Matt and I have noticed that in the last six months we have significantly reduced the amount of trash we throw away. Part of it I think is that we recycle everything we possibly can because our bins are more easily accessible now. The other part though, I think, is that we've made efforts to buy less stuff.
This current observation combined with a friend's comment on my last blog (on myspace) regarding having an eternal perspective rather than focusing on preservation, my current textbook chapter on waste management and the blog of another friend of mine, Greg, has led me to some thoughts on the matter of "affluenza."
There have been some significant strides made in regards to waste management in our country but we've got a long way to go. I mentioned in my response to Merilee that we (Americans) use a much larger share of resources than do people in developing nations. In fact, our country leads the world in per capita waste production and energy consumption. (according to my textbook) A big part of the problem is the fact that we buy too much stuff.
Here's an entertaining (yet relevant) questionaire from my textbook... Take a look and see if you have been struck by the "affluenza" bug:
1) I'm willing to pay more for a t-shirt if it has a cool corporate logo on it.
2) I'm willing to work at a job I hate so I can buy lots of stuff.
3) I usually just make the minimum payment on my credit cards.
4) When I'm feeling blue, I like to go shopping and treat myself.
5) I spend much more time shopping each month than I do being involved in my community.
6) I'd rather be shopping right now.
7) I'm running out of room to store myself.
Now give yourself two points for every true and one point for every false. If you scored 10 or more, you may need to find a cure for "affluenza." Luckily I only scored a 7! :-) (Quiz found in Environmental Science by Richard T. Wright.)
Look, this issue is a broad one. I already mentioned the waste management issues. We throw it away and forget about it but we don't realize the increasing costs involved in disposal and the amount of fossil fuels being wasted in transportation and disposal of wastes not to mention the making of more and more stuff to feed our consumerism. Plus the polluting of our ground water supplies when landfills are not properly maintained.
But for Christians the issue goes deeper. Maintaining an eternal perspective is, as I mentioned below my last blog, keep focusing on who Jesus is and how he would live in our world so that we are living as He does when He returns for us. However, it is also an issue of not building up treasures for ourselves here on earth because this place is not our home. When our focus is working more to buy more, we lose God's perspective on life and that is that it should be spent loving people and living in a way that brings others closer to God, not shopping.
We need to broaden our horizons and understand that the lifestyles we live have a greater impact than we can understand on our world and the other people living in it.
Environmentalism and Christianity do not need to be in competition with one another. You can be both. You can focus on caring for our world and still maintain your commitment to Christ. You don't have to buy into political lies that separate these issues into conservative and liberal camps, leaving you fearful that if you care about the environment you might be supporting God-hating heathens.
It is an easy to answer to say you think God is coming back soon so we shouldn't worry about the environment but God's timing is not our timing. From biblical times until now, every generation has believed they were living in the end times. However, a 1000 years to us may be like a day to God so really, who knows when God is coming back. It is not our job to focus on end-times theology. It is our job to live as Christ would live while we are here on this earth and that involves loving those who live with us now and those who will come after us, if it so happens that Jesus does not return in our lifetime.
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