Earlier this year, in an article in The Christian Century (January 8, 2014, Vol. 131, No. 1), Peter Storey , the former president of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and of the South African Council of Churches pays tribute to Nelson Mandela. In he notes that "Mandela was a master of grand and small acts of inclusion." He talks about Madela's genius for ubuntu, being aware that one's life is bound up with the lives of all other beings, including our opponents.
I believe that there is a terminal dearth of this concept in our culture. So many are willfully ignorant about the effect of their lifestyle on the health of the earth, and of how pollution and water scarcity harm and shorten the lives of millions around the world. It seems so insignificant, the disposable water bottle, the light left on all night, the joyride on a Sunday afternoon. We can afford it; where's the harm?
Is it really so much trouble to separate recyclable items from the rest of our trash? Do we really need to have inedible items triple wrapped when we buy them?
I heard some comment on the recent report on global warming, a politician who declared it is pointless for us to lessen our carbon footprint unless China and India do the same. That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. It makes a difference. It all makes a difference. Maybe it doesn't prevent a global catastrophe, but it could at least delay it for a few years, a decade, a generation. And a lot could happen in that time. With any luck our children will be smarter about such things than we are. And they will not hesitate to live with the understanding that we all live together or we will all die together.
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