Week 14: Post-Post

This post dovetails so well with my reflection on Psalm 96. The earth is the very center of our humanly existence  When we hurt the earth, we are hurting ourselves, because, although one day we will occupy a new earth and the heavenly realms, this is our only real dimension. So often when I think of the earth and hurting people, my brother comes to mind. The boy is a real piece of work and his political standpoints drive me completely up a wall, but I so admire how he views the creation around him. He lives in a small house up in western edge of Maryland with his dog and a whole lot of paint and canvases that have been filled, or are waiting for inspiration to strike. I wish he understood that a God who loves him beyond the limits of his human mind's comprehension, created all of the beauty he so esteems.

While the soul-spirit effects are real, the effects that reach into humanity and daily life are sometimes more visible. If you look at the Gulf Oil Spill, the effects on the daily life of thousands upon thousands of families who live in that area are very real and very painful. Tourism, crabbing, shrimping, and sea fishing all felt the long-linger effects of this avoidable atrocity. The families that are effected are what really touch my heart though. We destroy the environment for our our gains and overlook the individuals that are dependent on that resource. We are more dependent on the earth and its resources than anything else, a fact that I think is often ignored or taken for granted, with the exception of the sustaining hand of the Lord. The livelihood of families and entire communities that rely on the health of our earth and the way we as a nation, no humanity treats our planet.

I think in some ways, because there are increasingly more and more marketing schemes to "Be Green" and "Save the Planet," we have desensitized our culture by making it the stylish thing to be, so that when we have tragedies, people as a whole do not feel any responsibility or need to get involved because they are already the hip, popular "eco-friendly." Last time I checked, using a BPA-free water bottle, recycling plastic bottles when its convenient and wearing a shirt made of 5% recycled materials doesn't excuse you from doing your part, be it raising awareness or physically assisting.