So Long, Wendell Berry

The Peace of Wild Things

“When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

Wendell Berry,

The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry

So long, Wendell. Thank you for gently and directly writing so plainly but poetically about the stewardship of the earth and Christian pacifism, with a significant reverence for creation. You boldly critiqued mainstream religion for ignoring environmental degradation and consumerism, while living as an example of intelligence and integrity.

As Berry’s fellow theologian Norman Wirzba wrote, “Wendell Berry continued to call Christians to a more earthly faith and a spiritual life that results in practices that promote soil fertility, clean water, vibrant plant life, contented animals, respected and honored farmers, nutritious food, safe neighborhoods, strong communities, good work, person-affirming health care, just economies, democratic and participatory governance and Sabbath rest.”