"It is all a
question of story. We are in trouble just now because we do not have a good
story. We are in between stories. The old story, the account of how the
world came to be and how we fit into it, is no longer effective. Yet we
have not yet learned the new story. Our traditional story of the Universe
sustained us for a long period of time. It shaped our emotional attitudes,
provided us with life purpose and energized action. It consecrated suffering
and integrated knowledge. We awoke in the morning and knew where we were. We
could answer the questions of our children. We could identify crime, punish
transgressors. Everything was taken care of because the story was there. It did
not necessarily make people good, nor did it take away the pains and stupidities
of life or make for unfailing warmth in human associations. It did provide a
context in which life could function in a meaningful manner." -Thomas
Berry