|
PART FIVE: Awe and Wonder
In the world where we take out the garbage and
brush our teeth,
we sometimes brush up against wonder, and awe. Some people live
their lives hoping for another glimpse into this realm. We all look
for it in different places. Some of us find it in God, like the
great mystic poet, Rumi. Others find it on terra firma - in the
magnificent intricacies of life on planet earth.
SEGMENT 1:
Robert Fuller is the
author of "Wonder" - the first in-depth look at one
of humanity's most important emotions. Fuller tells Jim Feming
wonder may be the bedrock of all spirituality. Fuller teaches
religious studies at Bradley University. Also, plant biologist
Nicholas Harberd took a year off to study a common weed -
the thalecress - he found growing in a country churchyard. He
kept a journal that became "Seed to Seed: The Secret Life
of Plants." Harberd tells Steve Paulson what he found so
fascinating about thalecress and reads from his book. Also, Pulitzer
Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver reads her poem "The
Kingfisher."
SEGMENT 2:
We hear from some ordinary
people about what inspires awe and wonder in them and where they
find god. Also, cell biologist Ursula Goodenough tells
Steve Paulson that she finds the commonplaces of nature entirely
miraculous without reference to a Supreme Being. Her book is "The
Sacred Depths of Nature." Also, Scott Topper is a
geneticist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and a poet.
He reads from the meditation journal he kept after learning a
simple meditation from Buddhist monk George Churinoff.
SEGMENT 3:
Coleman Barks has made
it his life's work to translate the poetry of 13th century mystic
and poet Rumi. Barks recites several short Rumi works for Anne
Strainchamps and they talk about mystical ecstasy.
CD copies are available
at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 06-12-17-A.
................................................................
Books:
| RobertC. Fuller, Wonder:
from Emotion to Spirituality (Chapel Hill) |
 |
| Ursula Goodenough, The
Sacred Depths of Nature (Oxford) |
|
| Nicholas
Harberd, Seed to Seed: The Secret Life of Plants (Bloomsbury) |
 |
| Coleman Barks, The Soul
of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems (Harper Collins) |
 |
| Mary Oliver, At Blackwater
Pond: Mary Oliver Reads Mary Oliver (Beacon) |
 |
Websites:
Music:
Distribution dates:
................................................................
Questions and comments can
be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org
|
