JP and Pricilla Lowery on Simplicity

Tuesday, September 27th, 2005

Although I believe that simplicity is drawn out of focused meditation or prayer, I want to talk about one aspect of the practical application of simplicity: That is:

Should we and how do we as individuals and as a community work for an environmentally responsible and sustainable future? Is this part of the query of Simplicity? We believe so.

In order to put things in perspective, let?s look at the reality of global trends:

The world?s population is increasing by about 75 million people each year continuing a trend of exponential growth over the last two centuries. Thankfully, birth rates are decreasing in most countries so that the population will likely peak around 10 billion by 2050 after which it should stabilize?so the experts say.
(The world?s population in 1950 was 2.5 billion, it sits at about 6.5 billion right now.)

At the same time, the world?s population is becoming older and more urban and generally, more wealthy at least for some?many are stagnating in poverty due to insufficient resources where they live. As more people crowd into urban areas, we will continue to see increasing pressures on resources at all levels of society. Newberg will certainly double and probably quadruple in size by 2050. Achieving Simplicity will not get any easier!!

The next century will perhaps be the most challenging in human history as we stretch the environmental resources of the world to the limit of its carrying capacity.

Advances in technology will probably see us through a rough road.

We already produce enough grain to feed 10 billion people but we know that food will not be evenly distributed and, even if it was, would everyone be happy with a vegetarian diet?

We will definitely see an economically and environmentally driven transformation from fossil fuels to cheaper, cleaner fuels and renewable energy sources.
But, in the short term, things are going to get worse since the technology to produce and distribute cleaner and renewable energy is in its infancy.
It will cost a lot of money to make the transformation?.

This is the Catch 22 of striving to live environmentally responsible!!

There are already lots of energy efficient technologies available to us but can we afford them?
For example, I?de really like to buy a Hybrid for my next car purchase, but the short term cost may be prohibitive.It is possible to build homes that use almost no net energy. But the cost is still enormous. The same dilemma confronts us when we buy lightbulbs?and many other products.

Many other aspects of living sustainably or responsibly cost, not just money, but time. It takes longer to separate recyclables from the trash. Ask my wife, she?s the environmental conscience of our home. She has much more discipline and awareness than myself. More than few times I?ve thrown away something recyclable only to have her dig it out of the trash and place it next to my plate on at the dinner table to be used as autensil.

It takes time and personal awareness to think about and act on the little things in our daily lives that make for a more sustainable lifestyle.

I certainly lack the fortitude that Stan and Kathy displayed in their youth to give up their worldly possessions in seeking to take less from the world and give more.
But, I can live more efficiently, create less waste as I go about my daily life.

We are so blessed to live at the upper end of the economic scale in the world. We are so fortunate to have the choice to live a sustainable lifestyle. I believe it is therefore, our responsibility to try.

Perhaps, the rest of the world, those who don?t have the freedom of choices that we have, are dependent upon us living more responsibly, consuming less so they can have more. This may be true at least for some of the choices we make?for instance if we purchase products from and inadvertently support corporations that exploit the people and environmental resources of impoverished countries. Our consumption is directly related to social justice on a global scale?but that?s the topic of a whole other talk.

Certainly, the quality of our children?s and grandchildren?s lives will depend on our ability to look to the future and change the way we live.

Perhaps, we can do our part in small ways of daily living to reduce our personal impact on the earth. Simple acts such as:

turning off a light when we walk out of room,
purchasing environmentally friendly (and people-friendly) products,
recycling religiously,
buying local produce or meat, growing or raising your own food or
riding our bike (instead of driving) to the post office.

I think these are things that God calls us to do in response to the increasing pressure of humanity on his creation.

As I peer through my telescope (astronomy is my hobby) into the faraway depths of the universe, I see many beautiful and fantastic places out in God?s Universe. But everywhere I look, it is decidedly inhospitable. The Earth we live on is truly a rare gem, unique in its splendor and ability to support complex life, perhaps God?s showpiece. We need to take better care of it.

Simplicity

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