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The SUMMIT

AuthorHouse

Chapter One

It's a WONDERFUL WORLD

The time of day I enjoy most are the mornings. They remind me that each day begins anew, leaving the trials of yesterday behind it. The sun rises, unfettered by the clouds of the evening. The air is crisp and clean, and the dew has settled yesterday's dust back into the earth. Each day is full of promises and new beginnings.

What attracts me most to religion is this: each morning we can start anew. This is the rhythm of nature; this is the gift of God. We can go back to when we were infants, and marvel with wide open eyes at the world. There were our mothers and aunts, fathers and neighbors - people who did so much for us and didn't ask for pay or profit. I think of the countless volunteers, without whom our communities, schools, our hospitals, churches or cultural institutions would not run. These people are wonderful signs that new beginnings are possible. I think this way about every person. No matter how crusty and grumpy someone has become, for him too a new morning dawns. Even the hardened criminal – I see him as a baby in his mother's arms. He was clean, fresh, and innocent, and consequently hope and change are possible.

I see, how far we have come as a global community. It was only in 1948 that we received the Declaration of Human Rights. But already so many countries now have a charter of human rights and freedoms, enforceable before the courts. We have international conventions and protocols, and if some countries have not yet signed on or still claim exemption, I'm confident that for them a new day will come too.

I look at science and what scientists tell us about their work. The advancements are breathtaking. New enchanting worlds are opening up before our eyes, and we begin to recognize our place in the universe, with its vast distances, and the duration since the big bang. When we zoom in on our little planet earth and to the moment when the first person jumped out of the tree of life – "Adam" the Hebrews called him – we see how he stepped back and looked at where he had come from and felt so lonely: the universe looked at itself. This is the most astonishing thing, the greatest wonder: through our reflective mind the universe recognizes itself! I see modern technology in a positive light too. Not only the amenities that changed our lives so much since the days of our grandparents, but also the communication technology that has brought us closer together worldwide. I can see and talk to my grandchildren in Korea from my home in Canada, or see and talk to my friend in Peru. One day we might be able to decipher signals from outer civilizations and begin text messaging across the galaxy.

Globalization is to be celebrated. Hopefully it will allow us to eventually lose our xenophobia. In Canada we benefit from our cultural diversity. I see our society as a bouquet of flowers, native ones, exotic ones -, all colors contributing to the whole. It's a beautiful world.

The world is the paradise.

I often think of it as a symphony. It might start with a big bang, some percussions, a whirlwind of strings – there is the theme, only to get lost again. And now the various instruments try to find it. The harp feels around, a flute, the strings search again, more wood instruments contribute - till the theme slowly emerges. Now all the various sections of the orchestra lift it up and it rises in a triumphant crescendo. We in the audience are lifted up too and might feel the ceiling of the concert hall rises above us. And indeed, such music touches the ceiling of the universe and reaches for eternity. Then it ebbs away, playing with the theme graciously till the music comes to its glorious end.

In the evolution of the universe, we, the human race have reached the point where we are just about to hear the theme of creation. Individually we might just play a little fiddle, but together, collectively, we will recognize it, lift it up in celebration. Would it not be too bad to leave the hall now, to close the paradise for good, just because some old habits lead us astray? It's too good a life, too wonderful a world to lose it now.

Chapter Two

Professor, the summer of 2008 became a defining time for me, an ecological awakening or enlightenment, if you will, that changed my life. Not that I was ignorant in ecological matters before. As a public speaker I had to be informed, and good stewardship of the "resource" earth had always been an article of faith for Lutherans. However, there were two events that summer that changed the way I think. The first one I will forever remember with the image of

