This document discusses the crisis of throw-away culture and a spirituality of mercy. It begins with a personal assessment of one's plastic footprint and waste generation. It then analyzes the philosophies of hedonism, utilitarianism, and consumerism that underpin throw-away culture. The negative impacts on society, individuals, and the environment are discussed. Christianity understands mercy as the path to real happiness, in contrast to throw-away culture. Mercy involves solidarity, encounter, and responsible consumption. The document concludes by calling the reader to resolutions to reduce waste and promote a culture of care.

1. HEOLOGY 4
TIAN VISION IN THE
MPORARY WORLD
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
INSTITUTE OF RELIGION
HARMONY WITH GOD: CALLED TO COMMUNION
LESSON 2: SPIRITUALITY OF MERCY
Living the

2. Crisis of Throw-away Culture and
A SPIRITUALITY OF MERCY
Plastic use in Japan

3. Crisis of Throw-away Culture and
A SPIRITUALITY OF MERCY
STUDY
Grounding the lesson in real life situations, acknowledging prior beliefs
and questions, addressing current issues and realities…
1. List down all the single-use/disposable
items you used within the past week.
2. What is the impact of the use of these
single-use/disposable items, especially
plastics on the environment
3. Most importantly, why can’t we stop using
these despite being aware of its effects?

4. Lifestyle Check: “My Plastic Footprint” : Let us make an assessment of how much trash we
generate in a week. There are many classifications of “waste” but let us narrow it down to
“plastics.”
• List down all single-use or disposable items you use within the span of a week. Then calculate
exactly how much plastic trash you generate in a year. How to do this? Use the Omni Calculator
or the “Plastic Footprint Calculator.” This will show you how many pounds of plastic you used
in a year or you will use in your lifetime. Visit the website in doing this personal study:
https://www.omnicalculator.com/ecology/plastic-footprint
The omni calculator lets us visualize the giant pile of plastics that our habits are generating. For the
students: note down the different types of plastic wastes you generate. Imagine how much of these
end up in the ocean.
• We can also try the plastic-calculator from Greenpeace’s U.K. office. This not only adds up
the number of plastic items we buy but also provides a visual representation of our annual pile
of trash:
https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/content/plastics-calculator
Question
• What do you think are the reasons why people in society persist in a throwaway culture? What
are the impacts of the throwaway lifestyle to the environment and to the poor?

5. Crisis of Throw-away Culture and
A SPIRITUALITY OF MERCY
RESEARCH
Approaching the subject from different angles and opinions, appraising
the views of various disciplines and perspectives...
You will be divided into three groups. Each group will
present on the theories of happiness on which the
“throw-away culture” is founded and show how these
are very much at work in people today:
• Hedonism
• Utilitarianism
• Consumerism
Take screen caps of at least five social media posts that
exhibit these tendencies as part of your exhibit. Observe
data privacy by blurring personal details.

6. Hedonism
and the
Throwaway Culture

7. HEDONISM
•“There is… a spirit of hedonism
abroad today which beguiles men into
thinking that life is nothing more
than the quest for pleasure and the
satisfaction of human passions. “
- Mater et Magistra 235

8. HEDONISM = Greek hēdonē ‘pleasure’
•The doctrine that pleasure (sensual pleasure) is the
ultimate goal of life, man's highest good & greatest
happiness
•Devotion to pleasure and self-gratification as a way of
life.
•This philosophy is more often promoted through
advertisements

9. Hedonism…
•“I am here for one purpose: to get as much out of
life as I can. Pain and suffering are evils that must
be avoided at all costs. The main thing in life is to
always feel good.”
To avoid any forms of suffering in
life. Even the legitimate & heroic
suffering. A hedonist wants to
have a pleasurable life.

10. HEDONISM & the Human Person
“This attitude is disastrous. Its evil effects
on soul and body are undeniable.”
- Mater et Magistra 235
How is Hedonism
disastrous to the person
himself/herself? What are
the consequences?

11. HEDONISM, the Human Person & the Environment
“…it is also necessary to reject the….total
technical dominion over nature, because the
natural environment is more than raw
material to be manipulated at our pleasure…”
“Today much harm is done to development
precisely as a result of these distorted notions.”
-Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate 48

12. HEDONISM, the Human Person & the Environment
This invites contemporary society to a serious
review of its life-style, which, in many parts of the
world, is prone to hedonism and consumerism,
regardless of their harmful consequences.”
- Caritas in Veritate 51
How is Hedonism disastrous to the
Environment? Give Examples
The Connection of Hedonism and
Consumerism?

