Raised a Catholic, I’d always been taught that this passage from the Bible was supposed to remind us to value the spiritual above the worldly, to turn our thoughts towards the promise of heaven and salvation. Now, though, it seemed to say something very different. I’ve always loved the sciences, and so much of my own spiritual life is grounded in an understanding of the world that embraces scientific knowledge rather than rejecting it. Yet listening to the story of Mauna Kea, I couldn’t help but think that these astronomers, so intent on gazing out into space, were being pretty short-sighted.
Rather than an instruction to ignore the world and focus on the heavens, I felt like now that passage meant the exact opposite to me. What good will this cosmic knowledge do us, if we cannot live on this planet together here and now? What good will it do us to gain the whole universe, if we lose the sacred places that make our souls sing? If we lose each other?
There is only one Mauna Kea, only one Earth. The universe will always be there, waiting for us. Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel small at all — instead, it fills me with hope. We have all the time in the universe to figure this out. Let’s figure it out together…
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In Season 2: The Sacred Mountain of the Offshore Podcast, reporter Jessica Terrell explores the story of Mauna Kea in-depth in all its complexity. If you want to hear native Hawaiians sharing their stories about race, religion and culture, you will love this show. The first episode of the season dropped this week — so check it out!
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