Over the past year we have seen innumerable photographs and extensive film footage of the devastation in the small Quebec town of Lac Megantic. A runaway train with a cargo of nearly eight million litres of highly flammable crude oil rumbled into the heart of community when the majority of residents were asleep and when the tank cars began to explode and burn both lives and property were lost. The image of unidentified keys above belonging to one of the persons who perished is a much more intimate reminder that 47 died without warning and so many more were plunged into grief. For me this photo is heartbreaking.
Earlier this week two reports were issued assessing the disaster and multiple causes were named. The Transportation Safety Board pointed an official finger at the safety standards of the company which owned the train. Both reports, along with the union for rail workers, and Greenpeace took Transport Canada to task as well. The expressed concern that there is not enough enforcement of regulations governing the movement by rail of dangerous materials. We all use fossil fuels and there is no fool-proof method of processing and transportation, but we entrust government to ensure the health and wellbeing of our environment.
While Lac Megantic deserves high-profile attention, and those who suffered catastrophic loss deserve answers, this situation is one aspect of the much broader concern about how our various levels of government protect humans and the environment in general. There will always be the temptation of industry to cut corners for the sake of higher profit.
Many of us have growing concerns that the quality of air, and our water, along with the safety of our neighbourhoods have become secondary to the interests of industry. Whether it is the Northern Gateway pipeline in B.C., or waterways through First Nations territory near the Oil Sands, or rail lines carrying hazardous goods through hundreds of other Canadian communities, we need to know that our best interests are the primary goal of those we elect.
We also have an obligation as individuals and collectively, including faith communities, to be informed and to flap our gums, and hold officials accountable for the greater good. Vague assurances just aren't good enough and neither is indifference on our part. Not long ago I tweeted a photo of a train with scores of tanker cars moving through downtown Belleville. I sent is as I waited on my bicycle for it to pass. What was in that train, and do we have the right to know?
While this may not seem like "gospel" if we interpret this word narrowly, Christ came as Good News incarnate, the source of abundant life. We have an obligation to the owner of those keys to do our best for a world made whole.
Thoughts?
When we moved to Halifax more than a decade ago our son Isaac was heading into Grade 12, a tough time to change high schools. Fortunately he was befriended by several guys, they eventually formed a band, and they lived together at university for a year.
The five of them are men in their thirties now and Ike was back in Nova Scotia to officiate at the wedding of one this past weekend. They spent time together and Isaac sent me the link to an award-winning documentary film which another of these men, Mike, helped create about an Indian version of a ramped-up modern Johnny Appleseed called Forest Man. Mike is on the right. If you have fifteen minutes -and you know you do- you can watch the shortened version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=HkZDSqyE1do&app=desktop
Jadav Payeng, the man whose story is told, has single-handedly planted trees in a 1400 acre area, or roughly 150 percent the size of Central Park in New York. This forest on an estuary island had been clear-cut and was barren. Without government help or funding he began planting and over time has risked his life protecting this forest from poachers and loggers. The trees have helped curb erosion significantly. Birds and animals have returned and we're not talking chipmunks. Elephants, rhinos, tigers, deer have all made this forest their home for at least part of the year. It is a remarkable, moving story of human determination against the odds.
As we approach Creation Time in the liturgical calendar I am thinking about hope in the face of environmental degradation and how we overcome cynicism and despair and selfishness. We seem so much better at desecrating the planet than making it sacred and livable. This story certainly gave me hope for what one individual without resources or official support can do. We watch him plant one tree at a time.
Surely as affluent members of a wealthy culture can figure out how to make a difference in our world. Doesn't our faith direct us to do so?
Congratulations to Mike and the others who brought this story to us. But it really is about Jadav Payeng and his remarkable determination.
Thoughts?
Recently a conservationist was cleaning a 17th painting by a Dutch artist depicting a seaside scene. As she worked a figure began to emerge next to a large object. The latter proved to be a beached whale, a creature which may have been painted out much later as unseemly in a painting of a refined nature. I thought it impressive that a whale was on a beach in Holland. How often do we hear of cetaceans on the beach in that neck of the woods? Were there lots of them frolicking in the salt waters surrounding Europe back then?
