Planting good seeds in the fertility of the mind: Rise up to the Paris climate pledge

The pomegranates on our tree cracked open while I was at the World Parliament of Religions in Salt Lake City in mid-October. Green flesh burst forth revealing multitudinous iridescent juicy ruby seeds. When they burst they are not spoiled, but very ready to be eaten and shared.

This pomegranate experience for me has become a heralding of this moment beginning with the amazing Parliament of the World’s Religions experience. "Reclaiming the Heart of Our Humanity" drew some 10,000 people of all religious traditions to chant, sing, pray and most importantly to enflesh religious traditions with action.  For the first time, the parliament pleaded for religious leaders to address climate change, poverty, indigenous rights and equality of women.

Coming on the heels of the Papal Encyclical of Laudato Si', a Muslim call by global leaders on climate change, strong statements by the Dalai Lama, Evangelical and Jewish leaders, it is apparent that the pomegranate has burst open. Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate, with its multitudinous seeds, is a symbol of righteousness and represents fruitfulness, knowledge, learning and wisdom. The Hebrew word for "pomegranate" is rimon(רימון), which comes from the same root as the verb "to rise up."