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Climate Change or System Change
Visionary activist and founder of Local Futures argues that the deregulation of trade and finance through an ongoing series of “free trade” treaties – is the driving force behind climate change. As a result, the climate problem can only be tackled effectively if governments stop subsidizing globalization, and begin pursuing a localization agenda instead.
More and more people are waking up to the fact that our current corporate-driven economic model is responsible for much of the destruction being inflicted on both people and the planet. It is up to civil society to lead the debate and keep the pressure on governments to change the system behind not only climate change, but the many other crises we face. Read this excellent analysis about how we need to change our system to create sustainable futures by creating more local economies.
More and more people are waking up to the fact that our current corporate-driven economic model is responsible for much of the destruction being inflicted on both people and the planet. It is up to civil society to lead the debate and keep the pressure on governments to change the system behind not only climate change, but the many other crises we face. Read this excellent analysis about how we need to change our system to create sustainable futures by creating more local economies.
What we eat is a really big deal for the planet.
All of us are concerned about, aware of, or affected by extreme weather, fire, drought, heat waves, floods and hurricanes all over the world, but most of us don’t realize how much our diet affects the planetary crises we’re facing.
For example, did you know that raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes and other forms of transportation combined?
Action is needed to reverse global warming and effectively address climate change. I’ve compiled a short list of resources and facts that highlight how our diet impacts Earth’s health and ability to sustain us. They are sobering and important. You care about Earth otherwise you wouldn't be reading this, so I strongly encourage you to take a look and learn more about what a planet-friendly diet looks like.
Read "Talking Turkey, What's Our Beef?" and "At the Table of Change" in my June and July, 2018, Monthly Columns.
This painting, called “Break on Through,” was inspired by the flaming pink tennis shoes my acupuncturist's assistant was wearing one day. She's a cheerful, 60-something grandmother who knows how to express happiness! I recalled the lyrics of the song by The Doors; “Break on through to the other side.” For me the painting is about happiness bursting through the barrier of fear, darkness, depression, hopelessness, and repression. For many people, myself included, allowing ourselves to feel happy is a conscious choice, and a lifelong process of opening up and letting go of a sense we got from family and culture that it’s not okay to be happy. And many of us who feel deeply the suffering and pain of the world often do not think it’s okay to be happy.
Ram Dass asks, “Does knowing the sorrow of the world mean that we don't throw the Frisbee on the beach?" My answer to that question is that we both grieve for the pain of the world and we express the joy of being alive in an amazing and beautiful place.
So what makes you happy? What makes your heart dance and burst with joy? Think about one thing that makes your heart smile and then go a little deeper and ask why this makes you happy. For instance, it makes me happy when my dog lies on my lap (even though he’s 65 lbs. we have an arrangement that doesn’t totally squash my innards). It makes me happy to hang out with a being I love. In that deeper place it’s about connection, a sense of oneness with another.
In all the instances that I can think of I find the root of my happiness has to do with a deep connection with my self, with another, or with God. It has to do with living out the meaning and purpose for my being here on the planet. It is about revealing what is deepest within me that wants to be shared. It’s about seeing something good or beautiful or valuable in any moment.
Beloved Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Happiness is not an individual matter; it has the nature of interbeing. When you are able to make one friend smile, her happiness will nourish you also.” He urges us to “water the seeds of joy and happiness that lie deep in our consciousness.” He suggests aspirations such as “May I know how to nourish the seeds of joy and happiness in myself (and others) every day.”
I’ll be happy if only . . .
Fr. Richard Rohr says, “Happiness is an inside job.” I agree with this. Yet in our modern consumer culture we are led to believe that it is stuff and outer circumstances that will make us happy. We look for happiness in all the wrong places. Fr. Thomas Keating says we need to change the direction in which we are looking for happiness because some of what we do in pursuit of happiness is based on the need for security, acceptance and approval, power and control. We may find brief bursts of happiness, but how long does that last?
We need to look deeply at our own programs for happiness, and dismantle the thoughts and beliefs that will never make us happy. But (and this is big) we also need to acknowledge that the consumer culture in which we live breeds, and feeds on, our feeling dissatisfied with who we are and what we have. Through incessant advertising we are made to feel we are not attractive enough, not successful or rich enough. We come to feel inadequate, inept, and not okay as we are. So we work harder, and buy more stuff, to feel better about ourselves and our lives.
What we don’t get is that the economic system is designed this way so that the economy will continue to grow, and a small number of people will profit handsomely. We have been led to believe that the economy has to grow in order for things to be okay. But is this true? What about “sustainable” happiness? What about a sustainable economy? Sarah van Gelder, Editor for YES! magazine, has written a fantastic article entitled “A Brief History of Happiness: How America Lost Track of the Good Life—and Where to Find It Now.” She and others (notably Helena Norberg-Hodge, co-founder of Local Futures) really bring to light the direct correlation between our growth economy and our personal happiness. Both of these authors identify and analyze the problem, and point to the solutions. If we don’t realize that much of our unhappiness is the consequence of an economic system that keeps us dissatisfied, we are apt to blame ourselves for things not going well for us. But the system is based on a dog-eat-dog scramble for more money and stuff where there are only a few winners and millions of losers. Many are now realizing that most people and the planet itself are the big losers.
With self-awareness, with the understanding of our interbeingness, and with compassionate action, we can create a world that works for all.
May these resources be informative and contribute to your happiness!
“A Brief History of Happiness; How America Lost Track of the Good Life—and Where to Find It Now,”
"Climate Change or System Change?"
"Making a Difference Makes You Happy"
"Finding Happiness; 11 Simple Ways to Get Your Smile Back
"The 7-Step Morning Ritual That Will Make You Happy All Day"
Sustainable Happiness: Live Simply, Live Well, Make a Difference, Edited by Sarah van Gelder and the Staff of Yes! magazine.
Ram Dass asks, “Does knowing the sorrow of the world mean that we don't throw the Frisbee on the beach?" My answer to that question is that we both grieve for the pain of the world and we express the joy of being alive in an amazing and beautiful place.
So what makes you happy? What makes your heart dance and burst with joy? Think about one thing that makes your heart smile and then go a little deeper and ask why this makes you happy. For instance, it makes me happy when my dog lies on my lap (even though he’s 65 lbs. we have an arrangement that doesn’t totally squash my innards). It makes me happy to hang out with a being I love. In that deeper place it’s about connection, a sense of oneness with another.
In all the instances that I can think of I find the root of my happiness has to do with a deep connection with my self, with another, or with God. It has to do with living out the meaning and purpose for my being here on the planet. It is about revealing what is deepest within me that wants to be shared. It’s about seeing something good or beautiful or valuable in any moment.
Beloved Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Happiness is not an individual matter; it has the nature of interbeing. When you are able to make one friend smile, her happiness will nourish you also.” He urges us to “water the seeds of joy and happiness that lie deep in our consciousness.” He suggests aspirations such as “May I know how to nourish the seeds of joy and happiness in myself (and others) every day.”
I’ll be happy if only . . .
Fr. Richard Rohr says, “Happiness is an inside job.” I agree with this. Yet in our modern consumer culture we are led to believe that it is stuff and outer circumstances that will make us happy. We look for happiness in all the wrong places. Fr. Thomas Keating says we need to change the direction in which we are looking for happiness because some of what we do in pursuit of happiness is based on the need for security, acceptance and approval, power and control. We may find brief bursts of happiness, but how long does that last?
We need to look deeply at our own programs for happiness, and dismantle the thoughts and beliefs that will never make us happy. But (and this is big) we also need to acknowledge that the consumer culture in which we live breeds, and feeds on, our feeling dissatisfied with who we are and what we have. Through incessant advertising we are made to feel we are not attractive enough, not successful or rich enough. We come to feel inadequate, inept, and not okay as we are. So we work harder, and buy more stuff, to feel better about ourselves and our lives.
What we don’t get is that the economic system is designed this way so that the economy will continue to grow, and a small number of people will profit handsomely. We have been led to believe that the economy has to grow in order for things to be okay. But is this true? What about “sustainable” happiness? What about a sustainable economy? Sarah van Gelder, Editor for YES! magazine, has written a fantastic article entitled “A Brief History of Happiness: How America Lost Track of the Good Life—and Where to Find It Now.” She and others (notably Helena Norberg-Hodge, co-founder of Local Futures) really bring to light the direct correlation between our growth economy and our personal happiness. Both of these authors identify and analyze the problem, and point to the solutions. If we don’t realize that much of our unhappiness is the consequence of an economic system that keeps us dissatisfied, we are apt to blame ourselves for things not going well for us. But the system is based on a dog-eat-dog scramble for more money and stuff where there are only a few winners and millions of losers. Many are now realizing that most people and the planet itself are the big losers.
