A New Story for the Earth

“The deepest crises experienced by any society are those moments of change when the story becomes inadequate for meeting the survival demands of a present situation.” – Thomas Berry

We live in a time of multiple, interconnected crises- from climate change and ecological breakdown to the rise of the far right and gross global inequality.

Thomas Berry, ‘geologian’, cultural historian and philosopher, believed the roots of these crises lie, ultimately, in a crisis of our imagination; in the story we tell ourselves about who we are and our place in the world. This is perhaps why, for many, it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism and the industrial growth economy.

Thomas Berry, who passed away 10 years ago this week, dedicated his life to changing this story and opening a new path for humankind.

As a cultural historian, Thomas Berry reminded us that civilisations which grow rapidly by destroying their life support system, collapse rapidly too. What is required of us now, he insisted, is to transform from a human-centred to an Earth-centred way of being in the world; from breaking to complying with the inherent, living laws and limits of life on our planet. This is what he called Earth Jurisprudence.

This Earth Jurisprudence is the guiding principle of a new story that is also very ancient. It is a story in which humans re-establish a mutually-enhancing way of being with our living planet, who we are born of and to who we return.

To celebrate Thomas Berry’s legacy, this interactive story explores what Earth Jurisprudence is, where it comes from and its critical importance now and for future generations of all species, as we stand at a cross roads unprecedented in human history.

More of the story here >> https://spark.adobe.com/page/uQHyWJlDgyXoO/