ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP!
FOR THE PAST TWENTY YEARS, I HAVE BEEN EXPRESSING MY CONCERNS AND PASSION FOR THE NATURAL WORLD, AND THE DAMAGING IMPACTS HUMANITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ON THAT WORLD. I KNOW THERE ARE OTHERS THAT SHARE MY CONCERNS, AS EVIDENCED BY THE YEARS OF DISCUSSION AND ENACTMENT OF REGULATIONS DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE OUR DEPENDENCY ON FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. THESE EFFORTS HAVE PRODUCED SOME POSITIVE RESULTS, UNFORTUNATELY THEY ARE FAR TO LIMITED.
THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD AND THE LIFE-SYSTEMS ON EARTH, ARE PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES MANKIND HAS EVER BEEN FACED WITH! RESOLUTION OF THESE ISSUES WILL REQUIRE A WORLD-WIDE MOVEMENT BY THE 8 BILLION PEOPLE ON EARTH. ACTIVATING PEOPLE SEEMS TO BE AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK. ALTHOUGH, I HAVE A STRONG PASSION FOR UNDERSTANDING AND PROTECTING THE NATURAL WORLD, THE MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC ARE LIMITED IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND CONCERN FOR THE DESTRUCTION MANKIND HAS CAUSED. MY PASSION STARTED AT A VERY EARLY AGE, WHEN I FOUND A STRONG INTEREST IN MY NATURAL SURROUNDINGS AND THE MYSTERY OF THE LIFE SYSTEMS I OBSERVED THERE. LATER, I WAS CONFRONTED WITH THE DECISION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION. SEEMED LOGICAL IF I WAS GOING TO SPEND 4 YEARS IN COLLEGE, I SHOULD CHOOSE A CAREER THAT WAS IN HIGH DEMAND AND OFFERED TOP SALARIES. MY SECOND YEAR CONVINCED ME I HAD CHOSEN A CAREER PATH THAT DID NOT FIT WITH MY PURPOSE. I SPENT A QUARTER OF A YEAR IN WHAT I CALL A “VISION QUEST”, AFTER WHICH I ENTERED THE SCHOOL OF FORESTRY. EVERYTHING SEEMED TO CHANGE, AS I WAS PURSUING MY PASSION RATHER THAN MY FINANCIAL DESIRES. I HAD FOUND MY PURPOSE!
I TRULY BELIEVE, EVERY PERSON HAS A PURPOSE AND A DREAM OF WHO AND WHAT THEY WANT TO BE. FINDING THAT PURPOSE IS NOT ALWAYS EASY FOR EVERYONE, SOME FIND IT LATER IN LIFE AND SOME NEVER FIND IT. IT APPEARS, WE ARE MISSING AN IMPORTANT STEP IN THE ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STUDENTS. CAREER COUNSELING IS AVAILABLE, BUT ASSISTANCE IN FINDING ONE’S PURPOSE OR VOCATION IS NOT THE SAME. WITH PURPOSE, ONE FINDS TIME TO BECOME ENGAGED IN SOCIETY’S ISSUES AND CONCERNS. A VOCATION MOVES FROM INTELLIGENCE TO WISDOM, FROM AN INTELLIGENT SCIENTIST TO A WISE SCIENTIST. IT IS HARD TO FIND A SCHOLAR WHO CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE PEOPLE AND CAPTURE THEIR INTEREST TO BECOME ENGAGED IN HIS OR HER RESEARCH AND STUDIES. ISSUES LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE HAVE BECOME A MAJOR DEBATE RESULTING IN THE TWO SIDES ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN A GOAL OF VICTORY THROUGH THE CYNICAL USE OF POLITICS, FEAR, INTOLERANCE AND LACK OF TRUST. THIS HAS LED TO A MISTRUST OF THE ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTES WE LOOK TO FOR INFORMATION.
