a couple of weeks ago i heard bill
mckibben speak at
calvin college as a part of their j-series (a month long of lectures) this author has written several books on the environment/economics/
politics. and he started up an organization called "step it up" a grass-roots effort to call for an 80% decrease of carbon emissions by 2050.
mckibben brought up a few questions and thoughts that
i've been thinking over...
there is default assumption in
america that "more is better", that we are happier with new stuff, with more convenience in our lives...i think it's fair to say that if we really think about this assumption we can argue that we don't need stuff to make us happy. but it's such a
subtle idea that we've
adopted as truth. it's a
rhythm that we live by. i struggle with it
every time i go to target or see something on sale.
mckibben proposed that this pursuit has lead to our current environmental issues...so what does it look like for us to challenge our need for more? do we wait for the
government to mandate us to live simply? do we trust
hollywood to make it trendy? will the church show us that God calls us to care about being green? one thought of living simply that a friend mentioned to me is that while being green and living simply is growing as a current trend there are so many countries that live this way not out of choice (or that it's the new hot trend) but because their economy, their resources require them. it's feels so arrogant that we can choose to be simple or to be
gluttonous, and we fail to be grateful for this. i fail to be grateful for my ability to make choices, for the resources available to me.
mckibben also made the point that it is our loss of community and connection is at the core of our discontent. i know i feel it...and we make so many efforts to create connection each other. e-mails,
texting,
myspace,
facebook, blogs. while i
participate i also lament it. while our intentions may be well meaning, when i get a text or read an updated on
facebook about a friend's life there's a void. i don't experience the fullness of community. and i grieve that.
and i guess if i were to make any resolutions it would be to make more time to be connected. that i would call a friend before sending out an e-mail. that i would make more dates to hang out. that i would not make so many excuses as to why i can't spend time with people (and most of those excuses are based off of my own insecurities that people don't want to spend time with me)
so these are just a few of the thoughts that are wrestling around...
