Did you have a good Easter weekend? Did your family gather around the table and break bread together? Who was there? Was it just Mom and Dad and the kids or is your family bigger than that?
In North America the idea of family is something we fight about. One of our fights is whether the concept is reserved for the biological family or whether it can encompass a larger variety of social forms. Some conservative Christians like James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family demand a return to the traditional Christian family. Focus on the Family is an evangelical organization dedicated to “helping to preserve traditional values and the institution of the family.” It is opposed to divorce, abortion and homosexuality as social practices that undermine the family. Its publications approvingly quote and publicize others who promote the concept of the natural family which is defined as “married mom and dad, with children”
Recently I was in Thailand attending a Christian conference. Over the course of the week a small group of us formed strong social bonds. In addition to this Canadian, there was a man from Costa Rica, a man and a woman from Argentina, a woman from South Africa and a man from Greece. We were all adults, mixed genders, multi-racial, multi-lingual and not related by blood or marriage. And yet, we shared food together, lent money to one another, traveled together, rescued each other and cared for one another. We drew a wide circle and called it family.
Is it too much to call this family? I don’t think so. Families have taken many forms over the last several thousand years. In Old Testament times the average Hebrew household numbered between 50 and 100 people. In North America it averages between 2 and 3. At the time of the Roman Empire, family could include slaves, clients and tenants of the property. The evangelical scholar Rodney Clapp concludes that “what evangelicals call the ‘traditional family’ is in fact the bourgeois or middle-class family, which rose to dominance in the nineteenth century – not accidentally alongside capitalism and, a little later, America as the ascendant world power.” The form of the family is a response to economics, politics and culture. What’s important is not the form of the family but the ethics of the family. Is it good? Is it safe? Is it caring and open to others? Does everyone participate in the decisions that affect them?
Freedom and mutuality, peace and justice are some of the characteristics of an ethical family. Does that mean constructed families are more moral than given families? No, even democratic institutions can be unethical if they do not care for and protect the rights and interests of minorities and dependent members.
I recently came across a poem that illustrates the ethics of family life. The author is Edwin Markham.
“They called me heretic and thing to flout
and drew their circle to keep me out;
but love and I had the wit to win:
we drew our circle to take them in.”
Does your family circle invite people in or keep others out?
First Published April 20, 2006
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
A Moral Economy Can Warm Your Body and Your Soul
Climate change is back in the news. The glaciers are melting, North America is warmer than normal and northern Europe is colder than normal. That’s why they refer to extreme weather events instead of global warming. It’s really all about increasing chaos and the change that will be required for us to pull back from the abyss.
In my last column I challenged you (and me) to change. I claimed that we could and should increase our energy efficiency by 30% over the next 15 years. Some readers have challenged me for ideas. Where are the practical ideas for how we can achieve these goals?
Municipalities and companies have all kinds of ideas. The City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan is looking to recover the heat in wastewater and use it to cut the energy costs of its wastewater treatment plant. The City of Toronto is using the cool waters from deep in Lake Ontario to provide air conditioning to the downtown core. The international chemical company, Air Liquide is running an experiment in Quebec with hog farmers. They are trying to determine the feasibility of capturing methane from hog production and turn it back into an on-site fuel source.
But what about the challenge I issued to myself? I already think of myself as being energy efficient. I live in a small house. I walk to work. I am passionate about public transit. As my old household appliances give way to age, I have replaced them with more energy efficient models. Privately though, I wondered if I had set the bar too high. How I would achieve additional energy savings because I still need to save another 30%.
This fall I installed a programmable thermostat on my furnace. A friend had installed one and made wild claims for its efficiency. I was skeptical but decided to experiment. I programmed the furnace to a lower temperature from after bedtime until one hour before I arise in the morning. Last week I received my gas bill and compared my energy consumption year over year. After less than 6 months in operation my energy use has declined by 24%. Yes, this winter has been warmer than others but the energy saving is still substantial. In Ontario, natural gas prices have just increased by a staggering 40% but my energy bill is actually declining.
Maybe global climate change is not the most pressing issue in your mind. Maybe saving money is not your highest priority, though I would find that hard to believe. If that is true, consider this. Since the change in thermostat, my valentine and I have had more intimate moments than either of us can remember. The crisp night air draws both of us together under the covers for whole body embraces, warming for body and soul. So, if environmental responsibility doesn’t turn your crank and shaving costs doesn’t tickle your fancy, consider the fringe benefits of recycling body heat. You can cool it down and heat it up all at the same time. (And I bet you thought the moral economy was boring, didn’t you?)
First Published February 23, 2006
In my last column I challenged you (and me) to change. I claimed that we could and should increase our energy efficiency by 30% over the next 15 years. Some readers have challenged me for ideas. Where are the practical ideas for how we can achieve these goals?
Municipalities and companies have all kinds of ideas. The City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan is looking to recover the heat in wastewater and use it to cut the energy costs of its wastewater treatment plant. The City of Toronto is using the cool waters from deep in Lake Ontario to provide air conditioning to the downtown core. The international chemical company, Air Liquide is running an experiment in Quebec with hog farmers. They are trying to determine the feasibility of capturing methane from hog production and turn it back into an on-site fuel source.
But what about the challenge I issued to myself? I already think of myself as being energy efficient. I live in a small house. I walk to work. I am passionate about public transit. As my old household appliances give way to age, I have replaced them with more energy efficient models. Privately though, I wondered if I had set the bar too high. How I would achieve additional energy savings because I still need to save another 30%.
This fall I installed a programmable thermostat on my furnace. A friend had installed one and made wild claims for its efficiency. I was skeptical but decided to experiment. I programmed the furnace to a lower temperature from after bedtime until one hour before I arise in the morning. Last week I received my gas bill and compared my energy consumption year over year. After less than 6 months in operation my energy use has declined by 24%. Yes, this winter has been warmer than others but the energy saving is still substantial. In Ontario, natural gas prices have just increased by a staggering 40% but my energy bill is actually declining.
Maybe global climate change is not the most pressing issue in your mind. Maybe saving money is not your highest priority, though I would find that hard to believe. If that is true, consider this. Since the change in thermostat, my valentine and I have had more intimate moments than either of us can remember. The crisp night air draws both of us together under the covers for whole body embraces, warming for body and soul. So, if environmental responsibility doesn’t turn your crank and shaving costs doesn’t tickle your fancy, consider the fringe benefits of recycling body heat. You can cool it down and heat it up all at the same time. (And I bet you thought the moral economy was boring, didn’t you?)
First Published February 23, 2006
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