Here in the Pacific Northwest where stunning, relatively well-preserved rivers, mountains and sweeping open spaces command our attention and a bit of reverence, it’s popular to be “spiritual but not religious”. These aren’t just words. For example, Oregon has the second lowest church attendance in the nation. In my experience, people’s announcement of being spiritual-but-not-religious always meets with pleasant head-bobbing and no questions.
But global warming is advancing rapidly, with few firm commitments to reduce emissions in sight from almost anyone, spiritual, religious or atheist. So, I’m getting ready to ask a question or two the next time the topic comes up.
Here is my question, that I’ll ask in a pleasant tone: “And what does your spirituality lead you to do?”
In my experience and understanding, a spiritual path involves some discipline, and some concern for the well-being of other people and other species, as well as one’s own well-being. We know now that burning fossil fuels causes global warming (the science is unanimous, with only economic and political interests finding any controversy in the topic). Whatever world leaders commit or don’t commit to as the climate talks in Copenhagen conclude, we all have responsibility. I believe a spiritual path, or ethical path for that matter, should be one of treading lightly on the earth, consuming fossil fuels in particular sparingly.
In our current U.S. culture the idea of consuming less generally meets with fear. Yet, my household consumes significantly less fossil fuel than the U.S. average (one car, smallish house, small electricity bill, meat-free kitchen) and we live full, active, joyful lives with no sense of deprivation at all. In fact, the peak of happiness in the U.S. occurred at a time of much less affluence than now.
In my view, the most valid objection to consuming less is that doing so can shrink the economy and thus cost other people their jobs. Yet look at all the job loss that has followed our record levels of consuming in recent decades. Much job loss has been in retail, restaurants and other luxury goods and services that were not inherently necessary or sustainable in the first place. Industries built on over-consumption set themselves up for job loss (not that I want any individual to lose their job). I suggest that if everyone who currently works full-time worked 10%-25% fewer hours, most people currently unemployed would then also be able to work 28-35 hours a week. We would all have to adjust our consumption accordingly – and that would be a good thing, especially for the earth’s dwindling resources.
When I visited Glacier National Park three years ago to see the fast-disappearing glaciers, Thor and I went to a United Church of Christ worship service one Sunday morning in nearby Missoula, Montana. The minister energetically announced that if he heard one more person claim to be spiritual but not religious, he would retch. Why reject all religion out of hand, as if it could not possibly be spiritual, itself? he asked. And my question is slightly different: what are we doing with our spirituality, or religion, or ethics?
If we are indeed spiritual, religious and/or just plain old ethical, I suggest we commit ourselves, and warmly hold each other accountable, to consuming less gasoline, heating oil, natural gas and electricity, since it’s clear that consuming those is driving the global warming that will lead to tremendous suffering. Our change needs to be measurable, or it generally doesn’t actually happen. Examples: lowering your electricity bill by 25%; reducing your car’s monthly odometer reading by 85 miles by walking and biking more; eating no meat three days a week. While I don’t have all the answers, the upper right column of my web-page contains links to posts on using less electricity, gasoline, etc. I also welcome your comments and input.
We’ve all heard that there are no atheists in foxholes. Here is the thing, friends: we are in a foxhole. All together. The out of control climate is our foxhole. Whether we are spiritual, religious, agnostic or atheist, we need a self-disciplined path of less fossil fuel use. My own experience is that that kind of life can be joyful, what I call diamond-cut: rich in human relationships, physical vitality, connection to nature and community. And spirituality, which for this Oregonian also involves happily going to church. 
This reminds me of an anecdote from my engineering ethics textbook. It told the story of a committee that met in, I think the 50s, to hammer out a set of formal guidelines for scientific experimenting on humans. It consisted of people from several different religions, a few ethics philosophers, and some scientists. They argued unresolvably when they tried to come up with a list of first principles on which to base their guidelines. But when they stopped arguing and started looking at case studies instead, they all tended to agree on what was good or bad about the cases — even if their reasons differed.
Laura,
Interesting anecdote, one that I’d never heard before. I do believe there are some things that are universally true across time and across cultures, including in the realm of morality and ethics — and it sounds like the philosphers, religious people and scientists did arrive at universal values, albeit with different rationales. I like it. Thanks for sharing this; I like hearing from people with engineering backgrounds since I have a social sciences, literature and arts orientation, and I need your style of thinking to augment my own.
Could Americans ever adopt a mindset where they work less than 50 hours per week? That would be awesome if the rat race could slow down a little.
Great ideas, well put again. Thanks.
MM, I’ve read that folks in the European Union (variety of countries) work substantially fewer hours per week and year than we in the U.S. — and they maintain a very good standard of living.
In the UK full-time work is defined as generally being 35-37 hours, though 40 is not uncommon and of course there are people who work a lot more…… I have always worked part time, currently 21 hours a week and have found this fine financially. My partner works 35 hours a week. We try to live a low impact lifestyle and are not big consumers (escept for second hand books…….).
As for spiritual, not religious, some people say this and are very much in touch with a genuine spirituality that gives them a real meaning and inspires real activism, some people say it and mean that they like to have candles and incense in their living room. In general we go to church less in the UK than you do in the USA.