"We scientists don't know how to do that": Spiritual & Environmental Healing Through Freemasonry
By Brother Hunter Goodin
I would like to open with a quote from James Gustav Speth, environmental lawyer and co-founder and president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, in his book, Angles by the River, where he says, “I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and Climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we scientists don't know how to do that.”
The Earthly Education Institute shares a take on the environmental crisis we are facing that was along the same lines, albeit a bit more uplifting. “In a world plagued by looming environmental crises, it becomes evident that the biggest adversaries we face are not external forces or insurmountable challenges, but rather the insidious triad of apathy, selfishness, and greed. It is the apathy that allows us to turn a blind eye to the relentless destruction of our planet, to dismiss the urgent cries of Mother Earth as mere inconveniences.
“It is the selfishness that blinds us to the interconnectedness of all life, that prioritizes short-term gains over the long-term sustainability of our ecosystems.And it is the insatiable greed that drives the unrelenting exploitation of natural resources, as we voraciously consume without regard for the consequences. But amidst this bleak landscape, there is hope. For it is within each and every one of us to challenge these destructive forces and rise above the status quo. It is our duty to awaken from our collective slumber, to ignite the flames of empathy, compassion, and altruism within ourselves and others.
“We must recognize that our individual actions, no matter how small, have the power to create profound ripple effects. By casting aside apathy, embracing selflessness, and rejecting the allure of greed, we can usher in a new era of environmental stewardship. Let us embark on this daunting yet transformative journey together, united by a shared purpose, driven by the conviction that our planet, and all those who call it home, deserve nothing less than our unwavering commitment to a sustainable and harmonious future.”
So, how do we get there? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist and Science Communicator, said on the topic of going to the moon, “We went to the moon to explore the moon, and we looked over our shoulders and discovered Earth for the first time.” The year after, the Environmental Protection Agency was signed, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was formed, leaded gas was banned, the Comprehensive Clean Air Act was signed, the Clean Water Act was signed, and Earth Day was invented, all in 1970. The answer to “How do we get there?” is self-reflection.
So here is my take on all of this and how it relates to freemasonry. I’ve noticed a growing theme throughout the media that paints a bleak picture of our current times and future outlook on the planet’s health. But it’s important to recognize the good we have done along the way — that we have been admitting our past faults and healing what we have hurt.
Remember how everyone used to talk about the hole in the ozone layer throughout the '80s into the early 2000s? It’s been 36 years since we discovered it but nowadays almost nobody talks about the hole in the ozone anymore. That is because the news is good and we don’t tend to talk about good news, but I am happy to tell you about it. The emission of CFCs had a huge peak in the ’90s and has had a huge drop since then, and nowadays we’re basically at 0 CFC emissions — so, what happened? It was not just that people stopped using so much hairspray after the '90s, although it may have helped. CFCs are good for propellants, refrigeration, and a bunch of other stuff, but as we discovered the harm they can cause, we found alternatives. The Montreal Protocol, a collaborative government effort tasked with solving that problem, helped. The hole in the ozone went from 18 million square miles in the 2000s to fluctuating between 10-18 square miles today. That is just one example of many, and new technology continues to be invented today that fixes problems we created on our planet yesterday.
What can Freemasonry do? I believe that Freemasonry can aid in that spiritual transformation that Speth was talking about. Its values inspire people to become the agents of change we need in our world. The lessons of Freemasonry help fight against apathy. It calls us to a higher purpose and provides the moral and intellectual tools to build and improve our world.
I believe we are entering a time of self-reflection in our species. And though it may look different depending on the generation, I think it is a time when all generations are collectively entering a spiritual enlightenment. One of the fascinating things about Freemasonry is that it helps bridge the gap between generations and invites collaborative discussion about our individual thoughts, becoming the best versions of ourselves — Living Ashlars in the building that is our world, leaving it in a better place than that in which we inherited it. We are entering a time now where we are focusing our efforts as a species on becoming responsible stewards of the earth and renovating the rough foundations of that building that is our planet.
The above was a talk given by Brother Hunter Goodin at the June 2024 Stated Meeting
Citations
Speth, James Gustave. Angels by the River: A Memoir. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015. Earthly Education Institute. Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/earthlyeducation/p/C3r12knsFwz/.
Additional Readings
GreenMasonry, V.W.Bro. Geoffrey Ludowyk, http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/nature-freemasonry.html.
