Praying for the Gulf of Mexico

by Carol Hohle

The situation is horrific.  Like the BP CEO – we all want our lives back.

But here we are in an awful mess.  This mess isn’t a “spill.”  It’s much larger than a spill.  It isn’t a “natural disaster.”  It is a human-made disaster.  And, the clean up deserves our utmost humility, consecration and love.

Forty-five days in to the crisis, I’m finding it important to personally remain positive – to refrain from scapegoating or feeling overwhelmed.  I’m grateful to begin reading some op-eds that are reflecting on the moral and spiritual opportunities we can claim if we are truly willing to learn from this calamity.

Mostly though, I’m finding it helpful to stay open – open to solutions, open to inspiration, open to new ways I can keep reducing my own dependence on fossil fuels – and keeping my joy.

How are you maintaining your peace your mind and how are you thinking about & responding to the oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico?

What have you found helpful?  Here are three recent thoughtful articles.  (Thanks, Miles, for submitting the article by Jim Wallis)

Jim Wallis -  “A Time for Moral Reckoning” 6/3/2010
Excerpt:  “Theologically, we are witnessing a massive despoiling of God’s creation. We were meant to be stewards of the Gulf of Mexico, the wetlands that protect and spawn life, the islands and beaches, and all of God’s creatures who inhabit the marine world. But instead, we are watching the destruction of all that. Why? Because of the greed for profits; because of deception and lies; because of both private and public irresponsibility. And at the root, because of an ethic of endless economic growth, fueled by carbon-based fossil fuels, that is ultimately unsustainable and unstable.

It’s not just that BP has lied, even though they have — over and over — to cover up their behavior and avoid their obligations. It is that BP is a lie; what it stands for is a lie. It is a lie that we can continue to live this way, a lie that our style of life is stable and sustainable, a lie that these huge oil companies are really committed to a safe and renewable energy future. BP should indeed be made to pay for this crime against the creation — likely with its very existence.

But I am also reminded of what G.K. Chesterton once said when asked what was most wrong with the world. He reportedly replied, ‘I am.’”

Christian Science Monitor Editorial – “Why the Gulf oil spill demands more than new regulations” 5/28/2010
Excerpt:  “Stewardship of the earth isn’t just an aesthetic imperative or a self-serving desire for sustainable use of natural resources. It is also a spiritual exercise in how people get along and define progress for their society.”

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori – “A Lesson from the Gulf Oil Spill: We Are All Connected” 5/26/2010
Excerpt:  “There is no place to go “away” from these consequences; there is no ultimate escape on this planet. The effects at a distance may seem minor or tolerable, but the cumulative effect is not. We are all connected, we will all suffer the consequences of this tragic disaster in the Gulf, and we must wake up and put a stop to the kind of robber baron behavior we supposedly regulated out of existence a hundred years ago. Our lives, and the liveliness of the entire planet, depend on it.”