WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOUR COUNTRY IS FACING WATER SHORTAGES EXACERBATED BY CLIMATE CHANGE? PRAY, APPARENTLY — ISRAEL’S AGRICULTURE MINISTER LEADS PRAYERS FOR WATER
Much of the Middle East is now slated to essentially turn to desert over the coming decades and centuries owing to climate change, and exacerbated by poor human judgment and short-sighted activities.
It bears remembering that much of what is now the Middle East and the Mediterranean was before the human population expansion of the last few thousand years humid and heavily forested, with incredible fertile soils — the reason that the region is the diminished shell that it now is follows from massive deforestation, the strip-mining of the soil for agriculture, and animal husbandry (over-grazing).
Even as recently as ~2000 years ago much of North Africa was home to very fertile soils — to the point that the Roman Empire relied on the colonized region for much of its food, owing to the depleted state of the soil back home — before agriculture and over-grazing turned it to what it is now.
With all of that in mind, the recent news that the head of Israel’s Agriculture Ministry, Uri Ariel — a man who has a large ability to shape the country’s approach to water use and conservation — was leading prayers at Jerusalem’s Western Wall calling for rain is worth considering.
Praying for rain…while one essentially ensures that rain will become less and less common over the coming decades owing to the other activities that you are also pursuing.
I’m in no way an anti-religious person, and I’m not opposed to the practice of prayer (though traditional approaches to prayer make far more sense to me than the modern “me, me, me” approach), but shouldn’t one take responsibility for one’s own behaviors first?
If you know that you are causing or exacerbating a problem, shouldn’t you address your own actions first, and pursue all your options for addressing the problem before asking a reportedly omnipotent being to aid your own particular, local, temporary, biases?
While Uri Ariel, an Orthodox Jew, arguably is claiming to do just that, I’m skeptical that the actions taken by Israel to date are at all serious as regarding climate change and water conservation.
So, while Ariel stated: “We significantly lowered the cost of water, we are carrying out many studies on how to save water in different crops, but prayer can certainly help,” I can’t help but hear someone saying that none of the available but unpalatable options are to be pursued, so we may as well put on a show so that it looks like we’re doing something.
One of the top newspapers in Israel, Yedioth Ahronoth, published an article that seems to agree with what I’m saying — with the notation being that the high-ranking figure should focus on promoting policies meant to deal with climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
To use the “exact” words: “Prayer is not a bad thing, but the minister has the ability to influence (matters) in slightly more earthly ways.”
No kidding.
That’s the thing that gets me about seeing people use prayer as their first line of action anytime something doesn’t go their way — well, there’s quite a lot that you could actually be doing to improve the situation, isn’t there? Shouldn’t you pursue the actions first and then use prayer to ask for proper guidance of your actions? Wasn’t that the original use of prayer?
All of this is probably a moot point though, as truly effective actions to prepare for and limit anthropogenic climate change and the accompanying water scarcity in the region aren’t likely to be willingly embraced by a relatively wealthy population — like that of Israel.
Reuters provides some further background: “With technology coming up short, Israel’s agriculture minister sought an unconventional solution on Thursday to end the country’s water shortage — rallying a few thousand worshippers (sic) at Jerusalem’s Western Wall to pray for rain.
“Four years of heavy drought have overtaxed Israel’s unmatched array of desalination and wastewater treatment plants, choking its most fertile regions and catching the government off-guard, with farmers bearing the brunt. Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, an Orthodox Jew, has a hand in determining water policy and how the resource is allocated, but to balance the science with the spiritual, he teamed up with leading rabbis to organize a public prayer session.
“A crowd of a few thousand gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s old city, the holiest place for Jews to worship, chanting a special prayer to end the drought.”
The thing to bear in mind here, is that the expansionary agriculture and domesticated animals paradigm that turned much of the land of the Middle East, the Near East, and many other places into the diminished places that they now are is essentially the same one that calls for every expanding “growth,” resource extraction, and consumption — whatever the costs.
If the intensity of the coming (and now arriving) climatic changes is to be limited to any real degree then a fundamental change of assumptions and beliefs is likely to be necessary.
A reassertion of the need for self-responsibility and accountability would be welcome in my opinion — the truth is that every single person in the “developed” world, regardless of political affiliations, is contributing directly and significantly to what’s happening to the world’s climate, oceans, soils, wildlife, etc
Agree with this article’s view ” “Prayer is not a bad thing, but the minister has the ability to influence (matters) in slightly more earthly ways.”
I mean, I am not against prayer at all, I support prayerful practices. And we indeed should pray, especially in calamities. But instead of public prayer, the minister should tell his government, his people to keep constantly praying for water, by heart and mind. Not just on and off public prayer events.
Matthew 6: 5-8: on Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6
ThíchThích
Agree with Hằng and the author of this article.
One more point. I think this politician-led public prayer at the Western Wall of Jerusalem has a real political motive that the author of this article might have seen but have decided not to mention. That is Trump’s recent proclamation, which greatly disturbs the world and the United Nations and adds much to Israel’s glee, that Jerusalem is capital of Israel.
A government official at the cabinet level leading a public prayer at the most contested religious site of the world is no spirituality, but wholly anti-spiritual politics.
ThíchThích
That’s true! Thanks a Hoành for bringing that up.
The Israel’s water crisis is not new at all. Prayers can be anytime, anywhere. Why politician-led prayers happening only now? Why it has to be at that contested site? Isn’t it obvious?
Now that, in the name of environment crisis, climate change or whatever, politicians can just gather public prayers at that site to signal the world that Jerusalem is capital of Israel.
ThíchThích