I HAVE BEEN READING A NEW BOOK BY PROFESSOR ANDREW HOFFMAN ENTITLED, “FINDING PURPOSE-ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AS A PERSONAL CALLING”. THE AUTHOR BEGINS BY EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING ONE’S PURPOSE AS OPPOSED TO PURSUING A CAREER. IT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PURSUING A CALLING, VOCATION, OR SELECTING A CAREER BASED UPON JOB SECURITY AND FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES. UNFORTUNATELY, MODERN-DAY RICH CULTURES ARE BEING DRIVEN BY WEALTH ACCUMULATION AND OVER-CONSUMPTION, WHICH IS HAVING MAJOR ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE NATURAL WORLD. PROFESSOR HOFFMAN SUPPORTS THE CONCLUSION THAT HUMANITY IS FACING THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUE SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF MANKIND ON EARTH. THE GOAL OF HIS BOOK IS TO ENGAGE PEOPLE TO WORK FOR AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE WORLD. IT SUMMARIZES THE GOAL OF MY WRITINGS OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS.
THE QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BECOME ENGAGED IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP? BACK IN 1949, ALDO LEOPOLD SUGGESTED, WE MUST HAVE AN “INTERNAL CHANGE IN OUR INTELLECTUAL EMPHASIS, LOYALTIES, AFFECTIONS AND CONVICTIONS TO TRANSFORM OUR ETHICAL APPRECIATION FOR NATURE”. IT HAS BEEN SEVENTY YEARS SINCE LEOPOLD MADE THIS STATEMENT AND LITTLE HAS CHANGED. I AGREE THAT WHEN ONE FINDS THEIR PURPOSE, WE BECOME MORE FOCUSED ON THE WELL-BEING OF OUR LIFES AND ISSUES FACING HUMANITY, BUT HOW DO WE CHANGE TODAYS SOCIAL NORMS AND BELIEFS? SINCE THE START OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, OUR SOCIETY HAS BUILT MUCH OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND LIFE-SYSTEMS BASED UPON SCIENTIFIC THEORY. IT IS TIME TO CHANGE OUR WORLDVIEWS AS SCIENCE REVEALS NEW INFORMATION AND UNDERSTANDINGS. WE MUST LET TRUST OVERRULE OUR CULTURAL BIASES. INSTEAD OF WRITING SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND PAPERS, SCIENCE MUST FOCUS ON COMMUNICATING THEIR WORK AND CONCERNS TO THE PUBLIC.
ACADEMIA NEEDS TO REFOCUS EDUCATION CURRICULUMS FROM CAREER COUNSELING TO VOCATIONAL COUNSELING. FAR TOO MANY STUDENTS ARE GRADUATING WITH DEGREES IN AREAS THAT FEW, IF ANY, FIND THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FOR THE REALIZATION OF THEIR PURPOSE. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE A JOB TO DO, IF WE ARE TO ENCOURAGE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP VALUES WITHIN THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS MUST ALSO ASSUME A MAJOR ROLE IN ENERGIZING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. ALDO LEOPOLD, BACK IN 1949, POINTED OUT THAT, “PROVE OF CONSERVATION HAD NOT TOUCHED MANY FOUNDATIONS, AND IS CONFIRMED BY THE FACT THAT PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION HAD NOT YET HEARD OF IT”. Dr. THOMAS BERRY POINTS OUT, “RELIGION FOCUSES ON REDEMPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL AT THE EXPENSE OF CREATION”. IN 2015, POPE FRANCES PRESENTED HIS LETTER ENTITLED “ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME”. THE LETTER COVERS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, ECONOMICS, INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, CARBON CREDITS, SOCIAL MEDIA, THEOLOGY AND MORE. THE POPE SUGGESTS, “WE MUST PROMOTE A NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS, LIFE, SOCIETY AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE”. ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP REQUIRES THE DEDICATED INVOLVEMENT OF OUR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS. RELIGION, UNLIKE MANY OTHER INSTITUTIONAL FORCES IN SOCIETY, HAS THE ABILITY TO INFLUENCE OUR BELIEFS AND VALUES. RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS CAN GIVE PEOPLE NEW AND MORE POWERFUL MOTIVATIONS TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. WITH TODAY’S FOCUS ON WEALTH AND CONSUMPTION, RELIGION COULD BRING HEALTHY PRESSURE ON THOSE WHO WIELD SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC POWER!
