Page 38 - PC Fall 2023

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PRESBYTERIAN
FALL 2023
presbyterian.ca
Connection
REFLECTIONS
Making Social Media a Social Good
thinking not just about avoiding the personal pitfalls of using so- cial media, but how it might be a tool too for promoting the well- being of everyone. Could social media become an instrument for something more than bringing at- tention to ourselves?
Of course.
Instead of posting yet another vacation photo that demonstrates to everyone that I’m enjoying the good life, I could post a picture of a spor ts team bagging groceries, or a crew picking up garbage, or a server handing me a latte with the little heart etched in foam (all with permission of course). I could post a photo of a soccer game at the park, or my neighbour install- ing his own irrigation, or the flow- ers springing up in my yard.
I’m not talking about virtue sig- nalling but about promoting the everyday goodness that can be seen in the world. What did Jesus say so long ago? “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-col- ours in the world” (Matthew 5:14 MSG).
My guess is that such posts will boost the esteem of those who have been captured. My guess is that such posts will encourage those who witness them online. My hope is that this turn outward will uplift my own mood as well.
Their call to “Let’s Get Green” touches every aspect of our lives. This changes how we buy and spend, how we look at driving our car and heating our house and grow and/or buy our food. This changes what we believe our gov- ernment, our community and our church should be doing with the resources available to us. It de- mands education on the climate issues facing us. It demands ad- vocacy as we confront political leaders in support of green issues and caution in expanding projects that degrade the earth. It allies us with Indigenous people and like- minded folk in seeking to be better stewards of creation.
To be honest, I was not keen on this green burial concept until I put it in the context of my life and my theology. As Shakespeare had written in Hamlet, “To thine own self be true.” And to be true to my faith, my theology and my love of creation, this was the next step in my journey of faith. Neighbours and friends and family may more and more choose this option in the years ahead, and it may seem strange to you, at the moment. But it is a choice some will make out of love for creation.
By the Rev. Steve Filyk,
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kamloops, B.C.
How do you use social media? Some maintain streaks with friends on Snapchat. Some co- ordinate sports teams with What- sApp. Some learn dance moves from TikTok. Some publish their photography on Instagram, make comments on Twitter, or celebrate milestones on LinkedIn.
I’m enough of a dinosaur to have been in university when Facebook was first making its rounds across campuses. Facebook was initially a way for me to reconnect with my past: childhood friends and people I had met at college or on overseas adventures. Fast-forward many years later and Facebook has be- come, for me, about buying and selling used goods on Marketplace or being enter tained by random feeds (I love watching rusted tools being refinished and wood bowls being turned).
A lot has been written about the
negative effects of social media. There are correlations with its use/misuse/overuse and depres- sion and anxiety. How you are us- ing it, or being used by it, seems to be key.
Many people use social media for self-promotion. While there are some who limit themselves to sharing newswor thy stories or humorous observations or pho- tos of cute kittens, many use it to broadcast successes and accom- plishments. Having these triumphs noticed or “liked,” briefly boosts our personal sense of self-worth.
My daughter’s soccer team recently performed very well at a tournament. I was proud of her accomplishment, and I posted some photos. Now, if I’m honest, the people who would have most delighted in her achievements are a small circle of family whom I could simply email or text. Yet, I felt compelled to post the story online, sharing it with friends, ac- quaintances and strangers alike. I knew that this post would reap
many comments and “likes.” That is exactly what happened.
But even as I checked my own post, I noticed similar posts from others. There were posts about other people’s children who competed in the same tourna- ment. Their posts were also get- ting many likes, some more than mine. In the end, sharing my daughter’s success made me feel smaller. I would have been better to have posted nothing at all.
Anecdotally, my story only proves what people have been say- ing about the use of social media: that there are correlations with its use and declining mental health. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. As the Danish philosopher/theolo- gian Kierkegaard noted long ago, comparison is the root of anxiety: “The more he compares himself, the more indolent and miserable the life of a person becomes... Whoever compares himself must admit to himself that he is behind many others.”
To preserve my sanity, I have be-
process is automatic, leading to embalming or cremation. Our own personal involvement is in choosing what accessories will be part of this practice.
Green burial means different things to different people. For some it may be a very hands-on experience of preparing the body, maybe reminiscent of the women on their way to the tomb of Jesus with the intent of washing and preserving with natural spices the body of Jesus. By the time of the New Testament, the burial and mourning process included more ritual than is often seen in the Hebrew culture. In a short time after death, family members came to mourn and prepare the body for burial. The body would be washed, then anointed with
The Rev. Steve Filyk’s selfie on Snapchat.
gun “unfollowing” people whose feed is overflowing with well bur- nished images. Some people go fur ther and periodically pause their use of social media. I have read many “signoffs” from people who are taking a break from social plat- forms altogether. Others, maybe the wisest among us, have been steadfast in refusing to join in at all.
I sometimes wonder if going offline would be the better path. In the end I have always decided against it. Because of my work in the community, I feel I need to keep various lines of communi- cation open. To keep these lines open and stay healthy I will need to better discern and master my own use of social media.
But more recently, I’ve been
a variety of oils and spices. The body would be wrapped in white linen grave clothes that also con- tained spices (John 19:39–40). The common practice in rocky ground was to prepare a tomb for the deceased that would be used, time and again.
Today, participation in a green burial may be as simple as tak- ing part in filling in the grave at the close of a burial service, with each one present taking their turn.
In today’s version of green burial there is an intentional turn- ing away from the artificial to the more natural. In practice, this means no embalming, no elabo- rate dressing of the deceased, no ornate coffins with metals and plastics and fabrics, and of- ten no permanent marker for the gravesite. Instead, we are able to plant a tree on the site or have a natural rock marking the spot. The words “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” can take on new meaning in this context.
For the Love of Creation is a na- tional initiative that brings togeth- er faith bodies and faith-based organizations in Canada to mo- bilize education, reflection, action and advocacy for climate justice.
Considering Green Burials
By the Rev. Kenn Stright retired minister
Come with me along Prospect Road, which takes you to the beauty of Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia. On the way you pass through Hackett’s Cove and in this small hamlet you will find Sunrise Inter-faith Cemetery. What is unique about this place is that it offers green burial.
Green burial sounds new, but it is actually ancient. Green burial is the only practice known in the scriptures.
We have been called a death- denying culture for a reason—we find it difficult to face the reality of death and therefore we compart- mentalize the process and hand it over to others. The first call after the death of a loved one is to the funeral home, and from there the
What is a Green Burial?
According to the Green Burial Society of Canada, green burial is an environmentally sensitive practice where the body is returned to the earth to decompose naturally and contribute to new life. It is for those seeking to minimize their impact on the local environment, and those who are mindful of the cyclical nature of life, as green burials seek to find spiritually fulfilling alternatives to conventional burial or cremation.