On January 1, 2012 I received news of the Hymn from Bali from Henning Hansen, Webmaster of IFEH and shared some thoughts with him and others receiving the news:
What a wonderful greeting it was to receive on January 1, 2012 a song celebrating World Environmental Health Day from Indonesia and performed on September 26, 2011 in Indonesia, Bali. What a moving rendition by the Environmental Health Students of that country. The lyrics inquire of a future world and invites a genuine commitment to a healthy planet for us all. The hymn reminded me of a very popular song performed by Ed Ames around 1970 on the ‘global destruction’ themes of the day, titled “Who Will Answer?” [RCA Victor 9400]. The 1970’s song had nine verses, including the following ‘who will answer’ question (verse 8):
“Is our hope in walnut shells
Worn ’round the neck with temple bells,
Or deep within some cloistered walls
Where hooded figures pray in halls?
Or crumbled books on dusty shelves,
Or in our stars, or in ourselves,
Who will answer?”
Congratulations to the students who highlight the significance of the environment, our very home [forest, bird’s nest, flowers, grass, insects] which provides the most eloquent of answers and must always be consulted on these matters.
Principle
Treasure the incomparable dignity of all of our students.
Read the signs of our times from the environment itself.
● the environment is endowed with its own integrity and dynamic balance, and
●each and every person and the communities of peoples bear a responsibility for the care of the environment [From IFEH Policy 8]
http://www.ifeh.org/docs/ifeh_policies/policy8.pdf
Hymn links
Link to the movie file on YouTube.com
Link to the lyrics and name of composer etc.