THIS DEMONSTRATES THE NEED FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON THE PART OF CONSUMERS, AND SUGGESTS A STRONG ROLE BY OUR BUSINESS INSTITUTIONS.
THE ISSUE IS COMPLEX AND DEMANDING! ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, BY 8 BILLION PEOPLE THAT CURRENTLY OCCUPY EARTH, OFFERS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE! IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT WE ARE BREAKING THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT, “THOU SHALL NOT STEAL”, FOR WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATIONS! WE NEED TO FIND YOUR PURPOSE AND CALLING NOW MORE THAN EVER. DR. THOMAS BERRY STATED, “THE TASK OF MOVING MODERN INDUSTRIAL CIVILIZATION FROM ITS PRESENT DEVASTATING INFLUENCE ON EARTH TO A MORE BENIGN MODE OF PRESENCE, IS NOT A ROLE THAT WE HAVE CHOSEN”. “WE WERE CHOSEN BY SOME POWER BEYOND OURSELVES FOR THIS HISTORIC TASK”. ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP REQUIRES OUR ENGAGEMENT IN SEEKING HARMONY WITH NATURE AND STEWARDSHIP OF ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD! PROFESSOR ANDREW HOFFMAN CONCLUDES BY HIGHLIGHTING THE FACT THAT, “THE INTEGRITY OF THE WHOLE IS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT”, IN UNDERSTANDING THE NATURAL WORLD AND EARTH’S LIFE SYSTEMS. WE CAN MAKE A BETTER FUTURE! FIND YOUR CALLING, HAVE A VISION, MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS!
FOR THE PAST TWENTY YEARS, I HAVE BEEN EXPRESSING MY CONCERNS AND PASSION FOR THE NATURAL WORLD, AND THE DAMAGING IMPACTS HUMANITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ON THAT WORLD. I KNOW THERE ARE OTHERS THAT SHARE MY CONCERNS, AS EVIDENCED BY THE YEARS OF DISCUSSION AND ENACTMENT OF REGULATIONS DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE OUR DEPENDENCY ON FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. THESE EFFORTS HAVE PRODUCED SOME POSITIVE RESULTS, UNFORTUNATELY THEY ARE FAR TO LIMITED.
THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD AND THE LIFE-SYSTEMS ON EARTH, ARE PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES MANKIND HAS EVER BEEN FACED WITH! RESOLUTION OF THESE ISSUES WILL REQUIRE A WORLD-WIDE MOVEMENT BY THE 8 BILLION PEOPLE ON EARTH. ACTIVATING PEOPLE SEEMS TO BE AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK. ALTHOUGH, I HAVE A STRONG PASSION FOR UNDERSTANDING AND PROTECTING THE NATURAL WORLD, THE MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC ARE LIMITED IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND CONCERN FOR THE DESTRUCTION MANKIND HAS CAUSED. MY PASSION STARTED AT A VERY EARLY AGE, WHEN I FOUND A STRONG INTEREST IN MY NATURAL SURROUNDINGS AND THE MYSTERY OF THE LIFE SYSTEMS I OBSERVED THERE. LATER, I WAS CONFRONTED WITH THE DECISION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION. SEEMED LOGICAL IF I WAS GOING TO SPEND 4 YEARS IN COLLEGE, I SHOULD CHOOSE A CAREER THAT WAS IN HIGH DEMAND AND OFFERED TOP SALARIES. MY SECOND YEAR CONVINCED ME I HAD CHOSEN A CAREER PATH THAT DID NOT FIT WITH MY PURPOSE. I SPENT A QUARTER OF A YEAR IN WHAT I CALL A “VISION QUEST”, AFTER WHICH I ENTERED THE SCHOOL OF FORESTRY. EVERYTHING SEEMED TO CHANGE, AS I WAS PURSUING MY PASSION RATHER THAN MY FINANCIAL DESIRES. I HAD FOUND MY PURPOSE!
