Pastor's Note

TO TRAVEL OR NOT?
June 24th, 2007

About three weeks ago, I was talking to a car dealer who told me how a growing number of his customers were starting to look for more fuel efficient cars. The obvious reason was the cost of gasoline.
At the same time, I heard from others who were riding bicycles to work, car pooling, and even canceling some long trips. One woman commented that it was not simply to save money but also to make an effort to conserve on the use of a natural resource.
Use of gasoline, just like awareness of climate change or the way we waste food, is not simply a matter of economics or personal choice. These are also moral issues. Because people live in a world with other people, we have to be conscious of not just ‘getting our own’ but also watching out for the well-being of all people and the entire planet.
For most people, however, it is a hard step to go from saving on gasoline money to not using more than our own share of the world’s resources (and the United States has certainly used more than its share of many resources). It is a matter of new awareness of what is available and how our consumption habits affect others.
Making choices not to drive somewhere or how to limit one’s use of gasoline may be the biggest challenge of this summer. Talking about these decisions as a family can be good for all involved. Maybe this year’s gasoline prices can become an opportunity for some changes in habits.