A Peaceful Heart

Onondaga Chief Oren Lyons once said nature has no mercy, meaning what goes around comes around. Poisoning the planet poisons us.

Chief Lyons went on to relate that the values that underpin the economic system of wasting creation have to change, or humankind will perish. As such, Lyons noted, leadership will not come from institutions founded on this system, but rather must come from young people fighting for their lives and their future.

The values Chief Lyons and other elders from indigenous nations speak of are related to the values that undergird the environmental and peace movements. As Lyons notes, the winds of change sweeping through our hearts and minds are the voices of our ancestors, who for millions of years revered the sacred gifts of creation. Surviving the changes to come, he says, requires courage and commitment, and most of all, a peaceful heart.