Sustaining humanity

Published July 15, 2006

IN THEORY

Sustaining humanity

Q:

Yahoo.com has offered opportunities for celebrities to ask questions to Yahoo users. Renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has reportedly chimed in with a question -- "In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain itself?" Hawking has reportedly said that the ability for humans to continue living depends on our ability to colonize away from Earth as the planet is increasingly threatened by disaster. From a faith perspective, what do you think human's must do to sustain the human race?

A:

St. Nektarios reminds us, "Seek God in your heart, not outside it." In the same vein we can say that the answers to humanity's problems are no farther than ourselves, and certainly not beyond the reach of our planet. We have created this mess, now we must clean it up.

Unless we deal with the fundamental issues which have plagued humankind since our earliest days, we will only carry the same "disease" to other worlds. Yes, I'm talking about the big seven: pride, greed, lust, envy, anger, laziness and gluttony. Poverty and war are only outward signs of these inner expressions.

As people of faith, we have the tools necessary to bring down these killers of humanity and it begins as easily as defining love as a place where pride, greed, lust, envy, anger, laziness and gluttony cannot exist. If we begin with love, we can feed the world, end the wars and find solutions to even ourselves. It sounds simplistic, because it is. We have complicated the world with possessions, boundaries and even religion. Why would we want to take these excesses to another planet, if given a chance to start anew? The opportunities for new beginnings are here. If people of faith can focus on spreading love, we will be propelled light-years ahead of ourselves.

Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Armenian Church Youth Ministries