This is the second piece in my series, “The Journey of Ecological Discipleship.” You can read the introduction HERE.
World Making
What does it mean to be alive on this planet at this particular time? Our answers to that question create our worldview, the way we make sense of our lives. A worldview is made up of the places we live, the relationships we have, the events we go through, the knowledge we gain, and the choices we make. When we piece all of this together into some kind of cohesive whole, a "world" comes into being. We do this as individuals, but we do not start with a blank canvas. In large part, we inherit the worldview of the people who raise us, the communities that teach us, the culture that shapes us, and the historical forces that act upon us. We can "live in our own world" to some extent, but our common worldview is shaped by forces far larger and stronger than our own experience.
The interpretive lens of our worldview is so constant that we are often unaware of it - we simply go about our days assuming that how we have pieced together our understanding of life corresponds with reality. But sometimes we experience a growing sense that there is something deeply wrong with our world. We may find ourselves questioning core beliefs, resisting expectations, and challenging established patterns of behavior. We may begin to wonder if a better world is possible. If this has ever happened to you, it may help to unpack the common worldview that has shaped so much of our experience.
The Human-Centered World
For the past 500 or so years – what is often called “Modernity” or “the Modern Era,” a dominant worldview has profoundly shaped how we understand our lives. In the value system of this worldview, we have placed ourselves at the center of existence – everything revolves around us. In the way power and privilege are understood, we have taken the top spot - everything is controlled by and for us.
This anthropocentric (the fancy word for human-centered) perspective has shaped every aspect of how we make sense of our lives, how we organize our communities, how we relate to the more-than-human world, and how we make decisions. In other words, it has created the dominant culture which has guided human life for the past five centuries. It is so pervasive that we are often completely unaware of its presence and power.
When we begin to notice the power and ubiquity of the human-centric worldview, however, we start to see its influence everywhere. In politics, we see how human life has been organized, and power distributed, in ways that elevate human needs and desires above those of other creatures and threaten the health of land, air, sea, and sky. In economics, we see how value is assigned in increasingly narrow and abstract ways, separated from physical goods, services, labor, and land. In technology, we see how humans exert extensive power in the world through tools designed to overcome natural limits and obstacles. In religion, we see how God's presence and purpose is restricted to human relationships and how God’s power is directed toward human benefit.
Taken together, we see a worldview designed to assert and maintain human dominance and control.
A New World(view) Comes into Being
In the early 1500's, the Italian astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus sensed that there was something wrong with the worldview of his time. A central belief was that the earth was the center of the universe. Copernicus’ observations of the night sky, and subsequent mathematical work, shattered this belief by demonstrating that the earth revolved around the sun. His discovery shook the world and challenged humanity to find better ways to describe reality, and to rethink their place and purpose.
We are in the midst of a similar revolution of understanding, though this one is more terrestrial than astronomical. The science of Ecology is challenging the long-held notions of Modernity regarding nature and human nature. We can no longer believe that we are at the center of earthly existence - life would go on without us, and yet our own lives could not continue without the presence and gifts of other creatures, as well as the earth itself. We can no longer claim the right to exert control over other creatures and the earth - the disastrous results of our efforts to do so are compounding daily. Thanks in part to the insights of ecotheology, we can no longer claim that this is the type of world God blesses and intends. The world that is emerging shows us that everything in creation is stitched together like a living web (an insight that indigenous groups have known for millennia).
This ecological revolution demands that we ask important questions. If we are not at the center of existence, set apart as radically unique creatures in a world designed for us, then what are we? If we are, in fact, embedded in a grand web of life, how might we recognize our uniqueness but place it in the service of that web (or what we might call "the community of creation"). If there is no hierarchy of being, and our lives are truly dependent on the lives of other creatures and the earth itself, how might we live in gratitude and reciprocity?
These are questions that shake the foundation of the modern worldview, a worldview we must leave behind.
To Leave or Not to Leave
When the worldview that has made sense of life is challenged, it can be tempting to respond with resistance. This is understandable - we can feel destabilized and scared. Better to hold on to what we have known, even if there are things we realize are not right. This is particularly true if that worldview has been good to us!
In fact, people who have benefited the most from a particular worldview often try desperately, sometimes violently, to hold on to it. They may vilify those who challenge the status quo, denouncing their claims and denigrating their character. This is what happened with Copernicus, who was roundly condemned and did not live to see his theories widely accepted. This is also happening in my home country, the United States, where many new leaders of our federal government deny the reality of climate change and denigrate the scientists, policy makers, and community leaders who are sounding the alarm and working to protect vulnerable people and places. To a much smaller extent, I have experienced this response in Christian circles when I invite people to explore creation-centric theological perspectives, biblical interpretation, and church practices.
A different response involves letting go and opening up to new ideas and possibilities. It takes courage, curiosity, and imagination to leave one worldview in search of another. But setting aside what has been, while still unsettling, opens new possibilities. What might we imagine?
Can we imagine our politics oriented toward seeking the common good for all creatures? Can we imagine economic relationships that take into account the health of the land, air, sea and sky? Can we imagine technology that assists in the earth's healing and helps us set wise limits on our consumption? Can we imagine religion that reconnects humans to the earth and our common Creator?
Imagining the world as it could be is a significant part of the journey of ecological discipleship. In my next piece, we will look at all eight stages of the journey. Until then, please take a moment to think about the reflection questions below. I'd love to hear your answers. As always, I can be reached at james.amadon@circlewood.online.
With you on The Way,
James