I TRULY BELIEVE, EVERY PERSON HAS A PURPOSE AND A DREAM OF WHO AND WHAT THEY WANT TO BE. FINDING THAT PURPOSE IS NOT ALWAYS EASY FOR EVERYONE, SOME FIND IT LATER IN LIFE AND SOME NEVER FIND IT. IT APPEARS, WE ARE MISSING AN IMPORTANT STEP IN THE ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STUDENTS. CAREER COUNSELING IS AVAILABLE, BUT ASSISTANCE IN FINDING ONE’S PURPOSE OR VOCATION IS NOT THE SAME. WITH PURPOSE, ONE FINDS TIME TO BECOME ENGAGED IN SOCIETY’S ISSUES AND CONCERNS. A VOCATION MOVES FROM INTELLIGENCE TO WISDOM, FROM AN INTELLIGENT SCIENTIST TO A WISE SCIENTIST. IT IS HARD TO FIND A SCHOLAR WHO CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE PEOPLE AND CAPTURE THEIR INTEREST TO BECOME ENGAGED IN HIS OR HER RESEARCH AND STUDIES. ISSUES LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE HAVE BECOME A MAJOR DEBATE RESULTING IN THE TWO SIDES ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN A GOAL OF VICTORY THROUGH THE CYNICAL USE OF POLITICS, FEAR, INTOLERANCE AND LACK OF TRUST. THIS HAS LED TO A MISTRUST OF THE ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTES WE LOOK TO FOR INFORMATION.
I HAVE BEEN READING A NEW BOOK BY PROFESSOR ANDREW HOFFMAN ENTITLED, “FINDING PURPOSE-ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AS A PERSONAL CALLING”. THE AUTHOR BEGINS BY EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING ONE’S PURPOSE AS OPPOSED TO PURSUING A CAREER. IT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PURSUING A CALLING, VOCATION, OR SELECTING A CAREER BASED UPON JOB SECURITY AND FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES. UNFORTUNATELY, MODERN-DAY RICH CULTURES ARE BEING DRIVEN BY WEALTH ACCUMULATION AND OVER-CONSUMPTION, WHICH IS HAVING MAJOR ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE NATURAL WORLD. PROFESSOR HOFFMAN SUPPORTS THE CONCLUSION THAT HUMANITY IS FACING THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUE SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF MANKIND ON EARTH. THE GOAL OF HIS BOOK IS TO ENGAGE PEOPLE TO WORK FOR AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE WORLD. IT SUMMARIZES THE GOAL OF MY WRITINGS OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS.
THE QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BECOME ENGAGED IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP? BACK IN 1949, ALDO LEOPOLD SUGGESTED, WE MUST HAVE AN “INTERNAL CHANGE IN OUR INTELLECTUAL EMPHASIS, LOYALTIES, AFFECTIONS AND CONVICTIONS TO TRANSFORM OUR ETHICAL APPRECIATION FOR NATURE”. IT HAS BEEN SEVENTY YEARS SINCE LEOPOLD MADE THIS STATEMENT AND LITTLE HAS CHANGED. I AGREE THAT WHEN ONE FINDS THEIR PURPOSE, WE BECOME MORE FOCUSED ON THE WELL-BEING OF OUR LIFES AND ISSUES FACING HUMANITY, BUT HOW DO WE CHANGE TODAYS SOCIAL NORMS AND BELIEFS? SINCE THE START OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, OUR SOCIETY HAS BUILT MUCH OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND LIFE-SYSTEMS BASED UPON SCIENTIFIC THEORY. IT IS TIME TO CHANGE OUR WORLDVIEWS AS SCIENCE REVEALS NEW INFORMATION AND UNDERSTANDINGS. WE MUST LET TRUST OVERRULE OUR CULTURAL BIASES. INSTEAD OF WRITING SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND PAPERS, SCIENCE MUST FOCUS ON COMMUNICATING THEIR WORK AND CONCERNS TO THE PUBLIC.
