A piece of work (Psalm 8) – 12 September
Neil Millar
What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world. The paragon of animals. And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me.
I suspect that many of you recognise these as words of Hamlet, in the Shakespearian tragedy that bears his name. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, reflecting at first admiringly, and then more despondently, on the human condition. Humanity; so clever, so accomplished, so ‘elevated’ – in apprehension how like a god! And yet, paradoxically, the ‘quintessence of dust’, and so disappointing – ‘Man delights not me.’
To be sure, tormenting personal circumstances are affecting Hamlet’s view. He’s not in a good space, mourning his father’s death and buffeted by court scheming. Nevertheless, we recognise something more generally deep and true in these words; and echoes of this morning’s readings. ‘When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them’, the psalmist asks? And we could add, as I did last week, when we ponder the many conditions needing to be met to make this planet hospitable to life at all, and ponder the diversity and intricacy and beauty of that life; who are we to think we are central and superior? Especially, when we see our “inhumanity” at work, the suffering and destruction we humans are capable of inflicting. And yet, says the psalmist: you made us a little lower than God, and crowned us with glory and honour. And yet, says Genesis, you took and put us in the garden to serve and preserve it. ‘What a piece of work is man’, says Hamlet – a piece of work, indeed!
Well, today is humanity Sunday, and as part of our celebration I’m going to reflect further these twin features of humanity – our ‘dustness’ and our glory.
- Our ‘dustness’
The starting point for any reflection on humanity as far as the Judaeo-Christian scriptures are concerned is that we human beings are part of the created order; formed from the dust of the Earth (Gen 2.7). ‘We are born, beloved creatures of our Creator’, Pope Francis writes, ‘into a world that has lived long before us’. And elementally of the world; composed of star dust, as is every other bird, beast, rock, tree, mountain and molecule on Earth. Science confirms this and we do well to remember it: ‘From dust [we] came and to dust [we] shall return’ (Gen 3.19).
And then, there’s glory. - Our glory
For all the talk of dust, there is something glorious about humanity. We are created in God’s image, says Genesis (1.27); ‘crowned with glory and honour’ sings the psalmist. A part of creation, yes; and yet in the Scriptural imagination, with an honoured part to play.
According to the psalmist, humanity has been given dominion over the works of God’s hands. ‘You have put all things under their feet’, she continues, ‘all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas’. In Genesis chapter one (26), we read a similar commissioning: ‘Let humankind have dominion … over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth’.
Now, I have to say, I find it difficult to read these texts. In the light of human history, and our current planetary situation this language sounds inappropriate. I mean, isn’t this exactly what human beings have done, dominate creation? And, isn’t it precisely because we’ve been so domineering that Earth is threatened and groaning in travail?
Well, it’s true, I think, that texts like these have encouraged cruel, callous and exploitative behaviours with regard Earth and her creatures, including other humans. And I want to say in the strongest possible terms that there’s no glory in this; that it’s a misguided application of these texts. ‘Nowadays, we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures’, the pope writes. He goes on:
The biblical texts are to be read in their context, with an appropriate hermeneutic, recognising that they tell us to ‘till and keep’ the garden of the world (Gen 2.15). ‘Tilling’ refers to cultivating, ploughing or working, while ‘keeping’ means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature. (Laudato Si’, p.59)
The broader scriptural testimony fleshes out this commission and places a range of limits on the human exercise of dominion. The Torah (the first five books of the bible) are all about the right ordering of life. They start where the psalmist begins, with the affirmation of God as Creator and ultimate authority. We are not God, we are creatures, here by the grace of God; with responsibility to exercise dominion as stewards and representatives, answerable for the wellbeing of Creation. Coupled with this are frequent warnings against pride, greed, and covetousness. And exhortations to be merciful, hospitable, reverent, thankful, generous. Sabbath instructions implore us to honour rhythms of work and rest – not just for human beings, but for land and animals. Other instructions prescribe what can be taken from the fields, what must be offered as a tithe, and what must be left for the poor and the alien to glean. There are limits on lending, indentured labour, and ownership; the laws of Jubilee allow for resetting the economic framework every 50 years, so as to avoid the injustices of an ever-widening gap between haves and have nots – lands returned, slaves released and so on.
All this serves to flesh out what it means to exercise dominion in a way that honours the Creator and enables Earth’s flourishing. And, of course, there are other metaphors used to describe (and help us appreciate) our role. For example, the image of Creation as a garden (Genesis 2). A gardener exercises dominion in the garden not by exploiting or merely possessing it, but by creatively tending and attending to it – ‘tilling’ and ‘keeping’. Where the soil is poor, she enhances it; where plants are dry or diseased, she waters and treats; where weeds are taking over, she digs them out.
If I was to sum all this up, I’d say that humanity is charged to exercise dominion with humanity(!) – with compassion, consideration, tolerance, sympathy and love. As Christians, Christ is our interpretive key to these texts of dominion (as with all texts), our example and guide in all things. The ‘Lordship’ of Christ is exercised through self-giving love, with deep respect for his Father and our world. He is how we are to understand our commission (our glory); to be human as he is human, and to love the world as God does.
And this, includes our fellow human beings; loving humanity. ‘A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our human neighbour’, the pope writes. It is clearly inconsistent to combat trafficking in endangered species, for example, while remaining indifferent to human trafficking and unconcerned about the plight of the poor and those displaced – by war, oppression and the changing climate. ‘Everything is connected’, Francis writes; our ‘concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society’ (p. 78). ‘Peace, justice and the preservation of creation are three absolutely interconnected themes.’ - Our capacity to reflect
So, our ‘dustness’ and our glory. And there’s one more feature I discern in these readings: the human capacity to reflect. The psalm is an example of reflection and so too, Genesis. They show humanity looking at itself, exploring who and how we are to be, questioning choices, actions, ways of seeing. We are, so far as we know, the only species with a capacity to reflect deeply, and this is profoundly important, for it means we can learn and change.
This is what’s needed right now – reflection and recalibration. A crisis is often what it takes to cause us to think anew and we’re in a planetary crisis. All is not well with the world, and our action, our overreach is overwhelmingly the cause of the situation. It’s time to examine our way of being, our means of production and the character of the dominion being exercised; it’s time to recognise mistakes, envisage new possibilities, and change course. In November of this year, leaders from across the globe will gather in Scotland for the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26).2 Many see this as a critical gathering for the future of all life on earth. Churches and faith communities around the world will be taking action to encourage humanity to live up to our high commission – in prayer, in protest, in letter writing to leaders – and here at St Ninian’s we can play a part.
Recently, a number of you have written to the PM and local members about this. That’s great, and maybe others can add their voice – it all helps. Folks, whatever we can be and do for the well-being of Earth and her peoples, to support us all dreaming and working ‘together for our planet’ (the theme of COP26), let’s do it. Let’s be the ‘piece of work’ we’re created to be – part of the earth and accountable for our care and use of it; dust and glory. And so may God’s will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.
References
Pope Frances (2015) Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home, An Encyclical Letter on Ecology and Climate, St Paul’s Publications, Rome.
———————- (2020) Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future, Simon & Schuster, London.
Shakespeare, W (1986) The Globe illustrated Shakespeare. The Complete Works, Annotated, Deluxe Edition – Hamlet. Greenwich House, London.
1) Shakespeare, William. The Globe illustrated Shakespeare. The complete works, annotated, Deluxe Edition, (1986). Hamlet, Act II, scene 2, page 1879. Greenwich House, Inc. a division of Arlington House, Inc.
2) To read more about COP26, see https://ukcop26.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/COP26-Explained.pdf
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