Choosing the right lens
Recently, I read an article that suggested environmentalism
should be a lens through which people view the world rather than treated as one
of many issues that warrant attention and action (Nathan Empsall, “Connecting
the environment and the church”). The rationale for arguing that
environmentalism should be a lens is that basically everything (or almost
everything) a person does affects the environment.
An environmentally responsible approach to life entails
asking, “How will this action affect the environment?” Sometimes the answer is
easy: throwing away trash creates unsightly litter and inappropriately disposes
of waste material; walking avoids creating greenhouse gases internal combustion
engines produce; eating less meat supports a food chain that harms the
environment less; etc.
Often, however, the answer is less obvious. Is the environmental
harm of an electric car or of a gasoline powered car greater when one considers
(1) the manufacture of the vehicle and all of its parts, (2) the generation of
electricity to operate the vehicle or the production of gas to operate the car,
and (3) the environmental impact of eventually disposing of the vehicle? Few if
any of us can knowledgably answer such a complicated, comprehensive question.
In general, the familiar mantra of reducing, reusing and
recycling provides a convenient heuristic for learning to see the world through
an environmental lens.
The article prompted some further musings about the
importance of having the right lens or lenses through which to view creation,
other people, and life itself. The image of a lens resonates with me because
having the correct prescription for the lenses through which I see the world is
essential if I am to enjoy clear, accurate vision.
Similarly, the ongoing journey of becoming a Christian is
more about learning to view the world as Jesus saw it than about ontological
change, i.e., becoming a Christian is not about a changing a person’s being but
altering a person’s way of living and seeing the world. Illustratively, Jesus taught
his disciples to see each person the disciples encountered as an individual who
was worthy of dignity and respect.
Like Jesus, I must learn to see the difference between condemning
evil and not condemning the person who commits an evil deed. For example, this
means welcoming back into the community the person released from prison by
helping that person find a decent place to live, a job that pays enough for the
person to pay his/her bills, and embracing the person as a valued member of God’s
family.
Like Jesus, I must learn to see myself as a member of a
larger community, a community that begins locally with my fellow Christians and
that extends to embrace all creation. Consequently, I must change the narrative
of my life from self-centered to communal. This means, among other things,
changing the narrative about paying taxes from avoidance/minimizing (what
President Trump advocates, belittling those who willingly pay taxes) to viewing
taxes (as economist John Kenneth Galbraith saw taxes) as an opportunity and
responsibility to pay for civilization and its benefits.
Like Jesus, I must dare to believe that, in Martin Luther
King, Jr.’s memorable image, the arc of history is long but bends irreversibly
and inevitably toward justice. Thus, Christians who look through the lens of Jesus
at the world act in ways that affirm justice will eventually prevail. We begin
even today to beat swords into plowshares by spending more on the most vulnerable
and needy instead of supporting defense budgets that exceed Defense Department
requests.
What is the lens or lenses through which you see yourself
and the world?
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