Thanks to all of you who have added comments on last week's post. Its great to hear other people's experiences, they are always encouraging. The halfway mark of Lent is approaching (Sunday 7th March is the 19th day out of 40)and the rubber is really starting to hit the road, especially if you have taken on a discipline that is proving hard. You might also be feeling a little restless if you're tired of the "stripped down" liturgy and can't wait to launch into some guts-and-glory-type hymns.
I've taken on my usual Lent discipline which is giving up tea and coffee. This year I have found it harder than before - for some reason the foggy head feeling that persists for at least a week during detox has been more pronounced. Now that I've come out of that I'm feeling good! I always feel empowered by giving up something that I am, lets face it, addicted to. I get a sense of taking control of my life again.
I've also added a twist to the discipline this year and given up not just tea and coffee but all hot drinks. I did this because I've been doing further reading on global warming and I'm even more convinced of the need for all of us to take leadership in our personal lifestyles to tackle carbon emissions. I thought the carbon saved by not boiling the kettle would mean others benefit, in a small way, by my abstinence. Some quick online research revealed that boiling the kettle 5 times a day (conservative for me)would produce 3kg of carbon dioxide during Lent. And, yes, this translates to over 27kg a year! And that is tiny compared to when the rubber literally hits the road through motor transportation. I'm making progress here with my bike and public transport but there's still a long way to go. Ultimately (as I think Gabi was getting at in her comment on my last post) all discipline must lead us to prayer. Prayer is the ultimate discipline and takes care of all the others. Even a quest to reduce carbon emissions is perfected in prayer because when I take time out to pray I'm carbon neutral!
I think that this link between Lent and efforts to address global warming is very interesting. The situation we find ourselves in today does seem connected to our 'greed'- or sinfulness if you like - our exploitation of the earth's limited resources in a wasteful manner. Attempts to reduce personal carbon footprints are more than cliched 'doogooder' ideqals, they are, in a very real way, either actions of abstinence (giving up something, like unecessary car travel, or heating/cooling) or actions that force us to be more mindful and respectful of our relationship with this earth God has gifted to us. For instance, handwatering my veges with a watering can that I fill from the tank every day is more time consuming than turning on the hose, but it forces me to take time to notice the water, the veges, the weather as I wait for the can to fill, etc. Abstinence and deliberate meditaion on our daily actions can both be prayerful moments.
ReplyDeleteHelena.
That's a fascinating link - Lent and our carbon footprint. As the official Sustainability Officer for the Parish of Swan (you'll be hearing more from me later) I've never thought of that link. But at the moment my wife and I are on single income at the moment and we're finding ways to cut down on our living. I think compared to when both of us were earning money, we've cut down quite a bit on carbons, simply because we don't have the money to emit those extra carbons that we did before! So, giving up our luxuries that we had before has somehow been enforced upon us as a mid-Lenten discipline!
ReplyDeleteNow I'm feeling bad for boiling that kettle. But honestly, if you boil enough water for your cup it's better than doing a whole kettle for one cup.
God bless
Stanley
Off topic a bit, but I love the appropriate change of picture up the top of the blog's website for Lent!
ReplyDeleteStanley