In the first
chapter of Genesis, after God created the earth and everything
in it, He said to Adam and Eve:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible
for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing
that moves on the face of Earth.”
What that means
is that we were given responsibility for the earth and the
creatures with which we share it-- not to harm them, but to
bless them.
The speakers at
the Master Degree Hooding Ceremony were eloquent describing the
ways we have failed to do that. Species are becoming extinct.
Animals and plants are suffering because of habitat elimination,
chemicals, climate change, human mismanagement, and other
complex factors.
I found myself
looking at my own lifestyle choices. How have I contributed? Why
can’t I live without plastic bags, bottled water, and harsh
chemicals? Would a few changes ultimately heal the planet? No,
of course not. But it is something. And it is consistent with
someone’s passion.
This brings me
to the general graduation ceremony. I found it extremely
disturbing. Every speaker talked about how terrible our world
has become:
-
Economic
disparity.
-
Cultural
disenfranchisement.
-
Ethnic
and gender-based intolerance.
-
Emerging
environmental catastrophes.
The list was
extremely long.
As I listened to
speeches that attacked the current values of our economy and
culture, I experienced profound despair. I also felt guilty.
When did I become part of the problem? Have I supported policies
and practices that contribute to such rampant idealized hate?
How have we as a
culture created so many academicians and young people who see
generational darkness where I see hope and light? Yes, diversity
and acceptance of the choices of others is important, but there
needs to be a way to do that without judgments that vilify.
Did we forget to
teach our children about love?
While the next
generation advocates for radical cultural inclusion, world-wide
economic reorientation, educational parity, and healing the
planet’s environment, it cannot exclude those who are not
interested in their causes. This world is not about “us and
them.” It is about “us and us.”
Jesus taught
that love must be put above everything else. He ate and drank
with those whose ideologies and passions were different than
his. He crossed ethnic and gender lines.
The apostle
Matthew was a tax collector—a man who made lots of money from
the poverty of others. Scripture never quotes Jesus as saying,
“Matthew, you are the scum of the earth for cheating the Jews.”
Instead, He said
to all his disciples, “Put love before everything.”
After much
reflection, I see that many of the problems cited in the
graduation speeches are the direct result of personal greed.
Everyone wants a nice house, gas-guzzling car, lots of gadgets,
and enough money to retire without a drop in their household
economic condition. But in Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus said:
“Don’t hoard
treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by
rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven,
where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious,
isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you
will most want to be, and end up being.”
Life isn’t about
accumulating more things, but about experiencing the only thing
that has lasting value… love for others. Greed and hate can
destroy us.
Love never will.