Global Warming or the Fires of Hell?

One person improving their habits will not save the world, but all of us will suffer if we don't. The following are my feelings about global warming, how it differs from other world problems like civil war in Iraq, genocide in Africa, poverty, and over-fishing in the oceans.

Overwhelmed

A series of podcasts this morning has triggered some interesting thoughts about my personal impact on the world, physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. My mind is stirring with greater awareness of my comparative status as a human being, a caretaker of this planet, and a brother to all. I have it good. Most others are not so well off. Life presents innumerable worthy causes to devote my time to—so many that I feel overwhelmed in the face of my own personal and familial trials in life. How could I really accept even minor responsibility for world issues when my own responsibilities weigh so heavily already? And yet, are they really all that heavy? I have been job hunting for over a month now and yet my family has plenty to eat, a happy, safe, and comfortable home to live in, abundant access to knowledge, spiritual enlightenment, and almost limitless freedom to dream and realize those dreams. I am not even concerned about finding work, as there are numerous opportunities around me, like ripe peaches on low-hanging branches. I am free to shop for the choicest job offer. And yet to see the bigger picture of the world one must almost despair. Why despair? Despair is a strong word for me. It is a tool of Satan to enslave humanity. Despair is a binding force. I fight against Satan, so can I truly despair? Despair is a lack of hope and I still have hope. But my hope is a mere candle in a drafty wasteland of willful ignorance, self-deception, and captive agency. For some suffering people, hope is even burning out. It seems to be burning out faster than it is spreading. Thus, the collective trend is despair.

Hope

But there is an antidote for despair; it is change. The faintest hint of change is a spark in a dark room, driving back despair. But change is an outcome of action which is motivated by desire. Thus, if I change something about myself, my actions, it is only because I first desired something. But desire is impotent without a means to act, some law to invoke or plan to follow. Put the two together and we have hope. Hope is absolutely personal. Hope cannot be given away. Sharing it only kindles the receiver's own flame of desire and hope. Hope is the seed of faith. And faith is the power to act, to change, or to become. For individuals without freedom, hope is strangled. Strangled hope dies when individuals resign themselves to do nothing, believing it to be impossible. Do you believe it is impossible to stop global warming? Do you even believe global warming is real? Does it matter? Not really. The real question is, "Why is our home planet becoming inhospitable, causing suffering, and (more importantly) what can we do about it?" Real facts, measurable changes, are nearly impossible for us to debate. In many cases these changes are drastic enough to fundamentally harm the homes and livelihoods of our brothers and sisters. When will they impact me? Despite my living in a prosperous, cool and sheltered part of North America, I'm sure we will all witness these changes first hand. And these changes will scorch cynics and saints alike (even if the cynics refuse to acknowledge the heat its self).

Change

I don't want to dwell on all the changes themselves. Examples abound. The two which triggered this post include: James Nachtwey's photographic journey through the world's worst experiences (courtesy of TED) and real-world examples of change from the people's perspective (mp3) The photographers journey highlights the extremes of existence some of us endure on earth. The presentation is moving, somewhat graphic, and completely foreign to most of you reading this post. Thankfully, I just can't relate to such suffering, either. But I still feel compassion. That is important. My compassion is a desire to act, to effect change. This desire is the seed bed for hope. Hope comes as I find ways to effect change, realizing that change is possible. And here is where the parable of the sower applies.

3 …Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

What type of soil am I? Rocky? Shallow? Fertile? Do I have thorny weeds (selfish behaviors) which will choke out the seedling of change? The fact that I'm writing this post, and that you are reading it, indicates that the seed has sprouted, but to what end? How can we effect and sustain constructive change?

Responsibility

Global warming presents a rather unique problem. Science has presented a theory that says we are the problem. What does that mean? Our collective excesses are poisoning our world and ourselves. We are driving a changing force faster than anything can adapt, ourselves included. And we are driving it with our eyes shut. Even worse, there are lots of steering wheels and no exits to the vehicle. Unlike most other problems of the world, we are all in this together, indivisibly, with suffering and injustice for all. No one person will save the planet or change the course of history. No city, state, or country either. So what difference does my little sprouted seed of hope make? It might change whether I drive or walk, but does this matter? Can I really make a difference, refreeze melting arctic ice, or push back the rising tide on a Pacific island? This feeling is the ray of sun scorching my seedling of hope. Am I deep enough to withstand this pressure and sustain hope? Yes, because I care. Does a bee care that it is feeding the world one flower at a time? Not really. It simple does its best with the task at hand. This is where I start to feel uneasy for our future. How many of you are doing your best? I can't make you do so. But if you don't, we are all going to suffer for it, regardless of how well I do. This principle is lost on most people, especially in North America. We produce one forth of the world's green-house gases (mentioned in the world examples podcast). Whether or not these gases are actually causing these global changes, are we living responsibly and frugally? Is there room for improvement? Acres of room! But if we don't act, our current excesses will become our famines, or bate for invading armies or refuges. Which brings me to my final point; if we don't change, we will have to. Meaning, if we don't face "global warming", the fruits of our excess, we just might face the fires of Hell, both in this life and afterwards. Each of us must look inwards and examine our motives. What do you want? Is it material or not? Do you want a bigger house? Does cost mean only $$$ to you? Is life competitive or cooperative? Do you really understand the uplifting power of sacrifice? What are you afraid of? Death? Disease? Violence? Uncertainty? Hunger? Slavery? Pain? Despair? Many others have it unjustly. What will you do? It is only in doing that we find salvation. Whereas only a few actions, and a whole lot of inaction will certainly damn us. We face action decisions every day. And justice demands that we eat the fruit of our actions sooner or later.

Consequences

As a Christian, I believe in the prophecies of latter-day tribulations (when the world is racked with purifying tribulations in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ). Does that seem outlandish? To some, I'm sure. But to a believer, the mechanics of these prophecies is fascinating. How could such amazing catastrophes happen? I used to feel that God had to make the planet do bad things to us as judgment for our sins. Now I am beginning to see that we are the source of our own castigation. Whether or not you believe in a God, we witness the law of the harvest all around us; cause and effect, action and reaction, the principles of closed systems. That is why scientific evidences of global warming make sense to me. They all point to the dangers of selfish human indulgences. Science is offering us some means to effect a change, to uplift the heavy laden, to strengthen the feeble knees, to enliven our hope and to save the world—if nothing else, to save our character as charitable humans. But if we decline to act, are we not in effect killing our brothers and sisters? Would not their blood cry out for the vengeance of a just God? This alone is justice for which a third of the world must die, a third of the trees, a third of the fish, a third of the fowl in the air destroyed by heat. Pestilence and famine already plague our world, and yet our eyes do not see, nor do our ears hear in this fair land of plenty. So what will it be? Seek out the truth behind the suffering of our brothers and sisters. Change what you can in your own lives and we might avoid more than a less-habitable planet, we might just avoid Hell its self.