With self-awareness, with the understanding of our interbeingness, and with compassionate action, we can create a world that works for all.
May these resources be informative and contribute to your happiness!
“A Brief History of Happiness; How America Lost Track of the Good Life—and Where to Find It Now,”
"Climate Change or System Change?"
"Making a Difference Makes You Happy"
"Finding Happiness; 11 Simple Ways to Get Your Smile Back
"The 7-Step Morning Ritual That Will Make You Happy All Day"
Sustainable Happiness: Live Simply, Live Well, Make a Difference, Edited by Sarah van Gelder and the Staff of Yes! magazine.
Bringing Food Home
Food has been a life-changer for me. The first big shift was not a result of eating a particular food, but from reading a book about food, namely Diet For a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappé. The second time when food sent me on a new course was gulping down two helpings of bland, pale scrambled eggs at my mother’s house, which mysteriously triggered a food addiction that lasted several years and launched me on a quest to free myself from addiction. That search became a journey to find my true self and God. (Read Bicycling Home, My Journey to Find God for the recounting of my quest and the happy ending.)
The topic of food seems to fall into three areas of exploration: the politics of food, food for the spirit and sensual food. Here is a brief look at each.
THE POLITICS OF FOOD
I read Diet For a Small Planet in 1975 when I was 26. The book shines light on all aspects of food, but what was a startling eye-opener was about how our food is produced. Lappé described and documented the enormous inefficiency, waste and ecological destruction of the meat-based Western diet, a diet that many other cultures now aspire to. The most striking of many facts is that it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of beef. This diet is now untenable, unsustainable, and even bordering on criminal because of its waste of land, water and energy, destruction of natural habitat, and contribution to food scarcity, poverty and global warming. Climate change demands that we also look at where our food comes from: is it locally grown or has it been shipped thousands of miles from its source? I try to buy locally but I have to confess that one of my favorite of all foods is Atlantic Salmon—from Norway. I imagine nearby catfish and trout will be the future fish in my diet.
Lappé and Joseph Collins have just published a definitive work on world hunger entitled World Hunger: 10 Myths. For example, Myth #1 is “Too Little Food, Too Many People:” Myth #6, “The Free Market Can End Hunger.” These books, and many others, give us all we need to change to a more plant-based diet, and enjoy it too.
FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT
We feed our minds and spirits every bit as much as we feed our bodies. Are the thoughts, the information and images we take in all day long nourishing for us? Are they toxic or cause us indigestion? Apparently, neuroscience can now demonstrate the brain has a negative bias; it prefers to constellate around negative, fearful or problematic situations. I have to say that’s true for me, though I do my best to fill my mental plate with positive food. It’s almost impossible to watch network news without getting depressed. That’s why we need to get a balanced diet of information, and especially take in a generous helping of positive news, which is one reason I subscribe to The Optimist Daily and YES! magazine. I want to know what’s going on in the world but I want to give my energy to people who are upbeat and who are working on positive solutions rather than dwelling on bad news and what doesn’t work.
SENSUAL FOOD
Lent is now with us and people are encouraged to give up something for Lent to emulate the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and sparring with the Devil. I find it far easier to give up a particular food, like chocolate, than to give up a particular habit. For the record, this Lent I am giving up inner whining and complaining about what doesn’t suit or please me, or what’s inconvenient. But as I said, it’s easier to give up chocolate; I gave up the same complaining bit last year for Lent.
Now let’s get on to the topic of tasty, wonderful, savory food we love. I’ve had fun asking friends what they would order for a last meal. My farrier would have Elk Wellington (tenderloin of elk wrapped in puff pastry). One friend would have “tacos, tacos, tacos!” stuffed with black beans and veggies. Another would fast to keep his mind clear. Makes sense, but I would strive for a clear mind and also unquestionably order that favorite Norwegian Salmon and maybe Tiramisu for dessert. Or how about Cornish Game Hens with traditional stuffing followed by apple pie?
Whatever your favorite dish, I offer our favorite cookie recipe for dessert:
The 129-Calorie Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Please enjoy, and just think, two cookies are only 258 calories!
The topic of food seems to fall into three areas of exploration: the politics of food, food for the spirit and sensual food. Here is a brief look at each.
THE POLITICS OF FOOD
I read Diet For a Small Planet in 1975 when I was 26. The book shines light on all aspects of food, but what was a startling eye-opener was about how our food is produced. Lappé described and documented the enormous inefficiency, waste and ecological destruction of the meat-based Western diet, a diet that many other cultures now aspire to. The most striking of many facts is that it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of beef. This diet is now untenable, unsustainable, and even bordering on criminal because of its waste of land, water and energy, destruction of natural habitat, and contribution to food scarcity, poverty and global warming. Climate change demands that we also look at where our food comes from: is it locally grown or has it been shipped thousands of miles from its source? I try to buy locally but I have to confess that one of my favorite of all foods is Atlantic Salmon—from Norway. I imagine nearby catfish and trout will be the future fish in my diet.
Lappé and Joseph Collins have just published a definitive work on world hunger entitled World Hunger: 10 Myths. For example, Myth #1 is “Too Little Food, Too Many People:” Myth #6, “The Free Market Can End Hunger.” These books, and many others, give us all we need to change to a more plant-based diet, and enjoy it too.
FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT
We feed our minds and spirits every bit as much as we feed our bodies. Are the thoughts, the information and images we take in all day long nourishing for us? Are they toxic or cause us indigestion? Apparently, neuroscience can now demonstrate the brain has a negative bias; it prefers to constellate around negative, fearful or problematic situations. I have to say that’s true for me, though I do my best to fill my mental plate with positive food. It’s almost impossible to watch network news without getting depressed. That’s why we need to get a balanced diet of information, and especially take in a generous helping of positive news, which is one reason I subscribe to The Optimist Daily and YES! magazine. I want to know what’s going on in the world but I want to give my energy to people who are upbeat and who are working on positive solutions rather than dwelling on bad news and what doesn’t work.
SENSUAL FOOD
Lent is now with us and people are encouraged to give up something for Lent to emulate the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and sparring with the Devil. I find it far easier to give up a particular food, like chocolate, than to give up a particular habit. For the record, this Lent I am giving up inner whining and complaining about what doesn’t suit or please me, or what’s inconvenient. But as I said, it’s easier to give up chocolate; I gave up the same complaining bit last year for Lent.
Now let’s get on to the topic of tasty, wonderful, savory food we love. I’ve had fun asking friends what they would order for a last meal. My farrier would have Elk Wellington (tenderloin of elk wrapped in puff pastry). One friend would have “tacos, tacos, tacos!” stuffed with black beans and veggies. Another would fast to keep his mind clear. Makes sense, but I would strive for a clear mind and also unquestionably order that favorite Norwegian Salmon and maybe Tiramisu for dessert. Or how about Cornish Game Hens with traditional stuffing followed by apple pie?
Whatever your favorite dish, I offer our favorite cookie recipe for dessert:
The 129-Calorie Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Please enjoy, and just think, two cookies are only 258 calories!
Fun and Change
In the summer of 1961 Dad took my older sister and me to the Tivoli Amusement Park in Copenhagen. As we screamed down a roller coaster mountain, Dad turned around and got this picture. We were having terrified fun! I doubt that our shrieking changed anything except to increase the amount of adrenalin in the world.
The photo is just about fun. In this Reflection I want us to consider if we can have fun, and be deadly serious about confronting the social, political, spiritual and environmental crises we face, and make necessary changes. Could it be that it would better serve our work for the planet and the greater good to have more fun?
Before we consider this question, let’s first dive into just plain old fun. How do we have fun in our lives? I’m talking about making our ordinary life situations more fun. I’m not talking about situations that are life-threatening, or tragic with great loss or harm or illness or injury where fun is not even a remote possibility. I’m also not talking about any kind of “fun” activity that would be at someone else’s expense or cause harm in any way.
