Faith Meets Life: Environmentally speaking
The pressure is off for the moment. Concerns about global warming and the environment are not making as many headlines as they did a few months ago.
Other topics are taking the top news spots.
Protestors are trying to force a well-deserved helping of humble pie down the throats of China's leaders who have, by all accounts, long oppressed Tibetans and others. People can understand the need for leaders to create political stability, but it is hard for many in the democratized, Catholic-Protestantized west to understand why this requires the systematic destruction of others. Retired South African Episcopal Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, is urging world leaders to boycott the opening of the Beijing Olympics — rightly I think.
Then there are the situations in Zimbabwe and Kenya. Civil wars threaten to engulf both, as has happened in other African nations. Again, we can understand the need for authority in leaders but wonder why strongmen should have near-absolute power, able to plunge their people into the terrors of large-scale violence.
So, really, in comparison, what's the big deal with loosing ice at the poles? Hardly anyone goes there anyway. It seems that we have grown used to the idea of the disappearance of the ice caps and glaciers. We seem to be making our peace (more so in Alberta?) with the increasing use of fossil fuels and the resultant planetary warming already underway.
It is hard to predict the environmental and social impacts accurately, but there is little hope that global warming will not cause many difficulties, and that it will not generate a lot of death and mayhem. While the current headlines might not currently reflect this, it is something we all know at some level.
So, should we give up hope, buy that SUV and enjoy jet travel while we can, though, with fewer peaceful destinations to aim for? For me, the question of remaining hopeful or giving up is closely tied to our view (or lack of one) of God.
As Jonathan Goldstein points out in one of his Wiretap shows on the CBC, life without God tends to veer towards pointlessness. “Don't go through life believing that what you do has any meaning,” an atheist character mocks. “Because it doesn't.”
The Christian understanding of life suggests that it does have meaning because it, along with the world in which we live, is a gift from God. If this is true, there is always reason to live with hope and to work towards a better world. A gift is something that is not to be abused, degraded or profaned in any way. It is meant to be cared for.
To use a phrase that is becoming more common: We are stewards, not owners, of the world. It is not ours to do with as we please. It is God's and we people are tenants of this incredible planet. God has created it (by whatever processes) and he means it to be a place where every person can flourish.
There will be small things you can do. Drive less. Drive more slowly. Love your garden. Listen to David Suzuki.
There will be large things you can do. Love smaller housing. Keep your family and friends close by. Vacation locally. Teach, or sign up for, a course on environmental stewardship. Encourage your political leaders to save the environment. The planet is God's. And it's our only home.
Michael Veenema is a former chaplain of the college. He currently lives in Fall River, Nova Scotia with his family and hopes to visit London again soon.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Other topics are taking the top news spots.
Protestors are trying to force a well-deserved helping of humble pie down the throats of China's leaders who have, by all accounts, long oppressed Tibetans and others. People can understand the need for leaders to create political stability, but it is hard for many in the democratized, Catholic-Protestantized west to understand why this requires the systematic destruction of others. Retired South African Episcopal Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, is urging world leaders to boycott the opening of the Beijing Olympics — rightly I think.
Then there are the situations in Zimbabwe and Kenya. Civil wars threaten to engulf both, as has happened in other African nations. Again, we can understand the need for authority in leaders but wonder why strongmen should have near-absolute power, able to plunge their people into the terrors of large-scale violence.
So, really, in comparison, what's the big deal with loosing ice at the poles? Hardly anyone goes there anyway. It seems that we have grown used to the idea of the disappearance of the ice caps and glaciers. We seem to be making our peace (more so in Alberta?) with the increasing use of fossil fuels and the resultant planetary warming already underway.
It is hard to predict the environmental and social impacts accurately, but there is little hope that global warming will not cause many difficulties, and that it will not generate a lot of death and mayhem. While the current headlines might not currently reflect this, it is something we all know at some level.
So, should we give up hope, buy that SUV and enjoy jet travel while we can, though, with fewer peaceful destinations to aim for? For me, the question of remaining hopeful or giving up is closely tied to our view (or lack of one) of God.
As Jonathan Goldstein points out in one of his Wiretap shows on the CBC, life without God tends to veer towards pointlessness. “Don't go through life believing that what you do has any meaning,” an atheist character mocks. “Because it doesn't.”
The Christian understanding of life suggests that it does have meaning because it, along with the world in which we live, is a gift from God. If this is true, there is always reason to live with hope and to work towards a better world. A gift is something that is not to be abused, degraded or profaned in any way. It is meant to be cared for.
To use a phrase that is becoming more common: We are stewards, not owners, of the world. It is not ours to do with as we please. It is God's and we people are tenants of this incredible planet. God has created it (by whatever processes) and he means it to be a place where every person can flourish.
There will be small things you can do. Drive less. Drive more slowly. Love your garden. Listen to David Suzuki.
There will be large things you can do. Love smaller housing. Keep your family and friends close by. Vacation locally. Teach, or sign up for, a course on environmental stewardship. Encourage your political leaders to save the environment. The planet is God's. And it's our only home.
Michael Veenema is a former chaplain of the college. He currently lives in Fall River, Nova Scotia with his family and hopes to visit London again soon.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
