This year I have an Easter message. This year it’s not religious. Last year I talked about the Christian meaning of Easter. One blog reader thought it was a nice fantasy : ) Actually, I think it’s nice to see people sport morals without religion. Those people aren’t doing good to get a reward. They’re doing it because they believe it’s the right thing to do.
I saw the weather forecast for sun all weekend and knew I had to seize the day. You don’t have to be religious to get out there and worship the sun or the big blue marble we live on. I snowshoed up Hollyburn ridge before dawn and caught the sunrise over the mountains. Then I broke the kayak out at Third Beach and caught the sunset. A perfect day. That’s what I love about this time of year. You still have melting snow on the mountains you can enjoy and you can also go sailing or kayaking the same weekend or if you’re energetic, the same day.
I really enjoy hiking and snowshoeing in the mountains. That is my holy land. My Easter pilgrimage. There’s nothing better than getting the heart beating and breathing all that fresh air. Stopping to look at a big tree in admiration. Breathing in the fresh oxygen the tree produces and breathing out the carbon dioxide the tree uses. We are interdependent. That was a term Martin Luther King used in reference to social justice. Today I’m using the term to emphasize how connected we really are to the environment we live in.
We breath that air. Polluting that air is like shooting ourselves in the foot. It’s very short sighted. Just as clear cutting a forest is. Preston Manning told the media that taking care of the environment is being fiscally responsible. Indeed it is. He also said that’s a tough sell among Harper’s people. Indeed that is. They can’t grasp the concept at all.
Being fiscally responsible means you don’t leave your kids an over burdensome debt. Likewise it means not trashing the planet so they can enjoy it too with their kids. It’s time we start really embracing words like sustainability. We’ve got to overcome the selfish greed of short sighted self destruction.
With the rise of the Green Party it’s clear that you don’t have to be an eco terrorist to care about the planet. No one likes to see a beach or alpine trail covered with litter. Trashing the environment shows a lack of self respect. We need to think about the air we breath and the water we drink. We need to be better stewards of this marvelous ecosystem that we are very much a part of.
This was today's Easter Pilgrimage:
Metro Vancouver should end garbage incineration: study
Thank you for sharing that with us.
ReplyDeleteI have to make a comment on your comment, "It's nice to see people support morals without religion".
ReplyDeleteI am not a religious person in terms of going to church and such things, but I believe we are all religious people in terms of our morals. Canada was built on the belief in Christianity, a lot of us were taught, in non religious ways, the morals and values of the Christians. I went to a regular public school and every morning we sang the anthem, said the Lords prayer, and at lunch sang Johnny Appleseed.
Christmas concerts were about Christmas, the birth of Christ and we all knew the Christmas story. Some of my friends went to church, some of them didn't... but we all had the connection based on the morals and values of the faith. It was taught to us, and we had the choice to believe or not.
Jump forward to modern day, the world is in turmoil. People are shooting babies in their face, committing rape, murder, and other horrendous crimes. The current and future generations are simply not being taught morals and values. We have taken religion, even the smallest bit that was present in my upbringing, right out of the lives of our children. We have taken the basic foundation of Canada, our morals and values and laws that are based on Christianity and tossed them to the wind; and I firmly believe our society is paying the price.
I may not be a full believer, but I do stand firm in my belief that religion plays a very big role in our foundation. I know my morals and values are very much based on the faith, even though I can count on 1 hand the amount of times I have been to church.
Johnny Appleseed? That is retro : ) I remember that. I totally support the freedom of religion. I think religion strives to make bad men good and good men (and women) better. I think religion is a good thing. Nina Grewel came out with a good statement in support of Christmas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bQit6eEsV4
ReplyDeleteMy previous post on the Christian meaning of Easter stands. Yet many people shy away from organized religion because of hypocrisy. My point is that they don't have to abandon morals as a result. Christ confronted the religious leaders at the time right before he was crucified and called them liars, hypocrites and extortionists.
I was somewhat shocked to see them start the Daytona 500 with a prayer. For me religion and prayer is important but private. Public prayer is good but sometimes I get the feeling it's done for show. Despite the secularization of our country, nothing stops us from worshiping according to the dictates of our own conscience. Yet.
"I was somewhat shocked to see them start the Daytona 500 with a prayer".
DeleteWelcome to The South. NASCAR is part of Southern Culture.
Jenifer: Good for you girl.
ReplyDeleteYou have answered the most important question and that is "Your values and Morals are based on faith". Nobody can take that away from you.Remember that! As our modern world goes to Hell in an hand basket; we will all be confronted with our own values and morals."We might even have to answer to them"!
Yes morals are good and there is nothing wrong with morals and values that are based in faith.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, one notes that the charity in Whalley is all done by faith-based groups. Very few else in our society seem to care....the food is all from the religious movements.
ReplyDeleteThat’s a very good point. Many people contribute to the United Way through employee deductions but when push comes to shove the people out there feeding the homeless tend to be the religious groups.
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