Friday, August 21, 2009

Swimming Upstream


Five years ago when I went to the Taize Christian community in France I stayed for a night in a tiny, windowless room in the Hotel Esmerelda just across the Seine River from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The bridge spanning the river offered an impressive view of some of the great landmarks of the city. It didn't cross my mind that if I looked hard enough I might see salmon or sea trout in the murky waters below.

We hear so many disturbing and depressing stories about the degradation of the natural world as a result of human activity. A recent success story is the return of a number of fish species, includng salmon, which disappeared when the Seine river was turned into a glorified sewer and waste conduit.

These are the stories that remind me that human ingenuity can reverse the carelessness and destruction we have unleashed on the natural world. It isn't a "given" that humans are unable to co-exist with other creatures, particularly in urban settings. While the book of Genesis is often criticized because of its claim that God gave us dominion over the Earth, there is a strong encouragement to be stewards, conscientious and practical in our care of the beings with whom we share the planet. God has given us the intelligence to make good choices for the wellbeing of all living things. It's up to us to swim upstream as Christians, joining our intellect and passion in responsible Earth care.
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I'm gone for a while, but my blog goes on! I have posted blogs for roughly every other day, until my return. So if you post a brilliant response (remember that others are reading) and I don't respond it isn't that I'm ignoring you.

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