The seventh Unitarian Universalist principle calls us to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. When human and other life is so critically threatened by human-induced climate change and kleptocracy as it is now, it is even more important that we find ways to affirm life. Following are some links to a few inspiring books, films, and podcasts to help us remember that our efforts toward environmental protection, climate change mitigation, and opposition to tyranny matter, and, collectively will make a difference. (All of the podcasts are accessible through iTunes and the Apple podcast app.)

CBC Tapestry podcast: “Finding Hope in the Climate Crisis”- 4 Jan 2019. Link. Excerpts from the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto. The podcast features comments by Margaret Atwood and Vandana Shiva. Host: Mary Hynes. Related Film: The Seeds of Vandana Shiva. Trailer.

CBC Front Burner podcast: “China’s plans to dominate space” – 7 Jan 2019. Features comments by Namrata Goswami about China’s very long range plans to secure resources from beyond the earth to sustain their culture. Host Jayme Poisson. Link.

Slate’s Live at Politics and Prose – podcast link: YouTube Video.

“Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty lessons from the twentieth century.” 9 Mar 2017 – Published just after the election of Donald Trump as 45^th President of the USA, Snyder succinctly alerts readers and listeners on strategies for resisting tyranny. Two years old now, this book and podcast ring truer than ever. The Youtube version shows the lively nature of this bookstore and we get to see the people asking the questions. Snyder also has a more recent book “The Road to Unfreedom”. Both books are available from the Vancouver Public Library.

Slate’s Live at Politics and Prose – podcast – Sarah Kendzior “The View From Flyover Country.”

A series of essays originally published in Al Jazeera English on the rise of oligarchy in the USA and globally based on Kendzior’s experience as a reporter and scholar on Western Asian autocracies.

Gaslit Nation – podcast – Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa host a very hard-hitting, no holds barred commentary against oligarchies.

 And…Gaslit Nation has one of the best-ever graphic images. Image source.

The UrbanDictionary defines “Gaslighting” as “A form of intimidation or psychological abuse, sometimes called Ambient Abuse where false information is presented to the victim, making them doubt their own memory, perception and quite often, their sanity.”

USC Canada – Like Vandana Shiva, USC Canada (formerly the Unitarian Service Committee) is a Canadian Charity that is strategically focusing its work on building resilience through ecological agriculture, and especially through global seed security and diversity. Link.