Aaron Escobar (CC) |
While pulling it over my head one day, I ripped a hole in the armpit. My mother-in-law graciously sewed it back together, but not long after that the sweater got a small hole in the rib area that increased in size with every laundry cycle. Then I managed to stretch out the sleeves to the point where the arms would flop around and slouch toward my elbows. As time went on, the color started to fade. I wore that sweater so much it basically dissolved.
One day I made the hard decision to throw it away. But instead of doing so, I set it next to the trash can just in case I changed my mind.
Finally one day I did the deed.
I opened up the trash can lid and stuffed it in. Then I made sure to throw away some coffee grinds and other nasty stuff right on top of it, ensuring I wouldn’t pull it back out.
Why Your Efforts to Save the Planet Are Futile
Tree huggers love to spend all of their time telling you how much you should care about mother earth. You should recycle. You shouldn’t drive cars. You shouldn’t eat meat.
They turn it into a religion. They worship nature, and castigate anyone who doesn’t care as much as they do.
Listen, I hate pollution just as much as anyone. And ask my wife: I hate waste. I’m that dad following the kids around the house turning off lights, and shutting off water when I think it’s been running too long.
And it’s not just that I’m a cheapskate, wanting to save every penny possible on utilities (although I am a bit of a cheapskate). No, there’s also something deeper that causes me to want to save resources. Call it nurture or call it nature, it’s there. I can’t even throw away leftover food until it gets fuzzy with microbial growth.
But as much as I possess those inclinations, I’m not the least bit concerned about saving the earth. And neither should you.
Why not?
Because it’s an impossible, losing battle.
Just like that sweater I had, the earth will wear out. It’s inevitable. Read what God says through His prophet, Isaiah:
The heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. (Isa. 51:6b)
Were it even possible to prolong the life of the earth, it will still eventually pass away (Matt. 24:35). And there’s not a thing you can do to prevent that.
I love nature; God’s creation is amazingly awesome. Some of my favorite times have been hiking, canoeing, and swimming in the ocean.
I don’t advocate being wasteful or purposely damaging the environment. Just like with money, time, and every other resource you have, you should be good stewards of natural resources, managing them as best as you can.
But the fact of the matter is that no matter how hard you try, you can’t save the planet. Just like my sweater eventually turned into a rag, our planet is destined for decay.
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