Have you seen the animated children’s film Antz? It’s a 1998 release with the tagline ‘See the whole world from a different perspective, which I watched with my younger son. I don’t remember a great deal about the story, but have an abiding memory of the closing shot, which draws out from the scene of the action to show that it is a tiny ant colony in New York City’s Central Park.
The big picture can often look imposing, magnificent, beautiful, thriving even, but if we do look from a different perspective – that of a seemingly tiny insignificant part of it – the reality can be very different. Like many, I was recently struck by the message of the ’50 Faces’ exhibition at Ely Cathedral, displayed by the charity Friends of the Holy Land, which gives hope to vulnerable Christians at a time of great devastation for their communities across the West Bank. The reality expressed in the quoted interviews, the emotions and experience etched into the faces on the accompanying photographs stay on the mind and touch the heart. When the big picture seems far too much for us to deal with, focussing on the individual(s) involved brings a sense of the lived reality and a direction for our thoughts, prayers and actions.
This had been echoed in my recent reading of The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan, the true story of a friendship that survives four decades of the world’s bitterest conflict. It is a hopeful book giving an informed take on the human story behind the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The friendship is unlikely and difficult, but because of an extraordinary willingness to meet and to open minds, it is possible. The person who recommended The Lemon Tree to me, also suggested reading Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. A totally different read, which I’m still exploring, it’s the moving and remarkable story of one of the greatest ecological discoveries of our time – uncovering the wisdom and intelligence of the forest, the way that trees not only ‘talk’ but co-operate. I have been particularly struck by the author’s realisation that science often misses synergy, and that a reductionist science can lead us to simplify our societies and ecosystems with devastating results. Much of her research work has been conducted below ground, looking at root systems and the intertwining fungal network. So much that is vitally important, hidden from view.
Relational. That’s the thread for me through all of these thoughts. We cannot thrive in isolation. And our relationships are better for being deeper – looking from a different perspective to truly share in the lived reality of those we meet.
As chaplains, we hope to touch as many lives as possible each day, in all we say,
pray, and do. We know that every face has a story to tell, that the lived reality does not always match the outward facing picture. My grateful thanks and prayers to each of you as you seek to look deeper and see the world from each person’s different perspective.
Rev’d Paula Spalding
Trustee