The dictionary defines fun as “something that provides mirth or enjoyment.” I think having fun is often a matter of seeing things differently, or taking a situation or ourselves less seriously, or dropping expectations of how things should be. For me, a big part of having fun has to do with letting my inner child out to play. Even the usual chores can be more fun if we let ourselves play a little, which can happen anywhere, anytime. I can make a doodle on the envelope when I pay bills. I can whiz my cart down the (empty) grocery aisle at top speed. I can run the vacuum cleaner around the carpet to make curvy designs or do a little jig around the mop handle. If I listen to my inner child and see things through her eyes, (about age 4-10), the possibilities are endless. We overly serious and responsible types sometimes need to set aside our adult agenda, enjoy extra-curricular activities, and let our inner 5 year old take us out to play. One friend suggested “mandatory fun time.”
While we’re looking for more fun in our lives it’s helpful to look more deeply at the situations that cause us to feel frustrated or burdened to see if we might uncover thoughts and beliefs that are at the root of our difficulty. We could then put a more positive or at least neutral spin on the situation. Many of us have been raised to think that having fun is not responsible, and doesn’t serve the greater good. This belief definitely gets in the way of having fun and I’m seriously rethinking that unspoken commandment.
So now on to the question about having fun and making change. Several things inspire me to rethink the value of having fun while “saving the planet.” I think of the TPP protesters and climate change marchers who dressed up in costumes, and carried big colorful signs. They were clearly having a great time and having a big effect on changing policy.
Then there’s Jim Hightower. National radio commentator, public speaker, writer, journalist and popular progressive activist, Hightower is dedicated to change for the common good, and he has fun doing it. His writing is as witty and playful as it is powerfully truthful and informative. I love how he always calls Members of Congress “Congress Critters,” yet I’ve never known him to be disrespectful of anybody, He doesn’t hesitate to bring us the truth of how corrupt and unjust our political and economic systems are, but he always points to how and with whom we can join together for change. He does a regular newsletter called The Hightower Lowdown, which is informative and fun to read. As he says, “Joining with others for the great possibility of America is as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.”
As author, humorist, and “cosmic comic” Steve Bhaerman says, ”Particularly in these times of crisis and evolution (both personal and planetary), whole-hearted laughter and mind-expanding humor will help us heal ourselves and be of greater use to others.”
Caroline Casey, visionary activist and mythologist, prays that “the path will open before us that we may be of maximum good while having the most serious and dedicated fun.”
Last month I asked “What ‘s Heaven on Earth for you?” This month, I ask “What’s fun for you and how can you have fun making change?” The two go well together, for as Martin Rutte says (Project Heaven on Earth), “Let’s create Heaven on Earth for the fun of it.” Let’s make change for the fun of it!
I’m having fun thinking about all the things that would be fun for me. What about you? Look, here’s Hafiz to give us some ideas. And my February Reflection on Happiness gives more food for fun.
A Suspended Blue Ocean
The sky
Is a suspended blue ocean.
The stars are the fish that swim.
The planets are the white whales
I sometimes hitch a ride on,
And the sun and all light
Have forever fused themselves
Into my heart and upon my skin.
There is only one rule
On this Wild Playground,
For every sign Hafiz has ever seen
Reads the same.
They all say,
“Have fun, my dear; my dear, have fun,
In the Beloved’s Divine Game,
O, in the Beloved’s
Wonderful Game.”
—Hafiz
Resources for Fun and Happiness
“A Brief History of Happiness; How America Lost Track of the Good Life—and Where to Find It Now,”
"Making a Difference Makes You Happy"
"Finding Happiness; 11 Simple Ways to Get Your Smile Back
"The 7-Step Morning Ritual That Will Make You Happy All Day"
Breaking These 13 Habits Will Make You Happier
The photo is just about fun. In this Reflection I want us to consider if we can have fun, and be deadly serious about confronting the social, political, spiritual and environmental crises we face, and make necessary changes. Could it be that it would better serve our work for the planet and the greater good to have more fun?
Before we consider this question, let’s first dive into just plain old fun. How do we have fun in our lives? I’m talking about making our ordinary life situations more fun. I’m not talking about situations that are life-threatening, or tragic with great loss or harm or illness or injury where fun is not even a remote possibility. I’m also not talking about any kind of “fun” activity that would be at someone else’s expense or cause harm in any way.
The dictionary defines fun as “something that provides mirth or enjoyment.” I think having fun is often a matter of seeing things differently, or taking a situation or ourselves less seriously, or dropping expectations of how things should be. For me, a big part of having fun has to do with letting my inner child out to play. Even the usual chores can be more fun if we let ourselves play a little, which can happen anywhere, anytime. I can make a doodle on the envelope when I pay bills. I can whiz my cart down the (empty) grocery aisle at top speed. I can run the vacuum cleaner around the carpet to make curvy designs or do a little jig around the mop handle. If I listen to my inner child and see things through her eyes, (about age 4-10), the possibilities are endless. We overly serious and responsible types sometimes need to set aside our adult agenda, enjoy extra-curricular activities, and let our inner 5 year old take us out to play. One friend suggested “mandatory fun time.”
While we’re looking for more fun in our lives it’s helpful to look more deeply at the situations that cause us to feel frustrated or burdened to see if we might uncover thoughts and beliefs that are at the root of our difficulty. We could then put a more positive or at least neutral spin on the situation. Many of us have been raised to think that having fun is not responsible, and doesn’t serve the greater good. This belief definitely gets in the way of having fun and I’m seriously rethinking that unspoken commandment.
So now on to the question about having fun and making change. Several things inspire me to rethink the value of having fun while “saving the planet.” I think of the TPP protesters and climate change marchers who dressed up in costumes, and carried big colorful signs. They were clearly having a great time and having a big effect on changing policy.
Then there’s Jim Hightower. National radio commentator, public speaker, writer, journalist and popular progressive activist, Hightower is dedicated to change for the common good, and he has fun doing it. His writing is as witty and playful as it is powerfully truthful and informative. I love how he always calls Members of Congress “Congress Critters,” yet I’ve never known him to be disrespectful of anybody, He doesn’t hesitate to bring us the truth of how corrupt and unjust our political and economic systems are, but he always points to how and with whom we can join together for change. He does a regular newsletter called The Hightower Lowdown, which is informative and fun to read. As he says, “Joining with others for the great possibility of America is as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.”
As author, humorist, and “cosmic comic” Steve Bhaerman says, ”Particularly in these times of crisis and evolution (both personal and planetary), whole-hearted laughter and mind-expanding humor will help us heal ourselves and be of greater use to others.”
Caroline Casey, visionary activist and mythologist, prays that “the path will open before us that we may be of maximum good while having the most serious and dedicated fun.”
Last month I asked “What ‘s Heaven on Earth for you?” This month, I ask “What’s fun for you and how can you have fun making change?” The two go well together, for as Martin Rutte says (Project Heaven on Earth), “Let’s create Heaven on Earth for the fun of it.” Let’s make change for the fun of it!
I’m having fun thinking about all the things that would be fun for me. What about you? Look, here’s Hafiz to give us some ideas. And my February Reflection on Happiness gives more food for fun.
A Suspended Blue Ocean
The sky
Is a suspended blue ocean.
The stars are the fish that swim.
The planets are the white whales
I sometimes hitch a ride on,
And the sun and all light
Have forever fused themselves
Into my heart and upon my skin.
There is only one rule
On this Wild Playground,
For every sign Hafiz has ever seen
Reads the same.
They all say,
“Have fun, my dear; my dear, have fun,
In the Beloved’s Divine Game,
O, in the Beloved’s
Wonderful Game.”
—Hafiz
Resources for Fun and Happiness
“A Brief History of Happiness; How America Lost Track of the Good Life—and Where to Find It Now,”
"Making a Difference Makes You Happy"
"Finding Happiness; 11 Simple Ways to Get Your Smile Back
"The 7-Step Morning Ritual That Will Make You Happy All Day"
Breaking These 13 Habits Will Make You Happier
NEVER DOUBT that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has..
Activism is defined as “the doctrine or practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of achieving political and other goals, sometimes by demonstrations and protests.” There’s much more to activism than this limited picture. Let's look at some expanded ideas.
Resistance: Here’s where we stop or slow down a destructive force, policy or action. Often this takes the form of direct action—marches, protests, demonstrations, civil disobedience. Many say that direct action is the most important tool we have right now for change, and we have definitely seen the positive impact of mass movements, most recently in climate change work. Millions of aware people are now realizing that merely changing light bulbs is not the solution if we don’t simultaneously change our values and the whole economic / political system. We’ve seen our power to make change. One activist says, “The core of activism is voice. I don’t think there is any fight we cannot win if we have the numbers.”
