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Politics and Society today

Coronavirus: Earth’s response to Mankind’s excesses

And can it be, after centuries of abuse, that the earth is responding to our over-use of the planet? Is Earth, in its generous and good nature, giving back to mankind something that is only marginally deadly but yet sends a clear and strong response to our excesses? 

We have abused Earth with our carbon-spewing cars and machinery and factories; we have abused Earth with our over-farming; we have abused Earth with the general destruction of natural resources: trees, animals, and our incessant digging into the earth for precious jewels, precious metals, precious oil reserves.

Could Coronavirus be Earth’s response to mankind? 

We’ve had flooding, earthquakes, all sorts of natural disasters. Mankind has cleaned up and carried on. Now, on a global scale, we are being forced to STOP our shopping, our socialisation, our travel, all in an effort to curb the overall human death rate. Factories closed in China first — arguably the greatest emitter of carbon fuel waste. Streets around Europe are bereft of people, certainly the epicentre of the international bustling economy. New York has effectively shut down: New York City the 24/7 city of excess. Why? Because man is desperately holding on to the one thing more important than money: life itself.

How many times when there is loss do we say, “Well, we have our health at least.” Now our health, on a global scale, is under threat. And so we do all we can to protect humanity’s most precious asset: life itself.

In centuries long past, Greta Thornberg would be burnt as a witch, if authorities thought she’d cast a spell to create Coronavirus. Or the Jews would be blamed because their superior cleanliness would have protected them, yielding a death toll lower than the average (apparently there are some absurd murmurings even today that are attempting to blame the Jews for global economic chaos). But centuries ago, Earth was not bereft, raped, its natural beauty and purity stripped and abused, as it has been on every continent today.

Today we have conspiracy theories, speculations as to how Coronavirus was started. Did the Chinese do this on purpose, to distract the world from its stagnating economy? Have wealthy entrepreneurs and big business caused this deliberately to manipulate the stock market? Have phoney philanthropists caused this to curb the escalating world population?

Or quite simply, has Earth responded to centuries of abuse, to wake up mankind to its dereliction of duty, which has always been to protect and preserve it?

Man was created and given Earth as a responsibility

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)

Is this chaos ultimately GOD’s fault, a punishment for our abuse?

Or, in the sage words of the American young poet Max Ehrmann, who lost his right to copyright by sharing his Desiderata of hope during the disastrous Depression (1929-1939), perhaps

“the universe is unfolding as it should.”

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Politics and Society today Reflections and Poetry Watchman on Alert BLOG

Nearing the End of the Earth: a reflective plea

I Despair at Earth’s current condition

How near are we to the end of the lifespan of this planet Earth? Too near, too near, and I am grieving. 

“We’ve blown it” a friend said to me recently. 

Indeed we have. The poles are melting. For me, that is the most clear sign of the destruction. Continents of ice are melting into oblivion…. 

Doom at our doorstep

It seems there’s little we can do now — It seems that anything we attempt is only putting a band-aid on the disaster we’ve created. The beauty of this planet is fading, dying by mankind’s hand. For example, koala’s are in limited number, elephant tusks are on the black market; innocent, majestic creatures are dying by our hands. It’s for money, for farming expansion, for sport, not borne out of human necessity.

Sound glum? Yes, I’m glum. We once had beauty; that is now fading. Shall we enjoy, rescue what we can, pray and share with others the hope set before us.… Jesus is the truth and the answer to life’s sorrow. But for the sake of our responsibility toward Earth, is that all we can do?

For “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” (1 Corinthians 10:26) Were we not called to celebrate, enjoy, look after the beauty and splendour of GOD’s creation? 

Yes. But we did not.

I am not an extinction rebellion advocate. I am not a Green Party supporter. I am not a “leftie”. I’m not saying those are good or bad stances; they just aren’t me. But I am sure humanity has destroyed a beautiful gift and I despair that there is little hope in turning back.

Politics

The politicians talk about carbon-neutral. By the time we reach carbon neutrality — the UK projects 2050 — at the rate of destruction and melting, we won’t have a reason to bother. Oh, how we’ve taken something so precious for granted and are reaping the result: an earth so perfect in its creation, groans at our abuse.

How must the LORD sense the tragedy!

What is relevant to the Christian

Why does the earth matter if Jesus is returning soon? Because Jesus spoke and created the earth for us to look after, and we’ve failed him. As one song puts it,

“… (his) hands that flung stars into space…” (Graham Kendrick)

Hope

Yes, there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth, but how selfish we are who know Jesus to think we can escape the horrendous damage we’ve been a part of, and that we should rejoice. Yes, what Jesus has done for us is WONDERFUL. But have we not all played our part in the destruction of earth… with our cars, our holidays abroad, our hairspray and our litter.

GOD created man to look after the earth. Do we see what man has done in the last century alone? 

Loving GOD and loving His earth go hand-in-hand. Should we love one of His creation less? No, we are called to love one another. How much too, are we called to love and care for the very earth He created, put mankind upon and told us to look after it.

“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)

What shall we do?

I don’t know. Pray certainly! But I don’t know what else I’m going to do. I’ve only just realised how important it is that I do something. I’ve asked the LORD, “Is there more I can do than recycle?” For now, His response seems to be for me to post these thoughts and pray.

SO this I am doing. Such small things. Such a huge problem. 

So little time.