Justice as humanity and responsibility

Peace and Justice Centre living up to its name

Michael Silicz, staff

“When we walk upon Mother Earth, we always plant our feet carefully because we know the faces of our future generations are looking up at us from beneath the ground. We never forget them.” These are the wise words of Chief Oren Lyons, the esteemed guest speaker at the fifth annual Sol Kanee lecture held Nov. 8, 2007. Sponsored by the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice, Lyons’ lecture spoke to the challenge of our time — global warming — and how it must be addressed. And the key to solving the crisis? According to Chief Lyons, the solution flows from you and me.

Chief Lyons’ titles alone are too lengthy to list, and pale only in comparison to his actual life accomplishments. Suffice to say, there is very little the man hasn’t done. From addressing the United Nations and spearheading the campaign to create a convention for indigenous peoples, to being an inductee to the Lacrosse National Hall of Fame, playing lacrosse, and being an accomplished artist, Chief Lyons’ experience alone speaks to the man’s authority. Yet it is his sage words that truly help redefine the thinking on what will inevitably the defining legacy of our generation — global warming.

What truly set this speech apart from the countless other diatribes was the approach taken by Lyons. When it comes to global warming, all too often we are confronted with two opposite ends of the spectrum. Western culture either deals with problems of existential nature either in terms of science or in terms of capitalism. We either confront global warming with the cold language of measurements, or we trivialize it by marketing an branding it. To most North Americans, global warming is discussed either as a drop in climate temperature from anywhere between 2 C to 7 C, or its Live Earth concerts and agitprop movies by Al Gore. But not to Lyons.

Lyons’ definition of global warming is not a cold and scientific explanation detailing the problems of climate change. Rather, Lyons defines global warming as “the impact of humanity on nature; the air we breathe, land we live on, water we drink.” Simply put, Chief Lyons makes the issue of global warming human. It hits a little closer to home when you no longer talk about ice melting and lakes dying, but instead talk about issues of human security. And it’s with humanity in mind that Chief Lyons’ address moved forward.

Referring to the globalized economy as “economic development without consequence,” Lyons brought up the real issue that underlies global warming: the over-successes of capitalism. While many will argue that capitalism is precisely to blame, Lyons was intelligent and pragmatic enough not to descend into the familiar political rant. “We’re dealing with inequality, the haves and the have-nots; I get to look at both sides,” said Lyons. With his background as an advertiser in mind, Lyons explained that so long as capitalism drives the world without ecological consequence — from burning coal in China to developing oil in Alberta — then little in the world will ever change. Yet therein lies the problem — our values that emphasize profit before consequence. This is exactly what Lyons was trying to change. “We have to find a new word for profit,” Chief Lyons insightfully stated. “That’s a value change.” Of course, the obvious question remains — how can such a value change ever be accomplished without curbing free trade? How can the world change the way it does business?

The answer, Lyons says, lies with us. Although clichéd, Lyons argued that it’s incumbent on you and me, the youth of today, to actually stand up and give a shit. After all, if we’re not going to do it, then who will? Chief Lyons explained that “the energy the youth have is what we need . . . and we need it very much.” There’s definitely no debating that. But how exactly can you and I, students deep in debt and short on time, possibly make that much a difference at this point in our young lives? Can we? Or was Chief Lyons’ address just another corny speech worthy of a Hallmark card?

To a degree, the chief’s solution was somewhat empty, which is the only slight against the otherwise upstanding hour long address. “Responsibility, then, is in leadership,” Lyons stated authoritatively. “We need integrity in leadership,” and “the earth’s integrity and health as a mandate.” However, us students were left guessing as to how that can possibly be accomplished, especially with finals coming up in December and expensive shopping and school bills coming in January. Lyons did suggest that universities should be a central pillar of change. Specifically, Lyons called out university chancellors nationwide to form collations and take action. After all, if the social vanguards in academia can’t mobilize opinion, things won’t bode too well for us students.

Nonetheless, Chief Lyons’ words did echo loud and clear when he demanded that we, as people and voters, need to hold our leaders more responsible and accountable. Chief Lyons noted that it was “up to people get leaders to act because time is a factor.” There is no debating that. It is unfortunate that Canada’s leaders are not the same kind of men that Chief Lyons is. Again, more concerned with the appreciation of the loonie and its economic consequences, issues of the earth inevitably are the last thing on Ottawa’s political agenda. But it was exactly that agenda that Chief Lyons was talking about. Perhaps then Chief Lyons is right after all: it is up to us — you, me, and the people around you who care enough to read this paper right now — to change the agenda of our country. It’s up to us to change the outlook of our leaders. It’s up to us to lead the value change and “find a new word for profit.” And maybe we can.

And that’s where the glimmer of hope (and perhaps twist of irony) came from in Lyons’ address. Lyons did mention that when he was in university, he too was much better at getting drunk and playing lacrosse than he was at changing the world. But look at him now. Life’s about getting your foot into the right doors, and perhaps Lyons was hoping that if the right doors open wide enough for some of us, that maybe we would walk through and make such changes ourselves. And instead of approaching the problem with the same old routine that plagues Western political thought — wait and observe, then act once we know everything — maybe it’s time we acted first on our gut instinct. After all, when will people finally accept that the earth’s climate is changing?

And that’s where Chief Lyons had is absolutely right and why his speech actually did stand out compared to the plethora of clichéd climate change talks we all too often hear. To Chief Lyons, global warming is “a squabble among our species, it has nothing to do with Mother Earth because she’s gonna do what she’s gonna do.” Exactly! It’s not about the earth, because the earth is going to be here long after us humans are. And it’s that element of truth, that level of analysis, and most importantly, that touch of humanity, which made the fifth annual Sol Kanee lecture on peace and justice live up to its name.

Michael Silicz is the comment editor of the Manitoban.