Saturday, January 20, 2007
Reframing the journey...
Long ago I shifted from viewing the Christian life from something you arrived at (i.e. praying some conversion prayer and becoming a Christian cue 50 years sat in a pew in church) to something more like a lifelong journey (becoming Christian to use Pete Rollin's term).
As moot has been reflecting on its Rhythm of Life this last 6 months I have been reflecting long and hard about how we are to live responsibly in our current climate.
An area of life that always frustrates me is journeys - the getting there - whether this is a half hour bus trip to Streatham or an 11 hour flight to Seattle - I hate travelling, I just want to be there. But recently I have been really challenged about this.
Since the age of flight journey times have been cut and cut, people now spend the minimum of time travelling and the maximum time at their destination - travel has been reduced to a hassle rather than being seen as part of the trip - it's an inconvenience that we seek to lessen rather than something we embrace. Maybe, like Christian faith, travel should be as much about the journey as the arrival point.
This next year I want to fly a lot less than last year - and I also want to try and use public transport or at worst car-sharing to get to most of the places I will be going to. But I also want to see the journey as part of the trip - not as a hassle. I want to try and stop and engage in conversation, to be present in the moments in the car or on the train as much as I am at my destination. I know myself - I sit and disappear into my head waiting just to arrive, angry at any delay, and frustrated when things go wrong (just ask Ian and Phillipa about a recent Greenbelt trip).
There is something deeply worrying about a culture where road rage is an accepted norm - part of life, and where people have been killed because they drove too slowly or in the wrong way. Travel by tube always seems to be at some point full of angst (whether me or someone else on the carriage) at a slight delay (or a long one). How much better would travel be if we stopped and took notice of where we were and who was around us - and took that time to grow to know ourselves and each other better?
Maybe over the next five years flying will be way to expensive as the Government taxes it to truly reflect the way it contributes towards climate change. Perhaps we will all be spending longer on trains/buses/cars as a result. I see this as an opportunity to see more of the world not less, as we will be passing through villages, towns and cities we would otherwise never see, maybe we should stop more often, and take in the myriad of cultures and peoples we would otherwise miss.
So does anyone fancy the long trip to Trine's wedding in Denmark this year rather than the one hour flight? Cue France, Belgium and Germany, 750 miles, and endless types of beer ;-)
As moot has been reflecting on its Rhythm of Life this last 6 months I have been reflecting long and hard about how we are to live responsibly in our current climate.
An area of life that always frustrates me is journeys - the getting there - whether this is a half hour bus trip to Streatham or an 11 hour flight to Seattle - I hate travelling, I just want to be there. But recently I have been really challenged about this.
Since the age of flight journey times have been cut and cut, people now spend the minimum of time travelling and the maximum time at their destination - travel has been reduced to a hassle rather than being seen as part of the trip - it's an inconvenience that we seek to lessen rather than something we embrace. Maybe, like Christian faith, travel should be as much about the journey as the arrival point.
This next year I want to fly a lot less than last year - and I also want to try and use public transport or at worst car-sharing to get to most of the places I will be going to. But I also want to see the journey as part of the trip - not as a hassle. I want to try and stop and engage in conversation, to be present in the moments in the car or on the train as much as I am at my destination. I know myself - I sit and disappear into my head waiting just to arrive, angry at any delay, and frustrated when things go wrong (just ask Ian and Phillipa about a recent Greenbelt trip).
There is something deeply worrying about a culture where road rage is an accepted norm - part of life, and where people have been killed because they drove too slowly or in the wrong way. Travel by tube always seems to be at some point full of angst (whether me or someone else on the carriage) at a slight delay (or a long one). How much better would travel be if we stopped and took notice of where we were and who was around us - and took that time to grow to know ourselves and each other better?
Maybe over the next five years flying will be way to expensive as the Government taxes it to truly reflect the way it contributes towards climate change. Perhaps we will all be spending longer on trains/buses/cars as a result. I see this as an opportunity to see more of the world not less, as we will be passing through villages, towns and cities we would otherwise never see, maybe we should stop more often, and take in the myriad of cultures and peoples we would otherwise miss.
So does anyone fancy the long trip to Trine's wedding in Denmark this year rather than the one hour flight? Cue France, Belgium and Germany, 750 miles, and endless types of beer ;-)
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