13. HEDONISM, the Human Person & the Environment
"If an appreciation of the value of the human person and of
human life is lacking, we will also lose interest in others
and in the earth itself“
“The way humanity treats the environment influences
the way it treats itself, and vice versa.”
- Caritas in Veritate 51
- 1990 World Day of Peace Message, Pope John Paul II

14. HEDONISM, the Human Person & the Environment
Reducing nature merely to a collection of
contingent data ends up doing violence to
the environment and even encouraging
activity that fails to respect human nature
itself.
-Caritas in Veritate 48

15. HEDONISM, the Human Person & the
Environment
Our nature, constituted not only by matter but also
by spirit, and as such, endowed with transcendent
meaning and aspirations, is also normative for culture.
Human beings interpret and shape the natural
environment through culture, which in turn is given
direction by the responsible use of freedom, in
accordance with the dictates of the moral law.
Caritas in Veritate 48

16. HEDONISM, the Human Person & the
Environment
We recognize that:
“Even on the natural level
temperance and simplicity of life
are the dictates of sound policy.
Mater et Magistra 235

17. SELF-INTEREST IS
THE
FOUNDATION OF
MORALITY

18. Negative Effects of Consumerism:
▪On Society: GLOBAL INEQUALITY
Spending on what is not necessary has made the rich richer and the poor, poorer
▪On Individuals: OBESITY
Having a mentality of buying what I can over buying only what I need.
▪On the Environment: POLLUTION AND RESOURCE
DEPLETION
Being unmindful that natural resources are finite,
and producing much waste, far more than what nature can handle.

19. Throwaway Culture
We have created a “throwaway”
culture which is now spreading.
- Pope Francis, Evangelii
Gaudium 53
ANALYSIS:

20. “throwaway
culture” that
ruthlessly
consumes, exploits,
and discards human
life and our natural
resources as one of
the root causes.

21. Throwaway Culture
1) “We live in a world where everything is seen as
disposable, replaceable or temporary,
and overflowing landfills aren’t the only obvious signs.”
2) But also “broken relationships, forgotten people,
abandoned beliefs and dilapidated dreams to find the
far-reaching effects of the throwaway mentality.”
- https://osvnews.com/2013/08/21/pope-francis-guide-to-avoiding-a-
throwaway-culture/

22. Throwaway Culture &
Environmental Degradation
“We live in a world where everything is seen as
disposable, replaceable or temporary,
and overflowing landfills aren’t the only obvious
signs.”
- https://osvnews.com/2013/08/21/pope-francis-guide-to-avoiding-a-
throwaway-culture/

23. …garbage
everywhere!
CONTEXT:

24. Consumerism, Wasteful Consumption,
Throwaway mentality
“quickly reduces things to rubbish.”
The earth, our home, is beginning to
look more and more like an immense
pile of filth. In many parts of the planet,
the elderly lament that once beautiful
landscapes are now covered with
rubbish
- Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ 22
- Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ 21

25. Our present system
of discards management is disposal and
not management.
This HAKOT/TAMBAK system,
also known as collect and dump system,
is not ecological.
This is the father and mother
of Payatas, Smokey Mountain, Rodriguez
and other dumpsites and landfills.
- Mother Earth Foundation

26. Crisis of Throw-away Culture and
A SPIRITUALITY OF MERCY
• wasting of our resources fueled by consumerism
and the market economy,
• the practice of contraception and abortion,
• abandonment of the elderly and the handicapped,
• exclusion of the poor, exploitation of the weak, and
• discarding of genuine relationships, of married love
and marriage vows.
Indicators of a Throw-Away Culture

27. Crisis of Throw-away Culture and
A SPIRITUALITY OF MERCY
ANALYSIS
Articulating and reflecting about the question together with the help
of other disciplines AND IN THE LIGHT OF CHRISTIAN FAITH…
What is our Christian understanding of Mercy?
How is mercy the path towards real happiness as
opposed to the throw-away culture?

28. R.G.PAZCOGUIN, OP

29. People who are deemed “useless” are excluded or
“thrown-away”
ANTIDOTE:
MERCY
CULTURE OF
SOLIDARITY –
everyone is brother/
sister
no one is disposable
RESPONSIBLE
CONSUMPTION–
we have to protect
God’s gifts so that
future generations may
continue to enjoy them
CULTURE OF
ENCOUNTER –
active concern for the
poor, the weak and the
vulnerable

30. - MATTHEW 5:7
Blessed are the MERCIFUL
for they shall obtain MERCY.
GOD’S
JUSTIC
E
GOD’S
MERC
Y
JESUS is the FACE of the
FATHER’s MERCY.
Pope Francis,
Misericordiae Vultus, April 11, 2015

32. - MATTHEW 5:7
Blessed are the MERCIFUL
for they shall obtain MERCY.
GOD’S
JUSTIC
E
GOD’S
MERC
Y
JESUS is the FACE of the
FATHER’s MERCY.
Pope Francis,
Misericordiae Vultus, April 11, 2015

34. Were not murderers
or thieves or
adulterous.
They were merely
UNMERCIFUL.
SIN OF COMMISSION vs
SIN OF
OMISSION

35. SELF-
CENTEREDNE
SS
Being absorbed in our own
issues.
“What’s in it for ME?”
SELF-PITY
Preoccupation with our own
perceived suffering
“If they think they have
problems, well, I have
problems too.”
FOUR OBSTACLES TO
BEING MERCIFUL
PRIDE
Thinking we are privileged
because we are holier
“They probably deserve their
sufferings because of their
evil deeds.”
SELFISHNES
S
Wanting to keep all we
have for ourselves
“I worked hard for it,
it’s all mine.”

