Care for Earth - Interfaith Meeting
On the 22th of September, Christchurch's interfaith society held a forum on “Climate change - How it impact our faith?”. Christchurch Interfaith Council President Dianne and council member Kieran invited Kit, a youth member, to chair the forum. That night, almost 20 religious representatives participated in the seminar, along with members of the Christchurch public. Buddha's Light Association (BLIA) South Island New Zealand's Vice President James Low was sent to attend that night's discussion.
Kit was delighted to have the opportunity to share his ideas on this international topic with everyone in this interfaith discussion, and invited Dianne Robinson and Sam first to begin the discussion. The two speakers spoke out on how climate change will have a tremendous effect on people's lives, and asked: “How are people going to adapt?”. Given that Earth is the only habitable planet we have now, how are we to fix and reverse the course of its destruction? As global citizens, we have to swiftly move towards an efficient and low carbon lifestyle. This can be done through everyday choices, like taking public transportation or cycling instead of driving, using reusable bags instead of plastic bags, planting our own organic fruit and vegetables, etc.
During the small group discussions, there were also talk about how education and practicing what we preach are essential tools to raise environmental awareness. Religion and faith can also be very influential. For example: Fo Guang Shan (FGS) founder Master Hsing Yun used his “Environmental and Spiritual preservation” concept to let all BLIA members understand that the Earth's resources are not just for humans, but for all living beings to share, and so we must learn to appreciate and care for them. Although our individual acts may be small, together, they will still add up to something worthy of saving the world.
Vice President James Low shared his experiences taking part in many collective environmental efforts, such as the 'Keep New Zealand Beautiful' clean up week, Interfaith Beach Cleanup at Wairaki Beach, and the recent Christchurch City Halswell tree planting day activity. James asserted that Christchurch is not only home to BLIA folks, but also everyone, and we must all do our part in safeguarding the environment.
Kit thanked everyone for attending the forum. He hoped that through the strength of faith, there will be strong collaborative action on individual, societal and intenational levels to create a much better future for our Earth.