Our Responsibility in relation to Creation

by Benoît Bleau  (August 2012)

For several months I have been making suggestions aimed at lessening our impact on the planet, but why is this so important?

Humans are the only inhabitants of our planet capable of great technological achievements. The problem is that when they are motivated by short term personal satisfaction, they quickly forget the consequences of their actions for the planet, its ecosystems and other humans.

When I realized that Canadians were the largest producers of garbage in the world ahead of the Americans and the Irish and that in terms of average annual production Quebecers had the highest with 466 kg per person, ahead of Alberta with 372 kg, and Ontario with 363 kg, I was disheartened. For 36 years I have been campaigning for organic agriculture and for a more ecological management of our resources, and I believed Quebec to be in the lead, but this is far from being the case.

Side by side with environmental problems we are looking on passively at great and greater injustices which exist between rich and poor, producer countries and consumer countries. To what extent are we responsible and how can we bring to an end these social and environmental injustices?. Pope Benedict XVI said recently “It is becoming more and more clear that there is an indivisible link between peace with creation and peace among humans, which presupposes peace with God”. He also tells us “If you want to build peace, protect creation”.

These quotations say a lot to me. My christian upbringing has instilled in me ideas about loving one’s neighbor, about forgiveness and about respect for creation. In order to achieve these ideals I need to be aware of theconsequences of my actions. This is a task which requires unwavering presence of mind, as it is so easy to act automatically and to go for pleasures which can be obtained quickly and easily but which are never fully satisfying.

Everything we do has consequences, directly or indirectly, on the environment and on humans. We often say “Out of sight, out of mind” – I hope this is not your motto. I invite you to listen to your heart in making choices. Take the everyday choice between one make of coffee or another, for example. We can buy coffee manufactured by a multinational whose main concern is to please its shareholders. It is quite probable that the workers who produce this coffee, do so under inequitable conditions. It is also very likely that the land on which this coffee is grown is utilized abusively and deprives the local people of the space they need to produce their own basic foods. You can choose a product labelled “Fair Trade Product” which means that at least the producers have received the respect they deserve. You can also make the decision to replace your coffee with a herb tea or a coffee made of locally produced cereal. As consumers we have the power to choose.

Let’s question the actions we take each day. I challenge you to select one action each month between now and the end of the year and try to understand the consequences of that action. It would be interesting for all of us to share your thoughts about this challenge. In Hemmingford there are already several groups of people who are asking questions about human, environmental, economic or social injustices. In the October 2012 issue we shall publish an up-date list of these groups. Let’s make the effort to find out what alternatives they propose to those actions which have negative consequences for creation. I also invite Hemmingford community organizations to get in touch with us to let us know what they are doing towards creating a better world.

Here are some references to help your thoughts along :

Website : Terresacree.org
Magazine: “La vie est belle” June 2012
Wishing you a happy beginning to the new term and I am looking forward to receiving your comments at benoit.bleau@mail.com or at 450-247-0137.
Together we can make a difference.