Renewal: In this arena we build the foundations and forms for a sustainable way of living. This is going on all over the world with increasing momentum, from the rise of alternative clean energy use, emerging local economies, cooperatives, small-scale agriculture, to the development of earth-friendly materials to replace non-degradable stuff. Hundreds of organizations are working to build a conscious, caring economy, and a truly democratic system. (See a few favorites in Resources for Inspired Action.) Two great sources for positive news are The Optimist Daily and YES! magazine. It is vitally important that we get a big dose of good news to balance the in-our-face bad news the mass media serves us.
Change of consciousness: In this realm we inform ourselves about what’s really going on. Visionary activist Helena Norberg-Hodge believes that one of the most powerful forms of resistance is awareness—informing ourselves and others about the realities of our destructive system so we can create truly sustainable solutions. She calls this “awareness activism.” And as Joanna Macy instructs, we must be unafraid to face the hard truths, and to let our hearts break. It is only by engaging this process that we can free ourselves from hopelessness, helplessness, depression and apathy to take meaningful action. It is truly revolutionary activism at the deepest level, and the only way we can bear the unbearable. [See my Reflection on Despair] As Gandhi tells us, “Be the change we wish to see in the world.”
The Motivation for Our Activism: Many people who join protest marches are justifiably angry and frustrated at circumstances. We need to expose and confront injustice and corruption, but violent, mean-spirited confrontations that harm people and property are more likely to turn people off to our cause than a march that is imbued with positive energy. Picture the climate marchers in New York and Paris, many decked out in colorful costumes, carrying bright banners, with linked arms and happy faces. These folks were having fun, while having a huge impact on policymakers. All good.
One of the most influential books I’ve read recently is Creating A World That Works For All, by Sharif Abdullah. He puts it this way: “For those wishing to create a better world there is a dual purpose in our activism: to transform ourselves and to transform the world. The principal tool to produce that change is compassion. Many of us are motivated more by anger at what is wrong than expectant joy at what could be right. We need to try not to act from anger or fear."
Stepping it up: Given the increasingly violent rhetoric and actions of our day, the continuing deterioration of ecosystems, and the deepening polarity between people, it is time to step up our activism in whatever way fits our personal nature and style, our time and energy. As Dr. Jean Shimoda Bolen says, “Your cause, your assignment, is directed by what’s meaningful to you personally.”
Let me count the ways: There are many ways to think about and practice activism. This excellent article from YES! magazine gives us “17 Ways You Can Work for Social Justice."
Don’t discount the value of your attitude to bring about change, or your working on a subtle level to envision what we want. Studies prove this practice of envisioning what is desirable—subtle or spiritual activism—is very effective.
This sounds contradictory, but we need to have fun at this serious business of making change. We still need to celebrate life, to feel awe and wonder at the magnificence of our planet. We can go about our day in a slow and mindful manner, staying in a place of love, compassion and kindness as much as possible in relation to ourselves, other people and Nature.
We should also take seriously the power of “clicking,” and digital activism. Think of President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone pipeline, Shell’s withdrawal from drilling in the Arctic, and other successes that have been effective in part because of “mass clicking.”
May we all be creative activists in service to greater harmony on Earth.
Favorite Resources & Quotes
YES! magazine
The Optimist Daily
Desert Rose Press: The "Never Doubt" card, with well-known quotes by activists, is available at our press website.
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do little.
Edmund Burke,
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Marching without heart is just motion. Speeches without love are just words. . . Collective resistance alongside creative, joyful envisioning of change at the systemic level create humane and ethical uprisings.
Sharif Abdullah
Activism is defined as “the doctrine or practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of achieving political and other goals, sometimes by demonstrations and protests.” There’s much more to activism than this limited picture. Let's look at some expanded ideas.
Resistance: Here’s where we stop or slow down a destructive force, policy or action. Often this takes the form of direct action—marches, protests, demonstrations, civil disobedience. Many say that direct action is the most important tool we have right now for change, and we have definitely seen the positive impact of mass movements, most recently in climate change work. Millions of aware people are now realizing that merely changing light bulbs is not the solution if we don’t simultaneously change our values and the whole economic / political system. We’ve seen our power to make change. One activist says, “The core of activism is voice. I don’t think there is any fight we cannot win if we have the numbers.”
Renewal: In this arena we build the foundations and forms for a sustainable way of living. This is going on all over the world with increasing momentum, from the rise of alternative clean energy use, emerging local economies, cooperatives, small-scale agriculture, to the development of earth-friendly materials to replace non-degradable stuff. Hundreds of organizations are working to build a conscious, caring economy, and a truly democratic system. (See a few favorites in Resources for Inspired Action.) Two great sources for positive news are The Optimist Daily and YES! magazine. It is vitally important that we get a big dose of good news to balance the in-our-face bad news the mass media serves us.
Change of consciousness: In this realm we inform ourselves about what’s really going on. Visionary activist Helena Norberg-Hodge believes that one of the most powerful forms of resistance is awareness—informing ourselves and others about the realities of our destructive system so we can create truly sustainable solutions. She calls this “awareness activism.” And as Joanna Macy instructs, we must be unafraid to face the hard truths, and to let our hearts break. It is only by engaging this process that we can free ourselves from hopelessness, helplessness, depression and apathy to take meaningful action. It is truly revolutionary activism at the deepest level, and the only way we can bear the unbearable. [See my Reflection on Despair] As Gandhi tells us, “Be the change we wish to see in the world.”
The Motivation for Our Activism: Many people who join protest marches are justifiably angry and frustrated at circumstances. We need to expose and confront injustice and corruption, but violent, mean-spirited confrontations that harm people and property are more likely to turn people off to our cause than a march that is imbued with positive energy. Picture the climate marchers in New York and Paris, many decked out in colorful costumes, carrying bright banners, with linked arms and happy faces. These folks were having fun, while having a huge impact on policymakers. All good.
One of the most influential books I’ve read recently is Creating A World That Works For All, by Sharif Abdullah. He puts it this way: “For those wishing to create a better world there is a dual purpose in our activism: to transform ourselves and to transform the world. The principal tool to produce that change is compassion. Many of us are motivated more by anger at what is wrong than expectant joy at what could be right. We need to try not to act from anger or fear."
Stepping it up: Given the increasingly violent rhetoric and actions of our day, the continuing deterioration of ecosystems, and the deepening polarity between people, it is time to step up our activism in whatever way fits our personal nature and style, our time and energy. As Dr. Jean Shimoda Bolen says, “Your cause, your assignment, is directed by what’s meaningful to you personally.”
Let me count the ways: There are many ways to think about and practice activism. This excellent article from YES! magazine gives us “17 Ways You Can Work for Social Justice."
Don’t discount the value of your attitude to bring about change, or your working on a subtle level to envision what we want. Studies prove this practice of envisioning what is desirable—subtle or spiritual activism—is very effective.
This sounds contradictory, but we need to have fun at this serious business of making change. We still need to celebrate life, to feel awe and wonder at the magnificence of our planet. We can go about our day in a slow and mindful manner, staying in a place of love, compassion and kindness as much as possible in relation to ourselves, other people and Nature.
We should also take seriously the power of “clicking,” and digital activism. Think of President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone pipeline, Shell’s withdrawal from drilling in the Arctic, and other successes that have been effective in part because of “mass clicking.”
May we all be creative activists in service to greater harmony on Earth.
Favorite Resources & Quotes
YES! magazine
The Optimist Daily
Desert Rose Press: The "Never Doubt" card, with well-known quotes by activists, is available at our press website.
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do little.
Edmund Burke,
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Marching without heart is just motion. Speeches without love are just words. . . Collective resistance alongside creative, joyful envisioning of change at the systemic level create humane and ethical uprisings.
Sharif Abdullah
VOTEVOTEVOTE
You’re not alone if you’re disgusted with American politics and feel your vote doesn’t count for much these days. Sadly, we’re seeing all too clearly that we no longer have a government by the people, but government by the corporations and the very wealthy. Don’t we still hope that our elected representatives would be committed to serving the common good, and that we could leave our social, economic and environmental problems in the hands of these “benevolent” leaders? It's no wonder Donald Trump is so appealing; he says he'll fix everything!
We have learned in the last decades that most of our political representatives—with notable exceptions—are serving moneyed interests or simply being partisan obstructionists. We can’t count on our leaders to serve the interests of most people or the good of the planet which sustains us all. Hoping that they will is wishful thinking. We must come to grips with this reality and take matters into our own hands. We have seen how protests, demonstrations and our collective voice have made a difference. Voting makes a difference too.
