Luminous Darkness

I had the opportunity today to add to my list of visited UNESCO World Heritage Sites by visiting Everglades National Park. It is only about an hour south of where I am staying in Miami, and I decided to spend the day there. I have to say that it is a truly amazing place. It contains a number of different ecosystems that are unique, including the largest mahogany tree in the United States, the only place in the world where one can see crocodiles and alligators coexisting, and the 730 square mile ‘River of Grass’ that looks similar to a grassy plain but is in fact a six-inch deep river that flows South towards the Gulf of Mexico. With hundreds of species of flora and fauna to see in an area of more than 2,300 square miles (6,100 square kilometers), my trip was truly spectacular, and with only one day in which to do it, I just scratched the surface. I would highly recommend the Everglades for anyone visiting South Florida.

I have not read this book, but I certainly agree with its author’s theme; the idea that science and religion could be powerful allies in moving the environmental movement forward. An article from Reuters discusses it:

Scientist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author E.O. Wilson is out to save life on Earth — literally — and as a secular humanist has decided to enlist people of religious faith in his mission.The Harvard professor sees science and religion as potential allies for averting the mass extinction of the species being caused by man, as he argues in his latest book, “The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth” (W.W. Norton).

Although I disagree with the article’s characterization of science and religion as having ‘clashing world views’, I certainly agree that the environment could be a good area of common ground where those who disagree about other issues could come together to work for change.