"How much investment are we going to put in towards a safer and more balanced future?…… God bless you all in this New Year, and may you have patience for the long view"
The Archbishop of Canterbury
London: In his new year’s message, the Archbishop of Canterbury – Dr Rowan Williams – referred to both physical and spiritual matters, in particular noting waste in society.
He referred to society’s desire for acquiring the latest and best thereby creating “fantastic quantities of waste”, this despite the constant talk of recycling and green thinking.
His New Year’s message was recorded at both Canterbury Cathedral and a local recycling centre, with shots of waste collection, landfills and industry for emphasis. Following the example set by the Queen, the Archbishop’s message is also available on YouTube.
YouTube, which was started in 2005, was bought by Google last year for $1.65 billion.
Dr Williams warned that a short-termistic exploitation of resources, which produces vast quantities of waste, also has implications for other aspects of living.
Dr Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop said:
“By this stage of the holiday season, I imagine you might be looking with some dismay at your overflowing rubbish bin. Or the amount of debris piling up outside your back door.
“Food, drinks, presents - they all come with more and more packaging.
“The build up of stuff around us that cannot be recycled – is not something we can ignore.
"Look at the number of plastic bags flapping around by the roadside, in town and country alike and you see what I mean”.
Society’s approach to waste
Dr Williams wondered how this might affect attitudes in other parts of our lives?.
"In a society where we think of so many things as disposable; where we expect to be constantly discarding last year's gadget and replacing it with this year's model, do we end up tempted to think of people and relationships as disposable? "Are we so fixated on keeping up with change that we lose any sense of our need for stability?"
He referred to the term “sustainability” as being a sense of obligation that all of us share at a deep level. An obligation “to hand on to our children and grandchildren a legacy that helps them live and flourish.”
God’s approach to waste
The Archbishop says that God is involved in building to last, in creating a sustainable world and sustainable relationships.
Dr Williams continued, "He doesn't give up on the material of human lives. He doesn't throw it all away and start again. And he asks us to approach one another and our physical world with the same commitment”.
"God doesn't do waste. He doesn't regard anyone as a ‘waste of space', as not worth his time.
New Year’s Resolution - start with visit to recycling bin
Dr Williams said:
“Perhaps a suitable New Year’s resolution would be to keep asking what kind of world we want to pass on to the next generation”.
He said that much of the time we do not allow ourselves to think about the future with realism.
"A culture of vast material waste and emotional short-termism is a culture that is a lot more fragile than it knows.”
"How much investment are we going to put in towards a safer and more balanced future?"
The Archbishop referred to this as being a big question, but one that we cannot avoid, “and if we feel a bit paralysed by just how big it is, well at least this week we can start by a visit to the nearest recycling bin”.
Dr Williams concluded by saying, “God bless you all in this New Year, and may you have patience for the long view”. He wished all a Happy New Year.
Further information
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s video can be found at:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=D6qGu4vQJFA