Remember what the character McGuire says to Dustin Hoffman’s character in The Graduate? “I just want to say one word to you. Are you listening? ….Plastics.” How prescient were the writers of this movie made in 1967. Plastics have taken over our lives from cutting boards to storage containers.
We all know about sea creatures and fish being caught by plastics, but we know very little about that plastics do to our bodies. Beyond microplastics, there are nanoplastics, so small we cannot even fathom them, so varied it is difficult study them and their effects on our bodies.
Over 99% of plastics come from fossil fuels, which means their production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. As we consider our use of plastics, we weigh convenience and sometimes safety against their effects. Thinking about how to make ethical choices for our lives is never easy. We always affect the world around us; the question is how.
Prayer for the Day
Be our vision of truth, O God, opening our eyes to the world,
Freeing us from the bonds that confine us, chaining us to old ways;
Be our guide, O Lord, giving us ears to listen to others around us,
Acknowledging our limits and learning from your world.
Open our hearts and minds to your infinitude and beauty,
Enabling us to live as you call us to do so on this earth.
In the name of the One who is always with us,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
It seemed like nobody wanted to touch it.
Heather Leslie, Dutch microplastics researcher, the first to detect these particles in the human bloodstream several years ago.
Never cook your food in plastic. The heat will drive those particles and more of those chemicals into your food.
Susanne Brander, ecotoxicologist, Oregon State University
By wisdom a house is built; and by understanding it is established;
By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24: 3-4