The MAN in the DARK SUIT

I spent all of June 2008 traveling in Germany. I had nothing in my appointment book except a Cultural Festival at Görlitz in East Germany at the end of the month where I had been asked to preach at an interfaith service. The three-day festival centered around integration of different cultures into the new Europe. However, when I landed in Frankfurt, several other topics dominated the news. Europe was abuzz with anxious discussions. Al Gore's explosive bestseller "An Inconvenient Truth" had just hit the bookstores. With graphs, pictures and rational analysis Gore put his emphasis on climate change and its potential catastrophic consequences. Several other publications by biologists like yourself, Professor, and historians appeared around the same time. They all pointed in the same direction and held the same ominous message: unless we change immediately and dramatically we could lose our place on a livable planet by the end of the century. And like in any good drama there was a Savior, a white knight who entered the scene. Barack Obama had just become the front-runner in the race for the American presidency and he preached hope and change. But an immediate challenge presented itself to his ambitions and promises when a financial crisis began to unfold, such as the world had not seen since the 1930s. Another bubble burst at the stock market and America was the instigator. They had supported their booming housing market by selling cheap mortgages to people who did not have enough income to qualify for them. These cheap mortgages were then packaged and labeled "excellent investment backed by real estate" and sold internationally. And the world bought it and so became accomplices to the instigators. Millions and millions lost their savings when the bubble burst. Bankers on the other hand collected fat bonuses. Charges were never laid. Take all this together and you have a perfect drama. All you need now is a venue to bring it to the stage. The venue came by accident: in June 2008 Germany was hosting the European Soccer Cup (or football championship as they call it). This meant there was a nationwide party going on. In private homes, in public squares, in front of huge screens, on sidewalks. As I walked by such scene, I heard someone say: "you want a beer, Sir, come, sit down". I stopped and looked, a middle-aged woman nodded at me: "yes, I'm serious, sit down, you are not from here, are you?" When I told her that I was from Canada everyone started talking at the same time, and there were quite a few people, families and friends from the neighborhood it seemed. Now they moved to the side so I could have a seat. Canada seemed to be the land of their dreams: green, endless, land of the Indians and Eskimos as they still call our Inuits. "Six months of winter" I added. "But what about the Arctic, is the sea ice melting? And how are the Polar Bears doing?" And with that we were in a nationwide discussion of environment related issues, which would go on day after day for the three weeks of my travels. Climate change topped the charts together with the wellbeing of the biosphere, followed by concerns over the economy. Everyone was discussing the question of human greed and "how much do we really need to be happy". Wherever I went it was the same party, with a beer in their hand and a screen to watch the game, these people seemed so content and in such celebratory mood and yet the anxious question was lingering: for how long can the party go on? Sure, the championship would be over by the end of the month. But the greater party, the party of 'life on earth' - could it last - ? Was there anything anyone could do to make it last ?

I was extremely glad that I had this opportunity; it felt like I had my hand at the pulse of a nation. I felt a tremor of angst but also a lot of good will.

One day I asked a grocer at a corner store what he thought of Obama, the new hopeful for the American presidency. Immediately we were surrounded by a dozen curious people. One remarked: "change yes, but Obama has to tell us what change. He has to be profoundly different."

I usually stayed with friends of mine. When I retired to their home in the evening, the party went on. I also stayed with a pastor friend who told me to stop worrying, "you are not the Savior. Your job is to preach the Good News, no matter what the circumstances are, and to comfort those who are in distress". But how can I restrain myself, how can I not worry? Are we not supposed to be guardians and caretakers of this beautiful earth? Are we not responsible to those who lived before us and those who come after us, our children and grandchildren. Those who shaped our world with their ideas, culture, art and philosophy and those who would inherit their dreams but also the reality of a world in deep trouble.

At one point I also stayed with a doctor. When I asked her if there is something wrong with our human brain, she laughed. "Look at it" I said "the cerebrum has taken over, we are ruled by the part of the brain where our reasoning is located. But the cerebellum, the part responsible for our instincts has been marginalized. Consequently, our instincts are almost non-functional. Are there any mammals that are able to commit suicide or kill their own species? Their instincts prevent them from doing so. Not ours anymore, we kill ourselves and our own. Think of a suicide bomber who blows himself up and hundreds of others with him. He has no mechanism built in to prevent this from happening. Our whole way of life, our unfettered consumerism, our economy and our relentless pursuit of happiness and fortune are like one giant suicide bomb that can wipe us and other life forms off the face of the earth." The doctor had not answered my question of an imbalanced brain. And that was alright, since questions are often more important than answers. They put us on our way while answers stop us. To be on the way is what life is all about.