If you’re trying to decide whether or not to vote, or for whom, consider a few compelling reasons to get yourself to the polls on November 9th. Not voting and a low voter turnout (the New York Times described the 38% turnout rate in the 2014 midterm election as “abysmally low”) shows the powers that be that most people are not engaged, which gives them further license and means to pursue their own goals regardless of the consequences.
Clinton or Trump? One really good reason—one critical reason—to vote for Hillary Clinton is that Donald Trump has said he would scrap the climate change agreement, which would mean further disaster for people, ecosystems, and all life on the planet. Another reason to vote for Clinton is that her nominee to the Supreme Court would be far more likely to support environmental and social justice values. The conservative court has virtually trashed our so-called democracy in favor of rule by money. For these reasons alone I will vote for Clinton even though I don’t like her ties to Wall Street or establishment politics. I remind myself that it’s not so much the person we’re voting for as the values that he or she stands for, or how close they come to representing our values.
If you don’t want to vote for any candidate on the ballot, write in someone. It’s better than keeping silent, which is a vote for the way things are.
Whether or not you go to the polls on November 9, and I hope you do, let’s not forget that we vote every single minute of the day. We vote with actions we take; we vote with our feet. We vote with the choices we make about what we buy, what we eat and wear. We vote with our attitude and our thoughts, even our facial expressions. Do we encourage environmental and social justice with our choices? Do we encourage understanding and connection with people?
Our voice is our vote. Let’s speak our minds!
GOOD READING
5 Reasons to Vote Even When You Hate Everything on the Ballot
I’m Sticking with Sanders—And Voting for Clinton
This Presidential Race is a Clear Choice; Fight, Flight or Fellowship
Why Trump?, by George Lakoff. A deeper look into the American psyche.
We have learned in the last decades that most of our political representatives—with notable exceptions—are serving moneyed interests or simply being partisan obstructionists. We can’t count on our leaders to serve the interests of most people or the good of the planet which sustains us all. Hoping that they will is wishful thinking. We must come to grips with this reality and take matters into our own hands. We have seen how protests, demonstrations and our collective voice have made a difference. Voting makes a difference too.
If you’re trying to decide whether or not to vote, or for whom, consider a few compelling reasons to get yourself to the polls on November 9th. Not voting and a low voter turnout (the New York Times described the 38% turnout rate in the 2014 midterm election as “abysmally low”) shows the powers that be that most people are not engaged, which gives them further license and means to pursue their own goals regardless of the consequences.
Clinton or Trump? One really good reason—one critical reason—to vote for Hillary Clinton is that Donald Trump has said he would scrap the climate change agreement, which would mean further disaster for people, ecosystems, and all life on the planet. Another reason to vote for Clinton is that her nominee to the Supreme Court would be far more likely to support environmental and social justice values. The conservative court has virtually trashed our so-called democracy in favor of rule by money. For these reasons alone I will vote for Clinton even though I don’t like her ties to Wall Street or establishment politics. I remind myself that it’s not so much the person we’re voting for as the values that he or she stands for, or how close they come to representing our values.
If you don’t want to vote for any candidate on the ballot, write in someone. It’s better than keeping silent, which is a vote for the way things are.
Whether or not you go to the polls on November 9, and I hope you do, let’s not forget that we vote every single minute of the day. We vote with actions we take; we vote with our feet. We vote with the choices we make about what we buy, what we eat and wear. We vote with our attitude and our thoughts, even our facial expressions. Do we encourage environmental and social justice with our choices? Do we encourage understanding and connection with people?
Our voice is our vote. Let’s speak our minds!
GOOD READING
5 Reasons to Vote Even When You Hate Everything on the Ballot
I’m Sticking with Sanders—And Voting for Clinton
This Presidential Race is a Clear Choice; Fight, Flight or Fellowship
Why Trump?, by George Lakoff. A deeper look into the American psyche.
The Unifying Story: What Are We For?
What are the values, the ideas, the vision that unite us? What are those “bedrock commonalities” that we can rally around to create a world that works for all of us and the Earth? We are now over 7 billion people strong and if we don’t work together we will all sink in the same boat. Hear what Fr. Richard Rohr says to us:
"While I pray President Trump leads with wisdom, compassion, and justice, we cannot simply sit back and watch whatever unfolds. We the people have a tremendous responsibility to work together, to speak truth to power, to peacefully advocate for the rights of all beings and the earth. This requires maturity and contemplative consciousness, empathy for the “other,” and courage to stand with those who are suffering. It is not a popular or easy path. But as human beings, we are called to be active participants in our salvation and mutual survival."
Over 3 million people worldwide participated in the Women’s March on January 21. People rallied for peace, justice, a sustainable future, and against oppressive policies. The march brought many separate movements together, which is what our current situation calls for. But we must be mindful not to circle the wagons so tightly that this broader goal, this vision of America, will seem to exclude those we are not “on the left,” or “progressive.” The broader goal to revision and restructure our economic and political system must always in view. We need to focus on a unifying story that can appeal to and include everyone!
What are we for? Clean water and air. Safe and healthy food. Clean elections. Health care for all. Educational opportunities for all. Meaningful, supportive jobs. Economic and ecological sustainability. Peace. Security. Human rights for all. Happiness for all.
What do we need to do? Connect with people. Organize and join with others about issues you care about. Resist policies ad behavior that exclude, denigrate, oppress, destroy. Participate in ways you haven’t before. Write letters. Go to rallies and demonstrations. Elect people who support life-affirming values as opposed to moneyed interests. Campaign for people or issues you care about. Volunteer to do what turns you on. Make one call a day (or 2 a week, whatever you can do!) to a local, state or national lawmaker to express your opinion. Calls count. Emails & petitions not so much.
No one size shoe fits all. The only thing common to all shoes is that now’s the time to put them on. We don’t have time for waiting and watching to see what will happen in the next four years.
Words of wisdom for dangerous times
I could go on and on with quotes from wise, effective, powerful people. These are the ones that popped out at me these last few weeks.
“What can we do? We have a voice, and hands. We can be agents and actors rather than victims. Simone Weil, who thought long and hard about how France could recover from fascism, once said: ‘I can, therefore I am.’ . . . The biggest story and struggle of our time lies in the nexus of climate, energy, economics, and environment. These connected crises have converged. Greg Mello, Los Alamos Study Group.
“Tiny acts have huge repercussions.” Martin Rutte, Project Heaven on Earth
“While there’s no doubt that we’re living in rocky times, if we address the perils with gloom and seriousness, we’ve lost the game already. Crushing the human spirit is oppression’s best weapon.” Caroline Casey
For more ideas about how to make your voice count, see “What You Can Do” on this website, and read my July 2016 column about activism.
Lastly, this is from a t-shirt I saw recently:
KEEP CALM.
CHANGE ON
"While I pray President Trump leads with wisdom, compassion, and justice, we cannot simply sit back and watch whatever unfolds. We the people have a tremendous responsibility to work together, to speak truth to power, to peacefully advocate for the rights of all beings and the earth. This requires maturity and contemplative consciousness, empathy for the “other,” and courage to stand with those who are suffering. It is not a popular or easy path. But as human beings, we are called to be active participants in our salvation and mutual survival."
Over 3 million people worldwide participated in the Women’s March on January 21. People rallied for peace, justice, a sustainable future, and against oppressive policies. The march brought many separate movements together, which is what our current situation calls for. But we must be mindful not to circle the wagons so tightly that this broader goal, this vision of America, will seem to exclude those we are not “on the left,” or “progressive.” The broader goal to revision and restructure our economic and political system must always in view. We need to focus on a unifying story that can appeal to and include everyone!
What are we for? Clean water and air. Safe and healthy food. Clean elections. Health care for all. Educational opportunities for all. Meaningful, supportive jobs. Economic and ecological sustainability. Peace. Security. Human rights for all. Happiness for all.
What do we need to do? Connect with people. Organize and join with others about issues you care about. Resist policies ad behavior that exclude, denigrate, oppress, destroy. Participate in ways you haven’t before. Write letters. Go to rallies and demonstrations. Elect people who support life-affirming values as opposed to moneyed interests. Campaign for people or issues you care about. Volunteer to do what turns you on. Make one call a day (or 2 a week, whatever you can do!) to a local, state or national lawmaker to express your opinion. Calls count. Emails & petitions not so much.