36. MERCY
is the greatest "relative" characteristic of GOD.
With relation to all that exists
in creation, mercy is the
greatest divine attribute.
St. Thomas Aquinas
He does us so much good
even when he has zero need
for us.
This is God’s MERCY.
Does not need
anything:
Absolute,
Perfect,
Self-existent;
with no one
above him and
everyone
beneath him.

37. MERCY according to AQUINAS (ST II-II.30.1)
St. Thomas says, human mercy is grounded
in a "defect" in our nature: the defect of
human vulnerability to suffering.
According to
St. Thomas, the
Latin word
"misericordi
a" literally means
"having a
miserable
heart“
for another
person's misery.
Suffering that
goes against
our natural
appetite for
existence and
life
Suffering that
strikes us
suddenly and
unexpectedly
Suffering that
strikes a person
when he
consistently
pursues the
good, yet he
meets only
overpowering
evil
The undeserved suffering of the
innocent and the virtuous is worst
kind of misery according to
Aquinas.

38. MERCY according to AQUINAS (ST II-II.30.1)
St. Dominic sold his
books in order to feed
the hungry.
ROOTED IN RIGHT
REASON
the truth about the
sufferings of others, and
what is in fact the objective
"good" for the other whom
we seek to help
"Since man, therefore, has God above him, charity which unites him to God is greater
than mercy, which relieves the wants of others" (II-II.30.4). On the other hand, when we
consider which of the virtues should govern our relationships with other human beings,
then it is clear that mercy directed to our neighbors in need is the supreme virtue in man
PROVEN IN EFFECTIVE
ACTION
helping and not merely
sympathizing
2 ASPECTS:
CHARACTERISTICS:
“The compassion in our hearts for
another person's misery, a compassion
which drives us to do what we can to
help him."

39. Towards Contemplation
• “For God so loved the world He gave us His only Son…” –Jn3:16
• “Creation groans to be saved” – cf. Romans 8:21-22 also Cf
Romans 8:18-21
• the intrinsic dignity of the world (LS §115),
• the intrinsic value of (non-human creatures) (LS § 69, 140),
kinship (LS § 92)
• that everything is connected ((LS §70, 79,117,120)
• "as part of the universe, called into being by one Father, all of us
are linked by unseen bonds..." (LS § 89)

40. • The divine Persons are subsistent relations, and the
world, created according to the divine model, is a web
of relationships. Creatures tend towards God, (LS 240)
• It also entails a loving awareness that we are not
disconnected from the rest of creatures, but joined in
a splendid universal communion. As believers, we do
not look at the world from without but from within,
conscious of the bonds with which the Father has
linked us to all beings. (LS § 220)
Towards Contemplation

41. • "The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be
found in us. Rather, all creatures are moving
forward with us & through us towards a common
point of arrival, which is God.... Human beings,
endowed with intelligence & love, & drawn by the
fullness of Christ, are called to lead all creatures back
to their Creator." (LS § 83)
Towards Contemplation

42. Sawà vs. Awâ (LR Ocampo)
Throw-Away Culture
Sawà
Culture of Mercy
Awâ
Objectification Contemplation
Consumption Compassion
Maximization Care
Disposal Communion

43. Living “The Primacy of Mercy” (MV 17, MetM 1)
• Laudato Si’ mentioned the word
“care” 35 times, while
“stewardship” only twice. The
subtitle of Laudato Si is in fact on
“care for our common home”.
From “stewardship” we notice a
shift to “care”. Hence, there is a
shift from duty-based ethics to a
virtue-based ethics of “care.”
“Culture of care”
as antidote to the
double
degradation
brought about by
the throwaway
culture (EG 193,
LS 231, AL 191)
PAKIALAM - MALASAKIT

44. Crisis of Throw-away Culture and
A SPIRITUALITY OF MERCY
ACTION
Applying new knowledge to praise (worship - to adore and praise God),
to bless (morals - to bless God by being a blessing to others), to preach
(doctrine - to share and proclaim faith)…
Write down five resolutions on how you can
significantly reduce your usage of single-
use/disposable items, or how you can promote a
“culture of care” in your community.
You will find the submission link
in Blackboard Learn
Deadline:
significantly reduce their usage of single-use/disposable items