In Awe of a Great Man

In Awe of a Great Man

David Suzuki’s Public Lecture - Thursday 14^th September 2006

By

Michael Lee-Price

[~The Wayfinder ~]

I first heard David Suzuki speak in Canada in the summer of 1980. I was in the audience of his new television program, “The Nature of Things with David Suzuki”. Even then, I was inspired by this great man and included him in my list of Mentors. It was because of his vast knowledge of Nature and the Environment that I was inspired in writing my article on Aeonism.

All in all, I have been extremely fortunate to have chosen the five men who inspired me to reach for a greater understanding of Universal law. I thank the Goddess for the creation of men like Karl Marx, Carl Jung, Carl Rogers, Joseph S. Campbell and David Suzuki.

On Thursday 14^th September 2006, I was blessed by the Goddess to be fortunate enough to obtain tickets to his Public lecture and managed to obtain tickets even prior to them being released.

It has always been my greatest dream to sit once more at the feet of one of my Mentors and unfortunately most have crossed over to now reside with their ancestors.

I sat in total awe on that wonderful spring night at the Adelaide Convention Centre and listened astutely to the man as he re-visited passages of several of his many books.

David Suzuki knows how to engage an audience; he knows how to relate and address the audience as if he is speaking to you personally. He addresses each part of the room with equal courtesy and talks in a fluid and very articulated manner.

After being awarded his much deserved Doctorate (his nineteenth I believe) from the Vice-Chancellor of Flinders University and after being introduced by Premier Mike Rann, Doctor Suzuki stated with a reminder of the November 1992 document titled: “World Scientist’s Warning to Humanity” which was signed by 1, 500 senior scientist more than half of all living Noble Prize winners from seventy-one countries.

He then talked at length about Economists, Globalisation, Global Warming, Pollution and how these pollutions have caused an escalation of asthma world wide. He spoke at length about alternative power supply i.e.: Wind farms and Solar power. He spoke at length about Nuclear power and how expensive nuclear power would be to generate electricity for homes. He covered a great deal of information in a very short time.

He was extremely critical of the Bush administration and equally harsh in his comments on the Howard government.

Doctor David Suzuki made a very strong and valid point in stating that Australia was extremely rich in resources and need not depend on the economical constraints of other nations nor be so readily supportive of other governments’ policies especially when it comes to the environmental issues.

He refreshed the memories of those who had read his book: “Wisdom of the Elders” of the emergence of human beings on this fragile planet. He reminded us “that until recently human beings were a local, tribal species, wherein any individual might meet and know two hundred others and travel within a few square kilometres. We didn’t have to worry about another tribe on the other side of the mountain.”

He went on to examine the fact that all indigenous people world wide acknowledge the Earth as the Mother; and that we all came from the mother and that all life consist of the four sacred elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

To paraphrase his quote:

“We are all Air. Human beings are made of the four elements. Earth, Air, Fire and Water. All four elements are of equal importance … but without air we would not exist … so why do we destroy our air …with chemicals and pollutants … when it is apparent that we are destroying our-selves…”

To emphasise this, Doctor Suzuki then mentioned a colleague of his that measured the argon particles in air. Argon particles are an inert element of air. The number of argon particles in a breath of air which was calculated to be about 2 litres which meant that for every breath of air we breath in approximately 38 billion argon particles and breath out the same amount which then disperse and within five minutes everyone in a room would breath in the same. So technically we are sharing air.

This means that we are all inter-linked by the air we breathe.

David Suzuki concluded his lecture with the mentioning of “The Nature Challenge” telling us all that we all can make a difference. You can find out more by visit the link listed below:

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge/

Listening and watching David Suzuki bounce from one topic to another then bringing it all back to the main message he was conveying was mind-boggling. It was totally mesmerising stuff. He had a captive audience. His presentation was forceful, dynamic and extremely powerful.

As a speaker he knew how to work his audience and his entire presentation was thought provoking, captivating and totally educational.

Thank the Goddess for people like David Suzuki.