Sample Essay On Onondaga Nation Elder On The Sacredness Of Mother Earth

The most interesting and inspiring thing about the video is the spiritual kinship of Onondaga Elder, Audrey Shenandoah, with nature. She regards and addresses nature as mother, brother, and grandfather. (“Onondaga Nation Elder on the Sacredness of Mother Earth”, BillMoyers.com) Much like the way we regard our families with respect, devotion, and protectiveness, the mere act of addressing everything around us as part of our family and basically extending our familial love to nature creates enlightenment that everything and everyone is connected.

Cry of the Earth

Equating nature with people, most especially with our family, gives them the human thinking and emotions. In this video, it is concerning and terrifying how nature reacts, as humans do, upon misuse and abuse. The prophecy of the Iroquois Delegation is eye-opening in the possible and, in our times, very visible wrath of nature as an effect to our ungratefulness and abuse of it. (“Cry of the Earth”, Crescentera) As Audrey Shenandoah attributes sacredness to nature, we must remember to keep nature sacred as we would our family. It is a reminder that if we do not keep nature sacred, terrifying things will happen to us.
“Another "Prebuttal" of Pope's Encyclical on Environment”, “Letter from Rome: What will Pope Francis say about the environment?” & “Pope says climate change mostly man's fault”
In the three news articles about Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, a lot of people have doubts in the Vatican’s concern for the environment because of the lack thereof. (Jayabalan) Mainly, the Vatican and most Catholic clerics generalize the concern we should have for the environment because of the more pressing issues humans should have to save their souls from eternal damnation. (Jayabalan) However, it is interesting to find the Pope finally addressing the issue of climate change and giving some light as to what his encyclical will be.
A more collective approach in saving and protecting the environment as well as putting the responsibility and the blame on individuals has been the environmentalists’ card on the issue of pushing change. It is quite inspiring to see the Pope have a hands-on approach on environmentalism by pin-pointing the source of the problem, humans, rather than just regarding it as God’s work and leaving it at that. (Pullella)

Works Cited

BillMoyers.com. “Onondaga Nation Elder on the Sacredness of Mother Earth.” Vimeo, 2 Oct 2013. Web. 19 Jan 2015. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/76004072
Crescentera. “Cry of the Earth – Part 9 of 12 – Iroquois Delegation.” YouTube, 3 Jan. 2013. Web. 19 Jan 2015. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAQh3oXffZE
Jayabalan, Kishore. “Letter from Rome: What will Pope Francis say about the environment?.” Action Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, 7 Jan 2015. Web. 19 Jan 2015.
Pullela, Philip. “Pope says climate change mostly man's fault.” Reuters, 15 Jan 2015. Web. 19 Jan 2015.
Winters, Michael Sean. “Another "Prebuttal" of Pope's Encyclical on Environment.” The National Catholic Reporter, 8 Jan 2015. Web. 19 Jan 2015.