Official Report 492KB pdf
Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is Mandy Evans Ewing, who is a humanist.
Hello, and warmest greetings to everyone here, in this chamber, and beyond. Thank you for the opportunity to share some reflections this afternoon.
Recently, as summer transitioned into autumn, I celebrated being 60. Every year of my life, this season seems to take on a greater resonance. The palette and hues are broader and more vibrant. The leaves dance more joyously, the air smells more earthy and musky, and the light is more golden, more soft and more warm.
It is a time to reflect on the year’s events, accomplishments and challenges; to consider what we have learned and how we have grown; and to release and let go of what no longer serves us, as the trees show us in the graceful shedding of their leaves. It is a time to embrace change, breathe and be still. It is a time to appreciate the harvest of our human spirit; the rich well of consciousness, emotion, reason, empathy, goodness, kindness, love, peace, purpose, inner strength, resilience and creativity that we have the capacity for; and the ability to have profound experiences of awe, connection and joy, which give motivation to live meaningful lives and work towards a better world.
May we be particularly conscious of how we use all that energy, for it creates our reality. We are all worthy of peace. May we be honest about what energy we bring to the table and what energy we are setting in motion.
The first law of thermodynamics states that no energy gets created in the universe and none is destroyed—it just changes form. Everything that we can examine contains an energy of vibration. All those vibrations coexist at the same time. It is to that vibration that everything and every person is connected, whether we are aware of it or not. The droplets that glisten on the spider’s web in the garden remind me that our existence means that we inherently belong to the web of life and to our one human family.
Yoko Ono said:
“spring passes
and one remembers one’s innocence
summer passes
and one remembers one’s exuberance
autumn passes
and one remembers one’s reverence
winter passes
and one remembers one’s perseverance”.
To give reverence to the world that we want to create—one of wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity—in every possible moment, may we find warmth and love in our own and one another’s bounteous and generous hearts. Choose presence and peace over power and position, and elect love over fear.
Air adhart
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