this morning i had a thought. i know this isn’t directly related, but it is indirectly. tomorrow, 29 march, is earth hour, a day when folks around the world who use electricity are asked to turn off their lights for one hour, 8:00pm local time. besides the obvious, and largely symbolic, benefit of conservation, i think the experiment has a few other pluses.
it’s a good way to dip our finger in the water of sustainability to get a feel for the temperature. one day the levees are going to break and we’ll all be forced to swim.
another benefit related to this project: we, in developed countries, have no imagination for an economy of thrift. as the pentecost project points out, our economy is faltering and the solution is spending of a certain kind; not saving, not paying down debt, but buying. western economies are based on debt and consumption.
so, this earth hour could be seen as a kind of rite in which we rehearse a different, more Christian way of being in the world — a practice that seems all the more urgent as we consider trusting ourselves to handle our bush bucks wisely.
another plus: solidarity with the majority of people and communities who do without electricity.
interesting side note: tomorrow is the feast of St. Cyril of Heliopolis, martyred for opposing idolatry.