"The Dream of the Earth" by Thomas Berry

Thomas Berry is a Catholic priest, monk, ecologist and a gifted writer.  This book consists of 16 essays on the universe, the earth, and the creatures that live on “this privileged planet,” as he calls it.  They include the topics of creative energy, technology, spirituality and other aspects of earth study, set in the broad context of  “a fantastic universe,” with its great swirling galaxies, its super novas…our solar system.  He gives the history of the universe, of the earth, and of the creatures that lived in it, including humans, whom he calls “the latest arrivals,” after 25 billion years of history of the universe, and after 4.4 billion years of the history of the earth.

Fr. Berry traces the journey of humankind through its many cultures, civilizations and relationships with the earth from the beginning to modern times, which he says is now undergoing the greatest crisis the world has ever known.  Earth scientists say we are losing 10,000 species each year, and this rate of loss is increasing.

Considering the humans in our part of the world, Berry expresses the greatest admiration for the Indians who populated the Americas, claiming that everything was safe and secure until the invasion of the white man.  He speaks admirably of the Indian’s ability  to interact creatively with the earth.  He also claims that they could very well help shape the future of this continent, and that we have more to learn from them than they have to learn from us.  Some of their tribal chiefs were among the greatest leaders we have ever known.

The scope of this book is so vast…covering many billions of years.  It is impossible to do it justice in a brief report such as this.  Read it, and see how marvelous it is!