When people write a book, they write for an intended
audience. That becomes the 'we'. When they speak about 'we do this' and 'we do
that' or 'we can do this', it is their intended audience that supposedly does
or can do those things. For books that discuss the environment, the 'we' is
sometimes American, usually from a western country and usually relatively
wealthy And to a certain extent, this understandable. If authors tried to
include everyone who might possible read their books, they may end up being able
to say nothing about all.
But the 'we' or 'us' also has a 'them'. The 'us' is rich
people in the western world. The 'them' is people living in developing and
third world countries. And that is a very real 'us' and 'them'. The way we (you
see, it's impossible to avoid it) live in the western world is vastly different
to the way 'they' live in developing countries. That needs to be discussed and
the differences need to be highlighted.
However, there are also problems with having an 'us' and
'them' division. The first is that the 'us' they describe is not just
westerners, but wealthy westerners. I know myself that I am very definitely
part of the 'us' group. And yet the 'us' they talk about seems to have
lifestyles very different from my own. And I think the 'us' and 'them' idea can
lead to the idea that all people living in the western world are wealthy, have
enough to eat, a variety of clothes to wear and live in spacious homes with
thermostats.
And yet that's not the case at all. Many people living in
western countries, even (gasp) America,
are struggling financially. Read Nickel
and Dimed, for an example of the difficult situation many Americans find
themselves in. And the problem is not just limited to America. There
are people struggling in Australia
too. When we talk about 'us' and 'them'
we must not fall into the trap of believing that everyone included in that 'us'
is doing fine and it's only the 'them' that have problems. The 'us' includes
some people who find it hard to afford food, clothing and shelter. They must
not be forgotten somewhere between the 'us' and the 'them'.
Another problem with the 'us' and 'them' is that it creates
a divide. The problems faced by those living in developing countries can be
seen as 'their' problem, not ours. Yes, we may change our lifestyle, donate
money and do a variety of other things to help them. But there is often the
sense that we are helping 'them', not helping 'us' as a human race. It is seen
as 'generosity' not 'responsibility'. We
lose sight of the fact that we are all human beings together. That 'us' and
'them' make up the same 'we'.
And imagine if we broadened the 'us' out even further.
Humans often tend to think of a division in the world we live in. There is the
'us' of human beings and then there is the 'they' of all non-human elements of
this earth. But imagine if we got rid of the 'us' and 'them' and started
thinking mainly in terms of 'we'. The tree outside my house belong to the same 'we'
that I belong to, for we are all part of the earth community. It is not 'other'
but 'us'.
We live in a very individualistic society. And again, who is
the we I am speaking of here? Obviously human. Presumably westerners. And even
then, western countries encompass a wide range of different cultural groups.
Are they all individualistic? I suspect not.
Let's just say that I have a very individualistic worldview.
Forget about the 'us', I tend mainly to think in terms of 'me'. It's very hard
to lose sight of that 'me' and concentrate on any 'us'. To remove the focus
from myself and place it on the greater whole sometimes makes me feel like my
head is about to explode.
Sometimes, but not always. For instance, my family is an 'us'.
When people ask me how my family is doing, I don't try to separate each person
out. I may talk about problems or joys that the whole family has had together.
Or I might speak about problems or joys that belong to one particular person in
the family. But it is still an 'us'. When my son is going through something, in
a way, the whole family is going through that same something. We all share in it
together.
Another time when I forget about the 'me' is when I am out
in nature. Being out in nature often makes me forget about myself. The 'me'
disappears. Instead, I become part of the 'we' of everything I see around me. I
think one reason why spending time in nature is so relaxing is because it does change
our focus from the 'me' to the 'us'. And losing sight of the 'me' is good for
our souls.
But if we are to embrace the 'us', then it must include
everyone. That's not just the people you like or the people you have compassion
for. It includes climate change deniers, wealthy capitalists and polluters.
One of my favourite parts of the bible is when Jesus tells
Zacchaeus that he intends to visit his house. As a tax-collector, Zacchaeus was
like the person who today pays his employees slave wages and dumps all his
pollutants into the river. You can just imagine the disciples thinking, no,
Jesus, you've got it wrong. He's not one of 'us', he's one of 'them'.
But Jesus doesn't let there be a 'them'. There is only 'us'
with Jesus. Yes, we have our differences. It is not only the tree outside my
house or the climate change sceptic that is different to me, it is only my son
who has inherited many of my (good and not so good) characteristics. But we
have been focused on those differences for so long that we have forgotten we
are all part of the greater whole. We need to stop thinking about 'me' or even
a narrowly defined 'us' and think of a 'us' that encompasses everyone.
It is this 'us' that needs to live together. It is the good
of this greater 'us' that we should be aiming for. And it is this 'us' that
Jesus came to save.
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