A Bundle of Contradictions

(Note: Today’s blog is guest written by Paul Kane. Paul is a retired scientist , piano student, climate activist and member of Spiritus’ Mother Earth Community. We are grateful for his work in our community and for this post!)

Things are getting serious. This week we are reading from the Gospel of John, and the tension between Jesus and his critics is rising as we approach Holy Week. John’s Gospel is different from the others, in that the dialogues between Jesus and his opponents are extra-long and extra-wordy. In these dialogues, it seems that the critics of Jesus either don’t understand Him, or don’t want to understand Him – maybe because of the implications for their lives. Jesus tells his detractors “But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you.” Why do they “have no room” for the words of Jesus? Jesus tells them that by being His disciples, they “will know the truth and the truth will set them free”. Who doesn’t want to be free?

As a climate activist, I think a lot about why we are so slow to make the changes needed to have clean air, clean water and a stable atmosphere that doesn’t create killer storms. There is so much bad climate news, and clearly things need to change, and quickly. Why don’t we move faster? Why don’t we set ourselves free of all this?

In her book Saving Us, climate scientist and evangelical Christian Dr. Katharine Hayhoe writes, “To be human is to be a bundle of contradictions – and to have an aversion to anxiety. As humans, we are prone to tuning out repeated bad messages if they do not relate directly to our lives, or if we feel that fixing things would be even worse for us than letting them run their course.” (Italics mine.) Like the critics of Jesus, we are a bundle of contradictions. We say we want change, but we keep doing exactly what we’ve been doing because that is what we know and are comfortable with. Many of us already have enough food, heating and cooling for our homes and we can drive around as we please – what will happen if we start messing with all that stuff?

Those who have a financial interest in the status quo know that anxiety about change can be used to paralyze us against taking action. Our anxiety is weaponized against us – maybe fixing things would be even worse for us than letting them run their course is the message from fossil fuel interests and the politicians they support. Unfortunately, letting things run their course is no longer an option. The late Marshall Saunders, founder of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, said this about why he started the organization: “I used to believe that the Important People were taking care of the Important Things. I don’t believe that any more.” We are the Important People, and we need to start taking care of the Important Things. Our anxiety-based resistance to change must be overcome. The good news is that we don’t have to do it alone.

Our message to you from the Mother Earth Community is that healing the Earth is much, much better than letting things run their course, and that we can do it if we work together. Check out our Green Spots, our blog and our website, and reach out to us with your questions and ideas. We need to make room in our hearts and minds for change – and set ourselves free!