APPENDIX A -
MESSAGE: "Part Of The Web"
It would make for a blockbuster Stephen Spielberg movie. A diabolical
alien race invades the earth, forcibly removing hundreds of thousands
of people from vast tracts of land that are then stripped of vegetation
in order to be mined for the natural resources needed by the inhabitants
of their alien home planet. The earth becomes scarred with enormous
gaping holes, while the surrounding waters are poisoned by toxic pollutants,
and the emissions from their enormous space ships fouls the air. All
of this activity has such an effect on the earth's environment that
many species of plant and animal life become extinct, and millions of
people die due to illness, famine, and climactic calamities. People
in some parts of the world are even forced into slave labour, working
in horrible conditions, living in shacks, and are given only enough
food to survive. Then, just when it seems the earth will be completely
destroyed and the entire human race with it, a small band of courageous
rebels mounts a campaign of resistance. Eventually every single human
being joins the movement to save the world. Using human ingenuity and
sheer determination, the aliens are defeated and return to their far
off planet, never to be heard from again. As the credits roll, the audience
cheers in joyful relief.
It sounds like an unimaginable nightmare doesn't it? Or does it? Much
of that tale is not science fiction at all, but is the hard reality
of our present day world, except it is not an alien race inflicting
this exploitation upon us, rather we are inflicting it upon ourselves.
If an alien race conquered the earth and treated our land, water, and
air the way we ourselves do, we would undoubtedly rise up against them
to put a stop to the devastation. If extra-terrestrial creatures invaded
our planet and mistreated human beings the way we mistreat one another,
we would put aside all of our differences and rise up in defense of
one another's freedom, security and well-being.
We are constantly bombarded with warnings: our use of certain chemicals
is probably depleting the Ozone layer leading to an increase in the
amount of ultra-violet radiation reaching the earth's surface. Hydrocarbon
emissions may be causing global warming. The list of potential catastrophes
goes on and on. What should we do?
I am reminded of an item I once saw in the news. Spider web silk is
known to be an incredibly strong and durable substance that could be
very useful in manufacturing a wide variety of materials. But it is
difficult to produce large quantities of spider silk using spiders,
or even by generating it synthetically in a laboratory. So scientists
have found a way to implant goat's udders with the gene that makes spider
silk, so that when the goats produce milk, the milk contains the spider
silk protein. This protein is then extracted from the milk and spun
into fibers. This is indeed a marvel of human technology, and may have
many positive applications, but I can't help but ask, "do we really
need it?" And do we have the right to experiment with other species
in this way simply to make stronger materials so that certain companies
and shareholders can profit in the process? And do we understand the
consequences of increased genetic manipulation well enough to risk the
consequences? These are certainly among the many difficult questions
we face today, and I am not going to let myself, or you off the hook
by offering simplistic answers, nor will I let us off the hook by saying
there is nothing we can do.
I believe one of the most important considerations for us to keep in
mind when we reflect on our interaction with the world around us, is
that we are all connected to one another, to all other species, and
to the earth itself. We have placed such a strong emphasis on defending
our own individual rights, and on meeting our own personal needs, that
we easily forget that every action we take has an impact on the world
around us. Because of our interconnectedness, it will eventually have
an impact back on ourselves.
On a recent trip to the dump, I saw a bus load of school children who
were on a field trip to see what happens to their garbage. We all would
do well to see it regularly to remind us that those bags we take to
the curb do not just disappear into thin air, but are buried in the
earth. Virtually everything we do has an impact on the planet, on other
creatures, on other human beings, and on ourselves.
A few years ago there was a song that became very popular called "Life
Is A Highway." Sometimes we may think of our life as a highway
- we are trying to get from point "A" to point "B"
as quickly and easily as we possibly can, hoping that no one will get
in our way, and believing that our journey does not have any impact
on anyone, or anything else. But it may be more helpful for us to think
of life as a web. We are interconnected with everything and everyone
else, and anything that influences one part of the web, influences every
part of the web, including us.
Earlier we heard from the Acts reading that the first Christians shared
everything they had in common, using their corporate resources to help
those in need. They sought to live out the prayer Jesus offered before
his crucifixion, that all people would be one, just as he and God were
one. That prayer reminds us of how connected we are how inter-twined
our lives are with God, with one another and with the earth. In my own
life, I find that my sense of being connected to the earth is enhanced
when I spend time in nature. When I am camping or hiking, or even on
a picnic, my impact on the world around me, and its impact on me are
very immediate, and I seem even more aware of and grateful for the blessings
in my life. In a similar fashion, when children, or for that matter
adults, have the opportunity to attend church camp, they can participate
in many wonderful opportunities to increase their awareness of the blessings
God offers us through the world around us, they can gain a greater understanding
of their place within all of creation, and they can gain a greater sense
of the benefits that can be received by living with others in community,
and by building deep an lasting friendships. The experiences gained
at church camp can influence our lives in ways we will always remember,
and in ways we may never fully comprehend.
It was almost 150 years ago, in 1854, that Chief Seattle offered these
words that are just a true for us today as they were when he first spoke
them: "You must teach your children that the ground beneath their
feet is the ashes of our grandfathers. So that they will respect the
land, tell your children the earth is rich with the lives of our kin.
Teach your children what we have taught our children - that the earth
is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the
earth. This we know. The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the
earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites
one family. All things are connected. We did not weave the web of life,
we are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves."
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