Is this a Happy Earth Day?

 

Do not fear, O soil;

   be glad and rejoice,
   for the Lord has done great things!
²² Do not fear, you animals of the field,
   for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit,
   the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 

Joel 2:21-27 NRSV

This morning I fumbled around to find my bicycle lock and dug out a water bottle, items I needed to cycle to the gym. I arrived to realize that I'd forgotten my backpack with workout clothes. Duh. As I turned around to retrieve the pack it occurred to me that this was a beautiful Earth Day morning, so why would head into an enclosed space with no windows? Instead I made my way to the waterfront trail which follows the Bay of Quinte here in Belleville. My ride was a modest one --14-15 kilometres -- because a certain part of my anatomy is tender as I resume cycling this Spring. 

Along the way I skirted the bike lanes because the city is so slow in cleaning them up --  unfortunately they are more of a bike lane placebo in this community. I included a new stretch of waterfront trail which should excite me except that they inexplicably clearcut a swath of stately willows to create it. At a boat launch a flotilla of single use water bottles bobbed on the surface. It was rather disheartening.

On the plus side, I rolled past our municipal recycling blue boxes as I left the driveway. As I peddled along the water I saw several species of ducks and two of our urban osprey nests are occupied once again. The dawn chorus was wonderful and there buds on trees. Many people were walking the trail and I started lots of them with a "happy Earth Day!"

Is it a happy Earth Day? Should we as Groundlings, children of the Creator, be "cup half empty" or "cup half full" people? The answer is...yes. The leaky cup is that every report by climate scientists and the United Nations warns us of dire consequences if we don't smarten up, yesterday. Governments at every level declare climate emergencies and strike green committees, only to continue with much of the same-old, same-old. It's little wonder that last week reputable climate scientists from around the world engaged in sit-ins, and civil disobedience events to draw attention to the climate crisis, only to be ignored, by and large, by the media. 

The partially full cup is that our awareness of the crisis grows, despite the half-heartedness on the part of governments and the "if it bleeds it leads" digressions by the media. And so many of us are realizing that if we love Creation and our human relationship within it we will find ways to cherish our time in the natural world and work diligently to preserve the vital ecosystems which sustain us all. We are nature, not just living alongside it. 

As Christians we can engage all our senses in humble appreciation and praise for Turtle Island even as we are resolute to make the changes to our lifestyles and outlooks on what it actually "the good life." I'm encouraged that there are more and more conversations with Indigenous peoples about co-managing ecosystems because along the way industrial cultures lost the ability to understand the sacredness of Creation, replacing reverence and stewardship with mindless extraction. Sadly, the Christian religion has been complicit in the latter, ignoring the biblical witness. 

Today I will savour being outside as much as possible as solace for my aging soul. At the same time I want to renew my commitment to passing on a livable world to our four marvelous grandchildren. All of them love time outdoors and we delight in being there with them. When we are gone and "pushing up daisies" I want there to be wildflowers for them to enjoy. 

I know we can do better as a society and as communities of faith -- we must.