On Second Thought: A New Series About Sustainability

An introduction to our new sustainability series: On Second Thought

We live in a world where consumerism has seeped into the crevices of society where wholeness is to be pursued. Credit cards are swiped, plastic is used, and the environment both globally and personally are left to pay a price hidden beneath the waste of our own negligence and suppressed under the feelings of acceptance.

Humanity was never meant to be sacrificed at the large and powerful hands of businesses through slave-labor; utilizing an algorithm that makes a profit in someone else’s pain. The picture the world has been painting today is one that pushes the individual further and further away from his responsibility to stewardship; blinding him by the flashy yet weightless titles of status and superficiality.

In this picture, we have lost the beauty of giving, because we have become preoccupied with taking. We have lost sight to the injustices not too far from us and lost our own sense of hearing the cry of those fighting a battle they should not have to fight. Along this journey, we have lost the true essence of sustainability.

While society continues to craft this faulty image, I hope this series motivates you to relinquish your role in their machine; stepping outside of their illustration to begin designing a new picture that redefines what it means to be truly whole.

Sustainability is not just for the rich and famous who seem to have the resources to maintain a healthy lifestyle both individually and environmentally. Sustainability is for all of us who are created in the image of God to protect every facet of life. And that begins with awareness.

It starts by pulling back the curtain that many don’t want moved to properly educate people about what actually happens within the soil they walk on, the water they swim through, and the air they breathe in daily.

Therefore, may this series shed a light on your vital role in this new canvas by intentionally giving the second thought a chance to thrive in a world where the first thought has been tainted.

Julia Selwyn

Julia Selwyn

Julia Selwyn is a Department Head for the Daily Runner.