I also thought of J.B. Mackinnon's book The Once & Future World: Nature as it Was, As It Is, As It Could Be. I found this to be a brilliant book which explores, amongst other things, how humans have short memories subject to what he calls Shifting Baseline Syndrome. This is the idea we take the world we’re born into as normal even though it may only vaguely resemble the world of our grandparents. In my lifetime Monarch butterflies and frogs and fireflies have become threatened, not to mention many of the larger creatures of the land and sea. I lived in Newfoundland as the supposedly inexhaustible biomass of codfish was being recognized as on life support and chatted with locals who recalled great writhing invasions of caplin on the beaches.
Mackinnon writes about another 17th century painting called The Fish Market by Frans Snyders. It depicts a host of species all but one which were caught in the Wadden Sea four hundred years ago but have become scarce or disappeared. He notes that the fish of the painting are so large that they seem exaggerated, except that it is more likely that through the centuries these species have become smaller and smaller due to over-harvesting.
I want my grandchildren to live in a world of the abundance and diversity that I am convinced God intended. I am sometimes haunted by the greed of my generation in particular, which has expected so much from the Earth and given so little back. I won't give up, but I feel chastened.
Thoughts?
Years ago when our kids were young we camped as a family in Mactaquac Provincial Park in New Brunswick, not far from Fredericton. We were there on Canada Day and hoped we might see the city firework display from the campground. We could hear the explosions but we weren't able to view the fireworks even when we went down by the water. We ended up enjoying God's firework display in the form of lots of fireflies.
It turns out that one of the many delights of our backyard in Belleville is fireflies. Little did we know that they are disappearing across North America (shades of Monarch butterflies?) and there is a Firefly Watch initiative https://legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch/ to track where they still exist.
In my opinion fireflies are one of those little miracles of creation which should astound us. Here is an explanation of how they work:
Fireflies light up to attract a mate. To do this, the fireflies contain specialized cells in their abdomen that make light. The cells contain a chemical called luciferin and make an enzyme called luciferase. To make light, the luciferin combines with oxygen to form an inactive molecule called oxyluciferin.
Is this not amazing? Sure, I'm fine with evolutionary adaptation for the propagation of the species and all that stuff, but I not too old to have a sense of wonder. I enjoy God's nightlights even if that isn't a scientific explanation. I hope they never go out.
Any firefly stories? Had you heard that they are scarce these days?
In July there was an encouraging article in the Globe and Mail newspaper about the importance of intentionally making cities "green" for the health of inhabitants. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/how-green-cities-are-better-for-us-physically-and-psychologically/article19474393/?page=all While is was entitled Green Streets, it was actually just as blue as it was green. It featured a Carlton professor, Root Gorelick (in photos) who cycles and paddles to work, spending 25 minutes on the Ottawa River in a canoe as part of his commute. He was held up as an example of making a healthy choice in environments which can be psychologically unhealthy. Apparently even wintry weather doesn't daunt him!
The Globe article offered:
Cities are the main human ecosystem – 60 per cent of us now live in metropolitan areas with more than 100,000 people – but they also make us sick, depressed and anxious. By contrast, being around blue water, green trees and space makes us healthier, more productive, even more generous – a positive effect known as “biophilia.”
I haven't paddled to work but yesterday we drove five minutes from our home in Belleville and put our kayaks in the Bay of Quinte for an hour-long jaunt. Visitors were coming so we had to keep it brief and close by, yet within minutes we saw osprey, kingfishers, turtles and a water snake. Today I cycled to work at Bridge St. church and again chose the longer route which takes me along the paved waterfront path. At times I am a couple of metres from the bay and find the trip along the water a great way to get my heart rate up and enjoy the beauty of the natural world. This is a form of prayer for me and along with being good exercise it puts me in touch with Creation and Creator. I am convinced that biophilia, love of the created order, is an expression of love for the God who brought all things into being.
My deep desire is that our congregation become more committed to both creation-care and celebrating the goodness of Creation. And if we can promote this in our urban environment, all the better.
Thoughts?
