As I consider the shrinking resources of the coming century, I've been pondering the spiritual implications of the Western World's current plight. What are the spiritual implications of peak oil, energy crisis, dwindling fresh water, and rising food prices? It's as if we've taken the abundance of resources laid out by a benevolent earth and absorbed all of these resources in one century long buffett! We've gorged ourselves.
Now according to my Catholic school upbringing, gorging oneself falls under the deadly sin of gluttony. Thomas Aquinas said, "Gluttony denotes, not any desire of eating and drinking, but an inordinate desire..." People make a mistake when they tie gluttony to food alone.
According to the Whitestone Journal, there are at least three forms of Gluttony:
1) Wanting more pleasure from something than it was made for.
2) Wanting it exactly our way (delicacy).
3) Demanding too much from people (excessive desire for other people's time or presence).
It seems to me that in our race for more things, more excitement, and more stuff, stuff, stuff that we both want more pleasure from everything and as if we want everything our way.
Can we learn the difference between consuming everything in our path and cooperative sharing?
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