Warm day in a warm year
29/09/12 06:00
The forecast is calling for highs in the eighties over the weekend. Right now the prediction is that Tuesday could top 90. There is no two ways about it – the temperatures are warm for this time of year in South Dakota. We’ve had a warm year all the way around. I am starting to long for cooler days. We do get relief at night, but even there it isn’t as cool as one would expect. It is about 55 degrees out right now – that is a long way from frost on the pumpkin. The nice part of it is that the garden is still producing tomatoes. The bad part is that there is a lot of dry and dormant grass in the yard. And beyond the yard the woods are tinder dry and we hear reports of fires almost every day. The fire crews are very good and so far we haven’t experienced any major disasters in the hills, but everyone is a bit nervous, knowing that we still have conditions for a really big fire.
The debate over global warming is pretty much behind us. There is little doubt that we are experiencing rising temperatures. This particular summer isn’t as much of a demonstration of the phenomenon as it is of the large swings in temperature that can occur in the natural cycles, but things are warming up. There are still a few, mostly outside of the scientific community, who argue that the warming is not caused by humans, but even they acknowledge that humans do have an impact on the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.
I have no expertise, and I have nothing to add to the debate. I am unlikely to convince anyone to changer his or her beliefs about global warming.
I would, however, caution all of us that thinking of ourselves as somehow separate from the environment is contrary to our observations of the way the planet functions and contrary to the traditions of our faith. We are a part of the world. The decisions we make are not somehow outside of the connections we share with other creatures and with the whole planet. When some people speak of the environment, whether they are debating the reintroduction of wolves, or the size of vehicles we drive, they describe the system as if humans are somehow above the rest of the creatures – as if we aren’t part of the ecosystem, but rather inherently different from other creatures.
In this perspective, the Bible and the theories of evolution are remarkably similar. Both proclaim that humans are made of the same elements as the other creatures. Both place humans in the midst of the world. Although critics of Biblical thinking cite Genesis 1:28 as sign of arrogance of humans, I think their criticism is not based in a complete understanding of the verse and its context. The verse can be translated, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” The choice of the words “rule over” probably does reflect the structure of medieval hierarchical social structures. The King James Version says, “have dominion over,” which may be a bit more faithful to the Hebrew. The concept does include a sense that humans have power over other creatures. But it also calls the humans to account for the use of that power. From a religious perspective, we are granted power from God and will be held responsible for our use of that power. It plays into on-going Old Testament themes about the dynamics of freedom and responsibility.
The bottom line is that from both a scientific and a religious point of view, our decisions do make a difference. Regardless of our perspective on the complexities of global warming, we have to admit that we humans have power on this planet and our decisions affect the lives and futures of other creatures.
We even have the power to destroy ourselves.
The dynamic of power and responsibility plays itself out on a thousand different stages every day. It is likely that most of us are responsible for more fuel consumption by the decisions we make about what to eat than by our decisions about what vehicles to drive. The consumption of fossil fuels is built into every aspect of food production from agricultural practices to modern distribution systems that move huge amounts of food over vast distances.
When we make choices, we often are less aware of our impact on others than is healthy. We seem to have a tendency to place our individual desires over the good of the community. Even cultures that are far more community centered than contemporary American culture tend to be parochial, and favor those closer to home over those living in other parts of the world.
Our faith calls us to look at the bigger picture. We often call it a relationship with God. We are connected not just to all of the other parts of the ecosystem of our planet. We are connected to the Creator of the whole universe. What we do has an impact on God. God cares about the decisions we make.
The stories of our people are filled with moments when the decision of a single individual changes the course of history. Abram leaves his home. Moses listens at the burning bush. Ruth casts her lot with her mother-in-law. Esther intervenes to save her people. Disciples leave their occupations and follow Jesus. It is probably impossible to know what impact our individual decisions have on others – or upon the course of history – but just as it is arrogant to assume that the universe revolves around us, it is irresponsible to assume that our decisions don’t have impact on those in different times and places.
Thinking of ourselves as either more or less important than we are is to miss the point. What we are is connected. We are not separate. We are a part of a whole. And when we pay attention to the connections, we are not left alone with our choices, but rather see our decisions in the light of the decisions of others.
There is much more to ponder as we feel the warmth of this day.
The debate over global warming is pretty much behind us. There is little doubt that we are experiencing rising temperatures. This particular summer isn’t as much of a demonstration of the phenomenon as it is of the large swings in temperature that can occur in the natural cycles, but things are warming up. There are still a few, mostly outside of the scientific community, who argue that the warming is not caused by humans, but even they acknowledge that humans do have an impact on the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.
I have no expertise, and I have nothing to add to the debate. I am unlikely to convince anyone to changer his or her beliefs about global warming.
I would, however, caution all of us that thinking of ourselves as somehow separate from the environment is contrary to our observations of the way the planet functions and contrary to the traditions of our faith. We are a part of the world. The decisions we make are not somehow outside of the connections we share with other creatures and with the whole planet. When some people speak of the environment, whether they are debating the reintroduction of wolves, or the size of vehicles we drive, they describe the system as if humans are somehow above the rest of the creatures – as if we aren’t part of the ecosystem, but rather inherently different from other creatures.
In this perspective, the Bible and the theories of evolution are remarkably similar. Both proclaim that humans are made of the same elements as the other creatures. Both place humans in the midst of the world. Although critics of Biblical thinking cite Genesis 1:28 as sign of arrogance of humans, I think their criticism is not based in a complete understanding of the verse and its context. The verse can be translated, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” The choice of the words “rule over” probably does reflect the structure of medieval hierarchical social structures. The King James Version says, “have dominion over,” which may be a bit more faithful to the Hebrew. The concept does include a sense that humans have power over other creatures. But it also calls the humans to account for the use of that power. From a religious perspective, we are granted power from God and will be held responsible for our use of that power. It plays into on-going Old Testament themes about the dynamics of freedom and responsibility.
The bottom line is that from both a scientific and a religious point of view, our decisions do make a difference. Regardless of our perspective on the complexities of global warming, we have to admit that we humans have power on this planet and our decisions affect the lives and futures of other creatures.
We even have the power to destroy ourselves.
The dynamic of power and responsibility plays itself out on a thousand different stages every day. It is likely that most of us are responsible for more fuel consumption by the decisions we make about what to eat than by our decisions about what vehicles to drive. The consumption of fossil fuels is built into every aspect of food production from agricultural practices to modern distribution systems that move huge amounts of food over vast distances.
When we make choices, we often are less aware of our impact on others than is healthy. We seem to have a tendency to place our individual desires over the good of the community. Even cultures that are far more community centered than contemporary American culture tend to be parochial, and favor those closer to home over those living in other parts of the world.
Our faith calls us to look at the bigger picture. We often call it a relationship with God. We are connected not just to all of the other parts of the ecosystem of our planet. We are connected to the Creator of the whole universe. What we do has an impact on God. God cares about the decisions we make.
The stories of our people are filled with moments when the decision of a single individual changes the course of history. Abram leaves his home. Moses listens at the burning bush. Ruth casts her lot with her mother-in-law. Esther intervenes to save her people. Disciples leave their occupations and follow Jesus. It is probably impossible to know what impact our individual decisions have on others – or upon the course of history – but just as it is arrogant to assume that the universe revolves around us, it is irresponsible to assume that our decisions don’t have impact on those in different times and places.
Thinking of ourselves as either more or less important than we are is to miss the point. What we are is connected. We are not separate. We are a part of a whole. And when we pay attention to the connections, we are not left alone with our choices, but rather see our decisions in the light of the decisions of others.
There is much more to ponder as we feel the warmth of this day.