No one size shoe fits all. The only thing common to all shoes is that now’s the time to put them on. We don’t have time for waiting and watching to see what will happen in the next four years.
Words of wisdom for dangerous times
I could go on and on with quotes from wise, effective, powerful people. These are the ones that popped out at me these last few weeks.
“What can we do? We have a voice, and hands. We can be agents and actors rather than victims. Simone Weil, who thought long and hard about how France could recover from fascism, once said: ‘I can, therefore I am.’ . . . The biggest story and struggle of our time lies in the nexus of climate, energy, economics, and environment. These connected crises have converged. Greg Mello, Los Alamos Study Group.
“Tiny acts have huge repercussions.” Martin Rutte, Project Heaven on Earth
“While there’s no doubt that we’re living in rocky times, if we address the perils with gloom and seriousness, we’ve lost the game already. Crushing the human spirit is oppression’s best weapon.” Caroline Casey
For more ideas about how to make your voice count, see “What You Can Do” on this website, and read my July 2016 column about activism.
Lastly, this is from a t-shirt I saw recently:
KEEP CALM.
CHANGE ON
Drawdown: Game Over or Game On?
What is Drawdown? “Drawdown is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on a year-to-year basis.” This is the point, the purpose, and the plan of Project Drawdown—the book, the website and the 100 solutions presented to us to reverse global warming by cutting CO2 emissions. The book, edited by Paul Hawken in collaboration with 70 professionals, researchers and scientists from 22 countries, describes in great but accessible detail 100 solutions to effectively address climate change. These are regenerative and substantive projects and ideas already underway
Referring to this graph of CO2 emissions, Hawken says, “No human has ever existed on Earth (primates included) when CO2 has been greater than 300 ppm. We are now at 402 ppm. We need to drawdown our CO2 emissions if we are to continue as a productive, creative civilization.”
Hawken considers language such as “mitigate,” “slow down” or “stabilize” climate change to be counterproductive because, as he says, “If you’re going over a cliff and you slow down, you’ll go over the cliff more slowly. If you’re going down the wrong road and you slow down, it’s still the wrong road.” He says that, “It’s really important to name the goal. If you don’t know the goal you’re not going to hit it.”
It is difficult to watch the accelerating breakdown of our environmental systems or witness the breakdown of civility into camps, ideologies, and wars. What stands before us, however, is not the choosing of sides but the gift of seeing who we are as stewards of the planet. We will either come together to address global warming or we will likely disappear as a civilization. —Paul Hawken
Do you believe in climate change? This is a complicated question because, as Hawken points out, science is not a belief system. But suppose you disagree with or dispute the science that documents our CO2 levels? It doesn’t really matter because I’m sure we can all agree that we want clean air, clean water, healthy food, a healthy biosphere, basic needs met for all. We can cooperate to solve problems such as conserving water to mitigate drought or reducing air pollution or reducing food waste whether or not we call it global warming or climate change.
Climate change refers to the many changes that will occur with increases in temperature and greenhouse gases. That is why the UN climate agency is called the International Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, and not the IPGW. It studies the comprehensive impacts of climate change on all living systems. What we measure and model in Drawdown is how to begin the reduction of greenhouse gases in order to reverse global warming. —Paul Hawken
Global warming and climate change are happening for us, not to us. . . Game over or game on? This is the challenge Hawken puts to us and how we can rethink our situation.
If we consider that global warming is happening for us instead of to us—that is, an atmospheric transformation that inspires us to change and reimagine everything we make and do, we begin to live in a different world. We take 100% responsibility and stop blaming others. We see global warming not as an inevitability but as an invitation to build, innovate, and effect change, a pathway that awakens creativity, compassion, and genius. This is not a liberal agenda, nor is it a conservative one. This is the human agenda.
If what we tell ourselves is that we’re screwed, it destroys our imagination, our creativity and innovation for solutions. We’re screwed if we believe there’s nothing we can do. —Paul Hawken
More excerpts from the book and talk by Paul Hawken
To be effective, we require and deserve a conversation that includes possibility and opportunity not repetitive emphasis on our undoing.
The profit that can be achieved by instituting regenerative solutions is greater than the monetary gains generated by causing the problem or conducting business-as-usual.
We can just as easily have an economy that is based on healing the future rather than stealing it.
Movements are dreams with feet and hands, hearts and voices.
Resources
Drawdown.org
A video presentation of Project Drawdown by Paul Hawken
Pie chart showing how different solutions contribute to reducing CO2 emissions
Thanks to Paul for providing the graph and pie chart.
Referring to this graph of CO2 emissions, Hawken says, “No human has ever existed on Earth (primates included) when CO2 has been greater than 300 ppm. We are now at 402 ppm. We need to drawdown our CO2 emissions if we are to continue as a productive, creative civilization.”
Hawken considers language such as “mitigate,” “slow down” or “stabilize” climate change to be counterproductive because, as he says, “If you’re going over a cliff and you slow down, you’ll go over the cliff more slowly. If you’re going down the wrong road and you slow down, it’s still the wrong road.” He says that, “It’s really important to name the goal. If you don’t know the goal you’re not going to hit it.”
It is difficult to watch the accelerating breakdown of our environmental systems or witness the breakdown of civility into camps, ideologies, and wars. What stands before us, however, is not the choosing of sides but the gift of seeing who we are as stewards of the planet. We will either come together to address global warming or we will likely disappear as a civilization. —Paul Hawken
Do you believe in climate change? This is a complicated question because, as Hawken points out, science is not a belief system. But suppose you disagree with or dispute the science that documents our CO2 levels? It doesn’t really matter because I’m sure we can all agree that we want clean air, clean water, healthy food, a healthy biosphere, basic needs met for all. We can cooperate to solve problems such as conserving water to mitigate drought or reducing air pollution or reducing food waste whether or not we call it global warming or climate change.
Climate change refers to the many changes that will occur with increases in temperature and greenhouse gases. That is why the UN climate agency is called the International Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, and not the IPGW. It studies the comprehensive impacts of climate change on all living systems. What we measure and model in Drawdown is how to begin the reduction of greenhouse gases in order to reverse global warming. —Paul Hawken
Global warming and climate change are happening for us, not to us. . . Game over or game on? This is the challenge Hawken puts to us and how we can rethink our situation.
If we consider that global warming is happening for us instead of to us—that is, an atmospheric transformation that inspires us to change and reimagine everything we make and do, we begin to live in a different world. We take 100% responsibility and stop blaming others. We see global warming not as an inevitability but as an invitation to build, innovate, and effect change, a pathway that awakens creativity, compassion, and genius. This is not a liberal agenda, nor is it a conservative one. This is the human agenda.
If what we tell ourselves is that we’re screwed, it destroys our imagination, our creativity and innovation for solutions. We’re screwed if we believe there’s nothing we can do. —Paul Hawken
More excerpts from the book and talk by Paul Hawken
To be effective, we require and deserve a conversation that includes possibility and opportunity not repetitive emphasis on our undoing.
The profit that can be achieved by instituting regenerative solutions is greater than the monetary gains generated by causing the problem or conducting business-as-usual.
We can just as easily have an economy that is based on healing the future rather than stealing it.
Movements are dreams with feet and hands, hearts and voices.
Resources
Drawdown.org
A video presentation of Project Drawdown by Paul Hawken
Pie chart showing how different solutions contribute to reducing CO2 emissions
Thanks to Paul for providing the graph and pie chart.
Why does this old expression—See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil—come to mind when I think about our multiple planetary challenges and crises? The main reason is that for a variety of reasons many of us don't want to look, hear or talk about the problems we face. Who does?! We can feel helpless, hopeless and powerless in the face of all the social and environmental crises before us. These are scary times we live in. Fear can impel us to fight, flee or freeze. In all cases we tend to not want to see or hear or speak about how awful it is. But unless we take the clouds from our eyes, remove the hands from our ears and open our mouths to talk about what we face, we have little chance of solving our problems.
Sometimes it is hard to bear the constant barrage of news about the violence, suffering, deaths and destruction in all parts of the world without becoming immobilized with grief, helplessness and despair. Doing something—anything—is about the furthest thing in our minds. It almost seems counterintuitive to take action, but that is exactly what we are called to do now. I often turn to the work and wisdom of well-known activist and teacher, Joanna Macy, for direction. She calls us to the first, and hardest, step—acknowledging and expressing “our pain for the world;” anger, fear, guilt, grief, confusion, helplessness. Allowing our hearts to break open connects us with compassion for all who are suffering, which paradoxically brings us more inner peace and energy for doing something to alleviate suffering. I invite you to read this brief interview with her for more understanding of her teaching. I’ve written more about coping with despair in my February 2015 post, “Transforming Despair.”
