Unity of Creation

One of my most central beliefs is in what I like to think of as the fundamental unity of creation. What I mean by that is that I believe that ultimately humans aren't in opposition to each other or to the world, or at least that we don't have to be. Or put yet another way, life is not a zero-sum game. I believe that ultimately, what's best for me, and what's best for other people, and what's best for the world will turn out to be the same thing. It seems to me that belief in the goodness of God demands that this be true – otherwise we'd have a situation where God would have to preference some of His children over others, to choose which ones got the best and which ones got the less good.

Looking at the world we inhabit, though, one might wonder how this could be true. Clearly there are plenty of people who whom the way things are isn't what's best for them. Many, many people simply need more of basic necessities, just for starters. And, given that the planet is finite, for others to have more may mean for me to have less. It's obvious to me that this is just – correcting the distribution of wealth in the world would definitely mean that me, and many Americans, would live differently. But I also believe that this situation would be best for me as well, independent of the fact that it would be an improvement for others. I guess not completely independent, since part of the benefit to me would be the peace of knowing that I lived in a just society and that I wasn't taking more than my share. I suspect, though, that there would be other benefits in terms of my growth as a human being and my ability to find contentment in simplicity. And I definitely think I would be happier in a society that valued social justice more highly – I think the kind of changes that would make a more equitable and sustainable culture would also lead to more free time and closer community ties.

If I really believe that this is what would be best for me as well, then why am I not doing it? That's a fair question, and my answers are inadequate. Part of it is that I lack courage. I'm not sufficiently confident in my beliefs to make huge changes in the way I live – nor am I sure what those changes would look like. Should I be better at living out my beliefs? Absolutely. But I'm not. Maybe someday I will be – but I think I'm more likely to get there by changing where I can do so joyfully and by trying to listen for other opportunities for change than by condemning myself and talking all about how bad I am for not completely changing all at once. I do still feel a sense of urgency – there are people suffering now, some of whom will be dead tomorrow and beyond any help I can give. But I'm also not infinite in my capacities. The best I seem to be able to do is to try and walk the line between what's too complacent and comfortable and what's too much too fast for me to handle, and try to challenge myself and hope that God can work with that to move me further. I don't know if it's enough – I don't think I can know.

Part of the other reason for why I'm not doing more is that I think some of the problems are societal as well as personal – that making some of the changes doesn't seem worth it unless the society around me is changing in the same direction. It would be a whole lot easier for me to give up driving if there was much better public transportation. And I can vote based partly on that, especially in the local arena. I could also be more of a political activist, but I don't think that's my role. I would rather support the work of the activists and have my own work be more specifically in understanding and conserving the diversity of life on this planet. I think both roles (and many others) are useful. In a similar fashion, I think that giving up economic growth as an ideal and focusing our society around something other than consumption would be a good step towards a just culture. But I can't do that alone either – so I do what I can, as far as asking myself to consider my consumption – do I truly need this or will it truly increase my happiness in a significant way? Is there a way I can get it used or recycled? How can I reduce the impact of meeting my basic needs? It's a long way from perfect, but it's where I am now. Hopefully I'll see my way forward to improving and living more in line with what I believe.