And so another Earth Day has come to pass. But it's not like we need a special date on the calendar to be reminded of our impact on the environment:
- "Beyond 7 billion"
- "Will humans lose the battle with microbes?"
- "Who suffers most from climate change?"
- "Sandy and the winds of change"
- "Working Against the Grammar of Creation"
- "Ocean acidification is killing sea life …"
- "Phoenix's too hot future"
Perhaps my favorite quote on this subject came from Al Gore earlier this year: "It's like a nature hike through the Book of Revelation on the news every day now." Unintended though it may have been, there is an important lesson to be had from such apocalyptic imagery. We need to stop pretending that environmentalism is us doing Mother Nature a favor, when it is really all about our own self-preservation.
"The greatest lie, the greatest scam of our lives is that this world was created for us, for our pleasure and enjoyment, for our dominance. What stupid, arrogant animals we are. We were created for it. We are simply the audience."
What makes us truly arrogant little monkeys is the notion that we are an irreplaceable audience. How many messages to the contrary must the Landlord deliver before they finally penetrate our obliviousness? Yes, we are beloved children of our Creator; that guarantees us eternal life, not a permanent spot on this particular rock. This planet will do just fine without us, once we have all bitten the dust like the dinosaurs. But will that day come about through our own hands? That is the question.