How do we stay informed and positive, and take effective action to share our gifts and energies to create the world that is caring, just and sustainable?
Inform: We each have an area or areas we’re most passionate about: climate change; single-use plastic; zero waste; clean energy; immigration; education; animal rights; social justice. Whatever it may be, go there. Get engaged there. Educate yourself about the issues.
Stay positive: Keep a balanced diet of news so the negative is matched by the positive. Engage with others who share your passion. It helps to know others feel as you do. We are not alone. We are strongest in community. Know what boosts your spirits when you feel hopeless and despairing. We can get worn down and worn thin by personal and global life circumstances so we need to know what keeps us in good spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health. We need to give ourselves plenty of nurturing, loving self-care.
Take effective action: Know what our goals are. For me the short answer is creating a world that works for all of us—the planet first and foremost. We often think that the most effective action is petitioning and marching and voting—that sort of obvious action. But it’s important to remember that connecting with people, listening and caring about their situation, and being kind is a big action. We need to see and act toward people as fellow and sister human being apart from our superficial identities of gender, ethnicity, age, whatever. Follow your heart. Or as Andrew Harvey says, "Follow your heartbreak" and put energy there with "joyful responsibility and exertion." Small things count: an email or call to a member of Congress, a letter to the editor, folding paper cranes with your intention of flying peace over the world.
We are all in the same boat. We all need to see what's going on and pick up our collective oars to get where we want to go. Personally I want to build a caring, compassionate, kind, generous, just and sustainable culture. I want to build a true democracy. I know I am not alone, and that keeps me pulling on my oar.
Sometimes it is hard to bear the constant barrage of news about the violence, suffering, deaths and destruction in all parts of the world without becoming immobilized with grief, helplessness and despair. Doing something—anything—is about the furthest thing in our minds. It almost seems counterintuitive to take action, but that is exactly what we are called to do now. I often turn to the work and wisdom of well-known activist and teacher, Joanna Macy, for direction. She calls us to the first, and hardest, step—acknowledging and expressing “our pain for the world;” anger, fear, guilt, grief, confusion, helplessness. Allowing our hearts to break open connects us with compassion for all who are suffering, which paradoxically brings us more inner peace and energy for doing something to alleviate suffering. I invite you to read this brief interview with her for more understanding of her teaching. I’ve written more about coping with despair in my February 2015 post, “Transforming Despair.”
How do we stay informed and positive, and take effective action to share our gifts and energies to create the world that is caring, just and sustainable?
Inform: We each have an area or areas we’re most passionate about: climate change; single-use plastic; zero waste; clean energy; immigration; education; animal rights; social justice. Whatever it may be, go there. Get engaged there. Educate yourself about the issues.
Stay positive: Keep a balanced diet of news so the negative is matched by the positive. Engage with others who share your passion. It helps to know others feel as you do. We are not alone. We are strongest in community. Know what boosts your spirits when you feel hopeless and despairing. We can get worn down and worn thin by personal and global life circumstances so we need to know what keeps us in good spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health. We need to give ourselves plenty of nurturing, loving self-care.
Take effective action: Know what our goals are. For me the short answer is creating a world that works for all of us—the planet first and foremost. We often think that the most effective action is petitioning and marching and voting—that sort of obvious action. But it’s important to remember that connecting with people, listening and caring about their situation, and being kind is a big action. We need to see and act toward people as fellow and sister human being apart from our superficial identities of gender, ethnicity, age, whatever. Follow your heart. Or as Andrew Harvey says, "Follow your heartbreak" and put energy there with "joyful responsibility and exertion." Small things count: an email or call to a member of Congress, a letter to the editor, folding paper cranes with your intention of flying peace over the world.
We are all in the same boat. We all need to see what's going on and pick up our collective oars to get where we want to go. Personally I want to build a caring, compassionate, kind, generous, just and sustainable culture. I want to build a true democracy. I know I am not alone, and that keeps me pulling on my oar.
Talking Turkey: What's Our Beef?
Does our diet affect the health of our planet? Can we address climate change and global warming with our forks?
The answer to both questions is YES. Turns out that what we eat is a big deal when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes and other forms of transportation combined. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production as the leading culprits. See the Guide on my homepage for more facts on this topic.
Can we make the essential transition from a meat-based to a more plant-based diet? Yes, but it won’t be easy for many folks. Eating beef in the US is as American as apple pie. Eating meat, especially beef, brings to mind our heritage as pioneers and cowboys / cowgirls of the Wild West. Cattle drives and roundups made the West and the rugged, independent people we identify with. For many of us putting a steak on the table is a measure of our status. It makes us feel important and successful. Our sense of personal value is embedded in that sizzly piece of meat and serving it adds to our sense of well being.
We need to find other ways to feel important and valuable. We need to know our intrinsic self-worth, a place where we don’t need to prove ourselves by what we eat (or anything material for that matter).
We’ve also come to believe that meat is the primary way to get protein in our diet. This is just not so. Plant protein gives us more than an adequate supply of the body’s protein needs. There are many sources for that kind of nutrition information and in particular there’s Frances Moore Lappé’s classic work, Diet for a Small Planet. Her research and book dramatically show the negative impact on energy, food and water of a meat diet, and how to provide protein with nuts, legumes and grains.
Meat as a mainstay of our diet also has the attraction of being convenient and easy to serve. Going to a more plant-based diet will definitely mean more energy put into preparing our meals. When circumstances don't allow for time to cook, there are also a number of companies that are now creating meatless burgers and sausages which are being sold at stores nationwide with great success. Check out Beyond Meat. We just tried their Beyond Burger and it's a winner!
We’re going to have to make the change. The planet simply cannot support a meat-based diet. We need to learn “How to Eat as if the Planet Mattered.”
There is a great deal of help to support and encourage us along this path. The article above is a great guide to begin and the articles below are excellent.
RESOURCES FOR A PLANET-FRIENDLY DIET
Are Cows the Cause of Global Warming?
What if Everyone Stopped Eating Meat?
How Does Meat Consumption Affect the Health of the Planet?
Energy Use and Food Production
The Best Diet for the Planet
The answer to both questions is YES. Turns out that what we eat is a big deal when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes and other forms of transportation combined. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production as the leading culprits. See the Guide on my homepage for more facts on this topic.
Can we make the essential transition from a meat-based to a more plant-based diet? Yes, but it won’t be easy for many folks. Eating beef in the US is as American as apple pie. Eating meat, especially beef, brings to mind our heritage as pioneers and cowboys / cowgirls of the Wild West. Cattle drives and roundups made the West and the rugged, independent people we identify with. For many of us putting a steak on the table is a measure of our status. It makes us feel important and successful. Our sense of personal value is embedded in that sizzly piece of meat and serving it adds to our sense of well being.
We need to find other ways to feel important and valuable. We need to know our intrinsic self-worth, a place where we don’t need to prove ourselves by what we eat (or anything material for that matter).
We’ve also come to believe that meat is the primary way to get protein in our diet. This is just not so. Plant protein gives us more than an adequate supply of the body’s protein needs. There are many sources for that kind of nutrition information and in particular there’s Frances Moore Lappé’s classic work, Diet for a Small Planet. Her research and book dramatically show the negative impact on energy, food and water of a meat diet, and how to provide protein with nuts, legumes and grains.
Meat as a mainstay of our diet also has the attraction of being convenient and easy to serve. Going to a more plant-based diet will definitely mean more energy put into preparing our meals. When circumstances don't allow for time to cook, there are also a number of companies that are now creating meatless burgers and sausages which are being sold at stores nationwide with great success. Check out Beyond Meat. We just tried their Beyond Burger and it's a winner!
We’re going to have to make the change. The planet simply cannot support a meat-based diet. We need to learn “How to Eat as if the Planet Mattered.”
There is a great deal of help to support and encourage us along this path. The article above is a great guide to begin and the articles below are excellent.
RESOURCES FOR A PLANET-FRIENDLY DIET
Are Cows the Cause of Global Warming?
What if Everyone Stopped Eating Meat?
How Does Meat Consumption Affect the Health of the Planet?
Energy Use and Food Production
The Best Diet for the Planet
At the Table of Change
The first bit of good news is that we're becoming aware of and beginning to grasp the enormity of the negative environmental impact of our meat-based diet on the Earth. The second bit of good news is that there are many alternatives now coming online and into supermarkets and restaurants that satisfy our meat-loving taste buds and are more planet friendly.