Three weeks of discussions on many different levels; three weeks of beer and soccer. When my time was over and the event at Görlitz had passed, I was totally exhausted mentally and physically. I could only form one thought: "let's get out of here, let's get home to the solitude of our acreage in Northern Alberta". I could not stay one more night in Berlin, so instead I decided to rent a hotel room in Frankfurt and sleep a good twelve hours before departure. That night in Frankfurt, when I thought I had made up my mind and would leave these crazy weeks behind me, I met the man in the dark suit.

I had been driving all day from Berlin to Frankfurt. I returned my car at the airport and was immediately shuttled to a small hotel not too far away in a quiet semi-industrial neighborhood. I saw a sign of Lufthansa but had really no idea where I was. In my exhaustion I barely registered the hotel room I was assigned. Fortunately, anything with a bed would have been sufficient. However, despite my overwhelming need to sleep, it was suppertime and I was very hungry. Thus I strolled out into the warm evening to find a place to eat. Unlike the constant parties and activities I had seen since I had arrived, the streets here were empty. Warehouses, and industrial yards echoed with the unfamiliar silence. I could make out some apartments further west but no shops or restaurants close by. Finally I saw a man in a dark suit approaching a crosswalk, and I asked him for directions. He was not from here, he said, but knew that there was a Turkish bistro nearby. It took me some time to find the place, but when I did I was pleased to see a lovely stone terrace, garden furniture, and elegant umbrellas providing shade from the warm sun. However, every table seemed to be occupied. Fortunately, at a table in the far corner sat the man in the dark suit. He nodded at me and pointed at a chair beside him. Hot, tired, and feeling lost in this unfamiliar surrounding I gladly accepted. A quick glance told me that the man was probably in his late forties, he was clean-shaven, with an athletic figure and intelligent blue eyes. He raised the beer that he had just been served and nodded warmly at me.

Something about him made me feel safe to blurt out, "I'm here only for one night, tomorrow I'm going back home to Canada, thank God!"

"I have to stay a little longer", the man said, "I'm from Austria".

"Ooh", I stretched, "I'm so happy, no more soccer parties, no more beer".

However, as those words left my mouth, all of my mental excitement and discussion of the past four weeks returned to me. Almost unaware of myself and without intention I asked

"What do you think about climate change?"

"Climate change? It's real, it's happening", he said, looking at his watch. "The consequences will be catastrophic, but there is nothing that can be done anymore. Too late."

And just like that he began to eat.

"Too late?" I said, "I fear that you are right. Things will run their course. But should we not take certain measures to be prepared for a new start?"

"What measures?" he asked between mouthfuls.

"The problem" I replied, "is man. Man lost his orientation, and therefore also lost his roots. We are like drift wood in the vast ocean of the universe. Nobody seems to know where we are or where we came from. And that is why nobody cares what is happening. We need to show people our place in the universe. That's a prerequisite for change."

I was now being served while the man in the dark suit had pushed his plate aside. He stared far beyond me, as if he saw something, slowly he wiped his lips and fingers, then folded his napkin and abruptly stood up.

"Sir, I have to go, a meeting to attend. Thank you for the conversation. I did not expect that tonight. You are absolutely right that orientation is the key. I leave you with one question though. Where are we going? You have to answer this too or there won't be real orientation. I don't ask you for a new utopia. I ask the age-old question, which is a transcendental one: where are we going? The meaning of it all. Das 'Wohin', mein Herr, das 'Wohin'" (these were the only German words he said, "The where, Sir the where') He bowed politely towards me and left.

The question 'wohin' has never left me since. Where are we going?

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The SUMMIT by FRIEDMUT WILHELM Copyright © 2013 by FRIEDMUT WILHELM. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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