility to the Seventh Generation” written by Clarkson,
Morrissette and Régallet
Chief Oren R. Lyons
Chief Lyons is also a member of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs
of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederay and is recognized not
only in the United States and Canada but internationally as an eloquent
and respected spokesperson on behalf of Native peoples. He is also a
sought-after international lecturr or participant in forums in a variety
of areas, including not only American Indian traditions, but Indian law
and history, human rights, environment and interfaith dialogue. Lyons
has received numerous honors and awards and is currently Chairman of the
Board in the Swedish company Plantagon International AB, developing
technologies for urban vertical farming.
Chief Lyons quotes from video:
“Seven Generations: Its about seed, its about life, the Seventh
Generation is about looking ahead, its about responsibility. The
Seventh Generation reminds you that you have responsibility to
generations that are coming. And that you are indeed in charge of life
as it is at the moment. Every generation has its time, every generation
has its leaders, and every generation has its heros, every generation
has all of that. When that generation passes, the next generation will
have the same. They will also have their leaders, they will also have
their heros. They will also have their problems, and they will also
have the continuing responsibility to look out for the next seven
generations.
... people talk about their rights, their rights, but they never
talk about their responsibility. Leadership has got to have that above
all, they have got to have vision, they have got to have compassion for
the future, they have got to make that decision for the seventh
generation. That is not just a casual term, that is a real instruction
for survival.
Of the 100 largest economic units in the world today, 49 are
countries and 51are corporations. Now digest that for a second... what
does that mean? It means that corporations are the driving force of
decision making today. And corporations are not concerned with human
rights, they are not concerned with human life, they are not even
concerned with a proper wage for the people who are working for them.
So what kind of decisions are going to be made on our behalf? By this
economic power, these corporate states I call them. There is going to be
hell to pay as they say, for some of the things that are going on now.
So I think that people have to become aware and become awake. Power is
always in the peoples hands, authority, they need to come of one mind,
they need to challenge the values that are being shoved at them today,
because this has become a consumer society, it's driven by economics,
it's not driven by common sense. Everyone should be their own leader, do
your thinking for yourself.”
Continued in Part 3: The world has become "a market".
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