The Hubris of the Anthropocene

 

O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

    Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.

 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;

what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?

 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
    and crowned them with glory and honor.

You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet...

Psalm 8: 1-5

 Anthropocene 

Relating to or denoting the current geological age, 
viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence 
on climate and the environment --the Anthropocene period.

The Toronto International Film Festival is underway and one of the documentary film festivals with buzz is Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, a collaboration between Jennifer Baichwal,  Edward Burtynsky and Nick de Pencier. Actor Alicia Vikander is the narrator.

 I have been a fan of Burtynsky's massive, majestic,  disturbing photos of the human-created and dominated landscape. They are a grim reminder that seven billion humans are overwhelming the planet, something we are increasingly aware of with our vast oceans filled with plastic and pesticides in our breakfast cereal. We are also aware the patterns of climate including the jet stream and ocean currents are almost certainly being altered by human activity, a scientific verity that some politicians and religious people refuse to accept. The film is not meant to be "preachy" (a lousy term!). Instead it visually invites us to see what is before us around the Earth.



Pieter Brueghel the Elder 1563


There are passage of scripture, including the psalm above, which are interpreted, conveniently to support the notion that humans, the "anthro" in anthropocene, have the God-given right to take from the planet whatever they choose.When I look at the film poster it brings to mind the cautionary tale of the Tower of Babel found in Genesis, when humans get too big for their britches and their hubristic construction project comes tumbling down.

Living with humility rather than false pride (hubris) is a regular theme in scripture. Even if we believe we have a special place in Creation this requires responsibility and the ability to listen for the voice of the Creator. 

Who knows, this film and the Anthropocene project about to open at the Art Gallery of Ontario may help to awaken us further to our need for simplicity, humility, and reverence for the Earth.