This Lent, Bishop Helen-Ann is encouraging everyone to think and act differently and more responsibly for the planet and our global neighbour: ‘the 40 days of Lent is an ideal point to form new lower carbon habits that people can take forward. It’s that change that could be transformational if everyone could carry it through,’ she reflected. Inspired by the A Rocha UK’s Go Green(er) for Lent initiative, and the work of Climate Stewards, throughout Lent, Bishop Helen-Ann will be seeking ways of treading more lightly on our planet by highlighting sustainable practices already in place in Bishop’s House and the Bishop’s Office, with a different focus each week and ideas to share or consider. In our Year of Sharing, Bishop Helen-Ann hopes that a focus on the 5th Mark of Mission will encourage us in our lives as disciples. Enjoy weekly reflections from Bishop Helen-Ann below.
Week 1: Creation care
Week 2: Consumerism / shopping
Week 3: Money / Investments
Week 4: Food waste / meat and dairy
Week 5: Transport / driving
Week 6: Energy / electricity / gas
Week 7: Social Media
You are invited to watch this introductory video from Duncan Cox, the Bishop’s Advisor for Climate Justice and the Environment.
Week Seven: Social Media
Bishop Helen-Ann reflects:
When we lived in New Zealand, I was immediately struck by the clear night skies. Even in an urban landscape, we could spend long hours on our decking at the rear of our home looking upwards at the stars. I had an App which enabled us to track the International Space Station as it passed overhead. On one occasion, when I had seen the Space Station (and waved!) I posted a message on social media that I had just waved at the Space Station and its then commander, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. You can imagine my surprise when, a few minutes later, I received a reply and a ‘wave’ back! For me, that one event was a highlight and showed how social media can enable a deep sense of connectedness to places we never imagined, even space! Yet we know too, since then, and even in recent days in the news, of the immense damage social media can do, and of the ways in which social media companies deliberately ensure their platform is addictive. We are caught in an endless loop of scrolling (sometimes called ‘doom scrolling) it seems.
Recently, I took the decision to completely withdraw from the platform ‘X’ (previously known as ‘Twitter’). The diocese retains its ‘X’ domain (mainly to protect it from bad actors using it) but no longer posts there. And I keep my other social media platforms under review. Many have migrated over to ‘Bluesky’ and by and large, that seems to be a more eirenic place to connect with others.
Lent gives us an opportunity to reflect and review how we engage in an online capacity, perhaps even to reduce our time spent online (which a recent statistic I saw said was the equivalent of 11 years of life!), and find other ways of connecting. Ultimately, it’s about a balance, and in that how we honour God in the posts we make.
Prayer
Lord God, help me to use social media wisely – not as an escape, but as a tool for good.
Guard my heart from comparison and envy.
Amen.