The Religion of Sustainability

For many people, the journey to going green has just begun.  But for those of us that have preached this message for some time, it’s a natural way of life.  It is not burdensome, rather a harmonious set of actions that flows with the world around us.  And we want everyone to drink from the cup.   However, are we getting in our own way?  Is sustainability going the way of religion?

The Abrahamic religions of the world came from one origin.  And through the years they split into Judaism, Christianity, Islam, the Bahai Faith and a few other smaller ones.  Each of these taking a separate road with diverging beliefs and rules.  And each of these has splintered even more as their moral compasses give way to legalism.  It seems that human nature drives us to break away from others that are not totally in agreement with us and start our own group.  We pick at a single thread in a garment rather than embracing the garment itself.

Is the Religion of Sustainability following suit?  Oh for the day when we all cared about the environment and the human race and that was our single mission.  When we didn’t spend most of our time in meetings and forums discussing the issues, rather we were out in the field working on the problem.  How many trees have died to produce position papers and minutes from meetings only to be filed away?

There is not a single week that I don’t hear of a new non-profit launching.  A new group or committee forming to do what the other groups have clearly missed.  Many of these being formed on the backs of the ‘highly educated’ youth coming out of universities who haven’t even experienced the world, yet think they have the answers.  And preachers, who feel they are not getting enough of the limelight, snatching these babes up into a flock of followers.

What if, instead of arguing the legalese of the earth’s problems, we pooled our energies?  Rather than splintering we came together, honoring the differences we see, yet standing united as a force to be reckoned with?  Imagine the resources we waste each time we start a new group.  Monies spent on attorneys and man hours spent in meetings whining about what the other groups were not doing and how we have the answers.

Are we spending so much time on all of the symptoms that we aren’t working on the problem itself?  What would the world look like if we were happy being an anonymous member of the congregation going out on a mission to spread the word and help the underserved, rather than starting a new church where we can be an elder, or worse yet, the savior himself.  A little humility, knowing we aren’t the answer to the earth’s issues, and more labor in the field will go a long way.