Need For Communication

 

In the Catholic Times View from the Ark column, a professor in a university Department of Urban Engineering gives the readers something to reflect on.

Communication is more effective when it is two-way rather than one-way. You must give God a chance to speak. He prefers prayers in which you ask for His will and listen carefully to what He wants from you.

How does God speak to me? He may convey His will through the “people” I meet in my life. Sometimes He reveals His heart through “events.” And more often than not, He expresses Himself to people through nature, which serves as a medium for His words and messages.

Even during the recent heat wave, if we listen carefully, we can hear what He is trying to tell us through the heat. That is, if we stop and listen attentively.  Even though the heat is painful and annoying, if we can hear God's voice in the heatwave and find the path He is pointing us toward, then enduring this long summer will be worthwhile.

In the suffocating heat, I hear God's voice, "Stop tormenting the earth!” I also hear Him say, “Please take the lead in reducing carbon emissions so that the Earth does not get any hotter!” In the early 1990s, the 15 member states of the European Union sensed the global carbon crisis and have been working hard to reduce carbon emissions for the past 30 years. 

As a result, they reduced carbon emissions by nearly 20-30% in sectors such as construction, power generation, and agriculture. However, carbon emissions from transportation increased by 30%, so they are now focusing on reducing carbon emissions in the transportation sector. France has taken steps to reduce carbon emissions by eliminating short-haul flights that can be covered by train in two and a half hours or less. Are we making such efforts? Or are we moving in the opposite direction?

Caring for this world, which God created with love, is the duty and mission of us believers. Let us listen to God's voice in the heatwave. When we see outdoor air conditioners blowing hot air, let us realize that they are heating up our villages and cities even more to cool our rooms and homes. If we have been idling our cars without thinking, out of concern for our loved ones, let us realize that this is making the air outside our cars even hotter.

Professor Kim Seung-seop, who has studied the social causes of disease, shares the story of the “lessons from the Chicago heatwave disaster” in his 2017 book, “When Pain Becomes a Path.” That July, Chicago experienced a heatwave with a heat index of 48 degrees Celsius, which persisted for days, resulting in over 700 deaths. It was a disaster of unprecedented proportions.

An analysis of the causes of death due to the heatwave revealed that those who died were often sick individuals, those living alone, and those who could not escape the heatwave.

An analysis of the causes of death revealed that those who were sick, lived alone, remained in their homes despite the heat, or were socially isolated were more likely to perish. In some cases, the mortality rate from heatstroke differed by more than tenfold between neighboring communities, with areas where community cohesion had broken down and public safety was unstable showing significantly higher death rates.

Four years later, in July 1999, another heatwave struck. The mayor of Chicago activated an emergency climate response strategy, opening 34 cooling centers where people could escape the heat and operating free buses. When it was determined that there were insufficient cooling centers, 31 schools were quickly added within a day. Visits and health checks were also conducted for over 30,000 vulnerable individuals. The number of heatwave-related deaths that year dropped to 110. This was the result of knowing the cause and responding swiftly.

Let us listen to God's voice speaking through the heatwave. Let us reflect on why our common home, the Earth, is becoming so hot, and seek out and practice what we can do. If we have come to realize that the socially vulnerable are even more vulnerable in the face of disasters like heatwaves, our communication with God will have deepened, and our reflection and action will resonate throughout the world as God's clearer and more powerful voice.