Hermitage Meditation February 22, 2025
by Anne Arseneau
In 1987, Charles Brandt the hermit priest and environmentalist, gave a candid talk to the Friends of Strathcona – a dedicated group of conservation activists in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. His presentation was entitled “Holy Earth has Value Beyond Economics.”
Brandt’s words and warning could not have been more profound then, and more so nearly 40 years later posthumously in 2025. Now, as we are facing the evidence of significant climate change, countries are turning their backs on promises made to achieve critical global environmental goals. There is a pending threat of economic blackmail at this very moment by superpower nations who are actively vying for the planet’s rich natural resources. Canada and the Arctic (which is 40% of Canada’s land mass) are in the crosshairs. Brandt’s clarion call to ‘turn around’ towards reason and analysis is teetering.
“The earth is not merely a resource for human exploitation but is a sacred gift of worth far beyond its value as an economic commodity…I believe meditating twice a day that we would come to a deeper wisdom and fulfill our destiny: to live in peace and unity and harmony not only with other nations and peoples of the earth, but with the earth itself.” Charles Brandt