So I was interested today to see how far I am from home, so I headed over to google and was gloriously sidetreacked by a website that informed me that during my journey from Lethbridge to Kandy, I created approximately 1.43 tonnes (3, 152 lbs) of carbon dioxide equivalents. Wowzas! This should probably alarm me, but it doesn't. Does it make me a bad person if I say that I'm not too worried about it?
It would be very easy for me to become all super concerned about the environment as I am over here: every day my nostrils are overwhelmed with pungent odor of the small fires in front of people's homes in which they burn plastics and household garbage. The shores of picturesque rivers are littered with myriad plastic bags and other refuse. Garbage cans are scarce, just throw it on the street instead.
Yet, I don't seem to care. I didn't care in Canada either. I think I would be foolish to think that the pollution ocurring here is on a greater scale than that of North America, it is likely just more visible.
Maybe my apathy towards this stems from the seemingly unassailable level of pollution and creation-rape. We pollute at an alarming rate. In light of how much garbage our world produces, does it even matter if I recycle my Fanta Soda bottle rather than burn it on the side of the road?
Or maybe my lack of concern is indicative of a lack of understanding of God's love. Do I see this earth as a gift from God? A gift born not of compulsion or of obligation but of love. He gave us a sweet world just because He loves us and wanted us to have a good gift. Hmm.
But I don't care.
I can't seem to wrap my head around my apathy. Maybe apathy is the wrong word. I am concerned; but my concern lacks the potency to compel me to do anything about it. Concern and conviction isn't something you can just muster up, or fake, it has to grip you/take hold of you with such force that you can't NOT be concerned. I don't seem to possess this conviction...which frustrates me.
Frustration quite often motivates me to try and accomplish things/conquer things/change. I would love it if the frustration over my evident lack of concern for the environment would affect some sort of change.
5 comments:
Your blog surprises me knowing that you are well aware of the three R's. There is no way you can fix the problem of pollution on your own, but each little thing you may and can do to protect and care for God's creation and what he has given you is a start in the right direction. I think our job is to try and teach others how to do that. Maybe one of your callings to Sri Lanka is to begin to make them more aware. Unless they are told, they will not know. If they do not know, they cannot be blamed for their contribution to the problem of pollution. It is like telling someone about Jesus - people will not know about Him and salvation unless they are told. For those of us who do know, how much more imperative it is for us to make sure the whole world is getting the message about the pollution of sin and how Jesus' saving grace rids us of that smell. I think you care more than you know :)
Don't worry, Lindsay recycles enough for the both of you! Did you know you could recycle Tim Horton's cups?! Who knew? lol Hope everything is going great over there! I enjoy reading your blog! Keep it up!
I just wrote a paper on the political disengagement of young Canadians, which basically stems from apathy. I bet politically apathetic Canadians are envrionmentally apathetic as well. When you come home I will knock some sense into you. For now I will leave with the words of Alabama. You can even sing them if you like.
"So let's leave some blue up above us
Let's leave some green on the ground
It's only ours to borrow, let's save some for tomorrow
Leave it and pass it on down"
Hi David. We're waiting for some more exciting news from your sojourns in Sri Lanka but you've probably been too busy with the holiday celebrations. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and things continue to go well with you there. We think of you and hold you in our prayers. Have a blessed New Year. Auntie Liz & Uncle Henry
David, are you so busy recycling that you have no time to blog...? Waiting for more of your inspirational and interesting insights which are always very informative and ingenuitive (look it up)! Love ya!
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