Have you ever asked yourself why we were created with a body in constant need of consuming in order to survive and function well? Even the vegetarian can't get around it, much of our lives revolves around eating - and working so that we can afford to buy and eat more in the future.
Even without subscribing to a consumerist lifestyle we still can't escape the need to constantly exploit precious natural resources - water, air, vegetation, never mind the huge dependence on fossil fuels for travel, transportation and the use as energy source for the industries who employ us. And the faster our population grows around the globe and the more developing countries like China and India become industrialized and are able to provide more affluent lifestyles to its citizens, the louder the time-bomb is ticking on which we and future generations sit.
Where does the Creator's intent fit into this mechanism? Wasn't it His idea that we multiply and fill the earth? Wasn't this constantly consuming body His design? Didn't He give us the ingenuity to advance our knowledge and abilities to be explorers, inventers and scientists? How could a system designed like this be sustainable in the long run, even without the factor of sin and its consequences?
Did we already overstep our originally intended boundaries when we went from agricultural to industrial societies? Is the progress of science at least partially to blame for exacerbating our ability to consume more and at a faster rate than ever before? How can we even begin to remedy the situation as long as we're told that we need to consume more rather than less in order to stimulate our economies and get out of recession and the personal hardships linked to it?
Maybe a partial answer to some of these questions is in the word "limit". God didn't just create life but also set limits, interestingly enough in that very area of eating. The concern clearly wasn't limited supply but venturing beyond the God-intended limits of knowledge - something He knew would turn out deadly for all of us, spiritually and physically.
What are your thoughts on design and purpose of the "consumer aspect" of our humanity? Does it help at all to even ask the question? Is there a responsible way of living that can escape the mechanisms described?
Comments on this blog are always welcome!
Even without subscribing to a consumerist lifestyle we still can't escape the need to constantly exploit precious natural resources - water, air, vegetation, never mind the huge dependence on fossil fuels for travel, transportation and the use as energy source for the industries who employ us. And the faster our population grows around the globe and the more developing countries like China and India become industrialized and are able to provide more affluent lifestyles to its citizens, the louder the time-bomb is ticking on which we and future generations sit.
Where does the Creator's intent fit into this mechanism? Wasn't it His idea that we multiply and fill the earth? Wasn't this constantly consuming body His design? Didn't He give us the ingenuity to advance our knowledge and abilities to be explorers, inventers and scientists? How could a system designed like this be sustainable in the long run, even without the factor of sin and its consequences?
Did we already overstep our originally intended boundaries when we went from agricultural to industrial societies? Is the progress of science at least partially to blame for exacerbating our ability to consume more and at a faster rate than ever before? How can we even begin to remedy the situation as long as we're told that we need to consume more rather than less in order to stimulate our economies and get out of recession and the personal hardships linked to it?
Maybe a partial answer to some of these questions is in the word "limit". God didn't just create life but also set limits, interestingly enough in that very area of eating. The concern clearly wasn't limited supply but venturing beyond the God-intended limits of knowledge - something He knew would turn out deadly for all of us, spiritually and physically.
What are your thoughts on design and purpose of the "consumer aspect" of our humanity? Does it help at all to even ask the question? Is there a responsible way of living that can escape the mechanisms described?
Comments on this blog are always welcome!
