When I was in college I drove by an area that was being strip mined several times a semester when I was on the way to visit my parents (It is west of Buffalo TX on 164). On the south side of the road there was an ever deepening hole. On the other side a pretty wooded area.

7 years later the hole has been filled in. Well, mostly that is. The south side which used to be a hole is now 10-20 feet lower than the other side of the road. By the way, there are no trees on it either - just grass.

Now, the north side of the road is being strip mined. So the wooded area is gone, and as a result there are no more livestock or wildlife roaming. The area is pretty ugly now. Additionally it is pretty evident that the ecosystem in that area has taken a hit.

This observation stuck in my head until this morning when I was reading Genesis. We know that on the sixth day God created humans. The interesting part is that he gave us authority over the world (the type of authority is addressed in other blog entries). This world that humans are given authority over refers explicitly to the animal and plant life. Notice that the natural minerals and resources are not mentioned.

One could make the case that this story does not have in mind the current world that we live in. Yet, the story seems to be pointing to humanity having a primary responsibility of overseeing the plant and animal life. It is similar to the way one keeps up with crops or livestock. I don't think this is accidental. The people in this story, and the audience of this story, lived in a world based on agriculture. So for them, ensuring the survival of the crops and animals was ensuring the survival of humanity.

I think we could learn a great deal from this perspective. What if we spent the time and energy erecting wind farms instead of strip mining for coal? What if humans really focused on maintaining the balance of life on the earth instead of focusing on making money? The world could be a better place, and perhaps should be...