God on Our Terms

            A few weeks ago I heard a story on the radio about a young woman who has to be about the most committed environmentalist imaginable. She had visited her boyfriend’s family for a few days, where she was shocked to discover that his family did not compost their leftovers. She could not bring herself to put her food in the trash can, so she hid it for days. She was powerfully committed to making life better for the planet—but she refused to identify herself as an environmentalist. The journalist who interviewed this woman made a big deal about her age and the so-called millennial generation, but the situation was clearer and simpler than all that. This woman wanted to be an environmentalist on her own terms, and the name “environmentalist” was beyond her control. If she couldn’t control it, she didn’t want it.