Designed to Sustain

Sustainability has become a buzz word today. It is believed that sustainability is the new thinking brought about by the millenials and the generation Z.

Is Sustainability truly a New Concept of this Generation?

It is a curious case that the concept of sustainability is probably as old as time. In the Judeo-Christian faith, the bible speaks of God who created the heavens and the earth, along with all living creatures to live together in harmony. Capping the creation story, God then, creates Adam and Eve and bestows upon them the great honor to have dominion over all of His creation and rule them alongside Him.

Here are some interesting concepts found in the biblical narrative illustrating age-old principles of sustainability.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Designed to Live Harmoniously with Nature – The symbiotic relationship between man and nature is simply genius! As man exhales carbon dioxide and takes in oxygen, plants optimize our air waste as its food while we optimize plants’ air waste of oxygen as our source of life. This basic design of interdependency is simply circular and sustainable!
            2. Designed to Have Dominion – It is a striking realization that our first job description could have actually been to serve as God’s Chief Sustainability Officer for creation. The bible narrates that Adam named the animals and lived in harmony with them, allowing the natural cycles of life to unfold, showing a responsible approach towards man’s dominion over nature.
            3. Designed to be Inclusive and Equal – Created as partners, both man and woman shared an equal role in leadership, demonstrating mutual respect as they serve as co-leaders in overseeing creation.

The Catholic faith has taken active steps to iterate the natural design and apostolic role of man to once again, serve as co-leaders of God’s creation. Laudato Si, written by Pope Francis, discusses the environmental and social issues we all face. It is an urgent call to tackle the current ecological crisis by making a paradigm shift that will allow all human beings to live sustainably in dignity.

Complementing the call to care for nature is the foundational teachings of Christian faith on loving our neighbor as ourselves. The calling for brotherly love, when practiced, will inevitably result in working towards inclusive opportunities, fairness and community support systems to help each one thrive sustainably and in dignity.

You may download Laudato Si  here