I consider myself pretty average. I am average in probably most categories you can imagine. I don’t have any problem with that. Most people are average. That is how you get average! Of course, average typically is contextual. I am average when it comes to being an American, white, male, etc. If you put me in a global context, I am well above average in terms of financial worth, lifestyle, etc. Being average actually has its perks.
Being average usually means we feel like we are owed as much as we owe. Let me explain. If I am average, then there are many above me. If I am average, I tend to compare myself to those who have more. Since “they” have more, I don’t owe anything---or maybe someone even owes me. I think of taxes as an example. I am not sure I know anyone who does not think they pay their share of taxes---or even more than their share. When April rolls around, most of us are complaining about how much we owe!
Other areas are so mammoth, it does no good to think about who is average. A recent issue in the news again is the focus on climate. Doubtlessly, climate is such a huge issue, most of us don’t even think about it. Again, if you are an average American, you jump in your car, drive where you want to, when you want to, etc. We may grumble about the rising price of gas, but we buy it. I have spent time in Europe, where the gas price is significantly higher and they pay it, too. Almost no one thinks about himself or herself as a polluter.
Perhaps quite a few of us have read enough about climate to know many smart scientists think there is a looming problem---indeed, maybe crisis. There are others who scoff at this notion. We have a significant group of politicians who ridicule this scientific warning and so we go on with the status quo.
I am old enough, it probably does not matter. Even if we are in real trouble with the climate danger, I will be drug offstage by death before I have to pay a price. So apparently, that takes away any incentive I would have to make any changes. But there is a catch. And the catch has names. The catch has names of my grandkids and your grandkids. What if I change my focus and my attitude because of young ones who many live another eighty or ninety years! I don’t want to leave a lousy legacy that potentially is disastrous.
Fortunately, there is great leadership being offered by another old guy, namely, Pope Francis. In the summer of 2015 he issued a document that was touted, but needs more attention and demands some action. It is a call to change. And the call is a spiritual call. The Pope sees the climate concern in spiritual terms. This should grab the attention of any person from any faith tradition. It is not a Catholic issue, Christian issue or any particular theological issue. It is a global, human issue.
I write this to call our attention back to the Pope’s insights. The document is called Laudato Si, which means “Praise to you, O Lord.” The Pope grounds his thinking in the theology of St. Francis of Assissi, his namesake. In the initial words the Pope joins Francis of Assisi in reminding us that the earth is our “common home.” That asks for a slight shift in awareness. My home is not just the house in which I live. Our home is the planet itself. In this sense, we all live in the same home!
The Pope elaborates. “…our common home is like a sister which whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.” The Pope joins a long tradition which sees the earth as our “mother.” Who wants to trash your mom? But that apparently is exactly what we are doing. Pope Francis is explicit. He laments, “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.” And here we come to the savvy papal move. We cannot simply see the earth as a neutral thing with which we can do whatever we want. It is a living, breathing mother and sister provided for us and providing for us.
The Pope uses strong language. Our sister is crying out to us. Francis uses language that sadly appears in our media today, namely, the language of abuse. No one condones the abuse of another person. The Pope and many scientists and leaders today call for us not to condone abusing our planet. We may not be jailed for polluting our place, but we may effectively be putting our grandkids into trouble, if not, their own form of climate prison. What to do?
Drive less is good. Recycling is good. The Pope is working pressuring major coal, oil and gas producers to help lead a shift to non-polluting energy resources. It will happen; it just needs to happen sooner than later. The Pope helps me see climate not simply as the way things are. I need to see the climate as a spiritual concern. And I need to do my part. I need to act on my spiritual concern.
I hope we all do our spiritual best.
Being average usually means we feel like we are owed as much as we owe. Let me explain. If I am average, then there are many above me. If I am average, I tend to compare myself to those who have more. Since “they” have more, I don’t owe anything---or maybe someone even owes me. I think of taxes as an example. I am not sure I know anyone who does not think they pay their share of taxes---or even more than their share. When April rolls around, most of us are complaining about how much we owe!
Other areas are so mammoth, it does no good to think about who is average. A recent issue in the news again is the focus on climate. Doubtlessly, climate is such a huge issue, most of us don’t even think about it. Again, if you are an average American, you jump in your car, drive where you want to, when you want to, etc. We may grumble about the rising price of gas, but we buy it. I have spent time in Europe, where the gas price is significantly higher and they pay it, too. Almost no one thinks about himself or herself as a polluter.
Perhaps quite a few of us have read enough about climate to know many smart scientists think there is a looming problem---indeed, maybe crisis. There are others who scoff at this notion. We have a significant group of politicians who ridicule this scientific warning and so we go on with the status quo.
I am old enough, it probably does not matter. Even if we are in real trouble with the climate danger, I will be drug offstage by death before I have to pay a price. So apparently, that takes away any incentive I would have to make any changes. But there is a catch. And the catch has names. The catch has names of my grandkids and your grandkids. What if I change my focus and my attitude because of young ones who many live another eighty or ninety years! I don’t want to leave a lousy legacy that potentially is disastrous.
Fortunately, there is great leadership being offered by another old guy, namely, Pope Francis. In the summer of 2015 he issued a document that was touted, but needs more attention and demands some action. It is a call to change. And the call is a spiritual call. The Pope sees the climate concern in spiritual terms. This should grab the attention of any person from any faith tradition. It is not a Catholic issue, Christian issue or any particular theological issue. It is a global, human issue.
I write this to call our attention back to the Pope’s insights. The document is called Laudato Si, which means “Praise to you, O Lord.” The Pope grounds his thinking in the theology of St. Francis of Assissi, his namesake. In the initial words the Pope joins Francis of Assisi in reminding us that the earth is our “common home.” That asks for a slight shift in awareness. My home is not just the house in which I live. Our home is the planet itself. In this sense, we all live in the same home!
The Pope elaborates. “…our common home is like a sister which whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.” The Pope joins a long tradition which sees the earth as our “mother.” Who wants to trash your mom? But that apparently is exactly what we are doing. Pope Francis is explicit. He laments, “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.” And here we come to the savvy papal move. We cannot simply see the earth as a neutral thing with which we can do whatever we want. It is a living, breathing mother and sister provided for us and providing for us.
The Pope uses strong language. Our sister is crying out to us. Francis uses language that sadly appears in our media today, namely, the language of abuse. No one condones the abuse of another person. The Pope and many scientists and leaders today call for us not to condone abusing our planet. We may not be jailed for polluting our place, but we may effectively be putting our grandkids into trouble, if not, their own form of climate prison. What to do?
Drive less is good. Recycling is good. The Pope is working pressuring major coal, oil and gas producers to help lead a shift to non-polluting energy resources. It will happen; it just needs to happen sooner than later. The Pope helps me see climate not simply as the way things are. I need to see the climate as a spiritual concern. And I need to do my part. I need to act on my spiritual concern.
I hope we all do our spiritual best.
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