ACADEMIA NEEDS TO REFOCUS EDUCATION CURRICULUMS FROM CAREER COUNSELING TO VOCATIONAL COUNSELING. FAR TOO MANY STUDENTS ARE GRADUATING WITH DEGREES IN AREAS THAT FEW, IF ANY, FIND THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FOR THE REALIZATION OF THEIR PURPOSE. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE A JOB TO DO, IF WE ARE TO ENCOURAGE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP VALUES WITHIN THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS MUST ALSO ASSUME A MAJOR ROLE IN ENERGIZING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. ALDO LEOPOLD, BACK IN 1949, POINTED OUT THAT, “PROVE OF CONSERVATION HAD NOT TOUCHED MANY FOUNDATIONS, AND IS CONFIRMED BY THE FACT THAT PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION HAD NOT YET HEARD OF IT”. Dr. THOMAS BERRY POINTS OUT, “RELIGION FOCUSES ON REDEMPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL AT THE EXPENSE OF CREATION”. IN 2015, POPE FRANCES PRESENTED HIS LETTER ENTITLED “ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME”. THE LETTER COVERS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, ECONOMICS, INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, CARBON CREDITS, SOCIAL MEDIA, THEOLOGY AND MORE. THE POPE SUGGESTS, “WE MUST PROMOTE A NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS, LIFE, SOCIETY AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE”. ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP REQUIRES THE DEDICATED INVOLVEMENT OF OUR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS. RELIGION, UNLIKE MANY OTHER INSTITUTIONAL FORCES IN SOCIETY, HAS THE ABILITY TO INFLUENCE OUR BELIEFS AND VALUES. RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS CAN GIVE PEOPLE NEW AND MORE POWERFUL MOTIVATIONS TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. WITH TODAY’S FOCUS ON WEALTH AND CONSUMPTION, RELIGION COULD BRING HEALTHY PRESSURE ON THOSE WHO WIELD SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC POWER!
THIS DEMONSTRATES THE NEED FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON THE PART OF CONSUMERS, AND SUGGESTS A STRONG ROLE BY OUR BUSINESS INSTITUTIONS.
THE ISSUE IS COMPLEX AND DEMANDING! ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, BY 8 BILLION PEOPLE THAT CURRENTLY OCCUPY EARTH, OFFERS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE! IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT WE ARE BREAKING THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT, “THOU SHALL NOT STEAL”, FOR WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATIONS! WE NEED TO FIND YOUR PURPOSE AND CALLING NOW MORE THAN EVER. DR. THOMAS BERRY STATED, “THE TASK OF MOVING MODERN INDUSTRIAL CIVILIZATION FROM ITS PRESENT DEVASTATING INFLUENCE ON EARTH TO A MORE BENIGN MODE OF PRESENCE, IS NOT A ROLE THAT WE HAVE CHOSEN”. “WE WERE CHOSEN BY SOME POWER BEYOND OURSELVES FOR THIS HISTORIC TASK”. ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP REQUIRES OUR ENGAGEMENT IN SEEKING HARMONY WITH NATURE AND STEWARDSHIP OF ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD! PROFESSOR ANDREW HOFFMAN CONCLUDES BY HIGHLIGHTING THE FACT THAT, “THE INTEGRITY OF THE WHOLE IS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT”, IN UNDERSTANDING THE NATURAL WORLD AND EARTH’S LIFE SYSTEMS. WE CAN MAKE A BETTER FUTURE! FIND YOUR CALLING, HAVE A VISION, MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS!