Awareness starts here.
Researchers at the University of Oxford conclude that: “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car, as these only cut greenhouse gas emissions.
"Agriculture is a sector that spans all the multitude of environmental problems. Really it is animal products that are responsible for so much of this. Avoiding consumption of animal products delivers far better environmental benefits than trying to purchase sustainable meat and dairy." (See Article #3 below.)
In their book Cowed: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America’s Health, Economy, Politics, Culture, and Environment, the authors conclude that: “If we can pare American beef consumption down, and limit it to the healthiest, most sustainable beef, we can reduce pollution, global warming, medical costs, animal cruelty, loss of soil, loss of biodiversity, and germs resistant to antibiotics, while increasing the amount of land and water available for other uses." Read the book review by John Berger (Article #5 below)
Change starts here:
Clifford and I have been experimenting with different alternatives to meat and dairy products. So far we've been impressed. The plant-based burgers from Beyond Meat are tasty and "meaty." The sausages are likewise perky and satisfying—like sausages should be. We've found a totally fine substitute for butter, which I never would have thought possible because I LOVE butter.
We're also looking for non-dairy products so we can let cow products alone as much as possible. Our aim is to move lower down the food chain and have found goat and sheep cheese and yogurt to be a good alternative. These are not easy dietary changes to make so be patient. These kinds of changes take courage. We need to always remember that we're doing this for love of Earth, for love of ourselves and all Life.
ARTICLES WELL-WORTH DIGESTING
Food and Climate Change, An Interactive Guide: This is a fascinating website that puts it all together in a people-friendly presentation. If you look at only one of these links, let it be this one.
"How to Eat as if the Planet Mattered": You'll find terrific resources and tips for everyone's eco-friendly kitchen and grocery list.
"Cutting Out Meat and Dairy is Probably the Best Thing You Can Do for the Planet": Research from the University of Oxford makes a strong case for a vegan diet.
Impossible Foods: Why "Impossible"? Read the interview with the founder of Impossible Foods, Dr.Pat Brown.
A Cow's Life Isn't All Clover": A book review of Cowed: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America’s Health, Economy, Politics, Culture, and Environment.
Beyond Meat: Here's the website for some great plant-based burgers and sausages.
Costco's New Best Seller: Supermarkets are getting with the program to bring more non-meat products to their shelves.
Awareness starts here.
Researchers at the University of Oxford conclude that: “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car, as these only cut greenhouse gas emissions.
"Agriculture is a sector that spans all the multitude of environmental problems. Really it is animal products that are responsible for so much of this. Avoiding consumption of animal products delivers far better environmental benefits than trying to purchase sustainable meat and dairy." (See Article #3 below.)
In their book Cowed: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America’s Health, Economy, Politics, Culture, and Environment, the authors conclude that: “If we can pare American beef consumption down, and limit it to the healthiest, most sustainable beef, we can reduce pollution, global warming, medical costs, animal cruelty, loss of soil, loss of biodiversity, and germs resistant to antibiotics, while increasing the amount of land and water available for other uses." Read the book review by John Berger (Article #5 below)
Change starts here:
Clifford and I have been experimenting with different alternatives to meat and dairy products. So far we've been impressed. The plant-based burgers from Beyond Meat are tasty and "meaty." The sausages are likewise perky and satisfying—like sausages should be. We've found a totally fine substitute for butter, which I never would have thought possible because I LOVE butter.
We're also looking for non-dairy products so we can let cow products alone as much as possible. Our aim is to move lower down the food chain and have found goat and sheep cheese and yogurt to be a good alternative. These are not easy dietary changes to make so be patient. These kinds of changes take courage. We need to always remember that we're doing this for love of Earth, for love of ourselves and all Life.
ARTICLES WELL-WORTH DIGESTING
Food and Climate Change, An Interactive Guide: This is a fascinating website that puts it all together in a people-friendly presentation. If you look at only one of these links, let it be this one.
"How to Eat as if the Planet Mattered": You'll find terrific resources and tips for everyone's eco-friendly kitchen and grocery list.
"Cutting Out Meat and Dairy is Probably the Best Thing You Can Do for the Planet": Research from the University of Oxford makes a strong case for a vegan diet.
Impossible Foods: Why "Impossible"? Read the interview with the founder of Impossible Foods, Dr.Pat Brown.
A Cow's Life Isn't All Clover": A book review of Cowed: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America’s Health, Economy, Politics, Culture, and Environment.
Beyond Meat: Here's the website for some great plant-based burgers and sausages.
Costco's New Best Seller: Supermarkets are getting with the program to bring more non-meat products to their shelves.
FACTORY FOOD / FACTORY FARMING
Not everyone can drive an electric car, take public transportation, walk or bike to where they want to go, but all of us can affect the health of our planet with our diet. We’re now coming to terms with the huge and dire consequences of our meat and dairy diet on global warming and climate change. What we eat can be nourishing or harmful or neutral to our own health. Our diet has the same consequences for Earth. How is that?
Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes and other forms of transportation combined. (Read below: "Are Cows the Cause of Global Warming?" A staggering reality. I’ve focused on factory farming and our meat and dairy-heavy diet these last two months. This month I want to look at another unhealthful aspect of our diet—processed food.
Most of our food is processed to some degree with the exception of fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Many food products have a low level of processing, like natural fruit juices, bread, tomato sauce, natural jams. Pretty hard not to have some processed foods in our kitchens. But then there’s a level of processing that takes food and turns it into non-food. I’m talking about made-up food, factory food, junk food.
Take an Apple Pop Tart for example. If there was once nutritional value in the apple it is mostly destroyed in the process of making up the Pop Tart. The process wastes the nutrients taken from the soil. On top of that cost, processing, packaging and shipping contribute to air and water pollution. This sort of “food” is made up of assorted chemicals and additives in order to give it texture and flavor and shelf life. This factory food is handy and convenient. It tickles our taste buds which have been trained to crave salt, fat and sugar. The only beneficiary is the food company.
To buy or not to buy? Imagine you’ve gone to the store and on your list is a favorite—natural corn chips. The label says there are no unhealthy ingredients so as a product it gets good marks. You reach for the package and then realize you won’t be able to recycle this. It doesn’t fall into any acceptable category at the recycling center. Do you buy it or not? Now you have to consider every item on your grocery list not only in terms of health value to you, but the environmental cost as well. Damn!
This same scrutiny must apply as well to some of the new products aimed to give us alternatives to meat and dairy products. Beyond Burgers from Beyond Meat comes to mind. So now you’re at the refrigerator case next to the meat department and you feel righteous and excited that you can avoid a meal of beef by buying a Beyond Burger which has no beef in it at all. But wait! Check out the label. It’s not unlike the Pop Tart in that it contains all kinds of ingredients that have been concocted in a lab. (See the “Health Detective” in Resources). And then there’s the packaging conundrum again! Disappointment and dismay replace your enthusiasm.
What about the affect of our food on our spiritual life? I believe that the further away we eat from the original source of the food the less connected we feel to the Earth which has provided the food. What’s the spiritual value of an apple versus the Apple Pop Tart?
Our diet is shaped by our family, our culture and by advertisers. Advertisers working for big food companies really want us to eat their processed food. They are not unlike the tobacco industry which is not at all concerned with human health. They had to be regulated. Ditto for big agriculture and fast food and processed food companies.
We have to ask ourselves important questions:
What is the level of processing of the product I want to buy?
What are the ingredients and how many have been concocted in a lab? How many are ok?
What’s the overall value of the food? What are the hidden costs?
Who benefits from my purchase?
Where is it coming from, how is it grown and by whom?
Will this food purchase enhance or harm me and the Earth?
We can change how we eat. We can change guidelines and regulations so that our food is healthful to people and the planet. We can steer clear of meat and dairy by cutting back on the meat in our diet, eating lower on the food chain, and if we do eat meat then let it be meat from animals who have lived a high quality life. We can shape our diet the way we want in keeping with our values and visions for a healthy world. Starting now.
RESOURCES
The Health Detective. Is Beyond Meat Burger Good for You?
"Are Cows the Cause of Global Warming?"
Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes and other forms of transportation combined. (Read below: "Are Cows the Cause of Global Warming?" A staggering reality. I’ve focused on factory farming and our meat and dairy-heavy diet these last two months. This month I want to look at another unhealthful aspect of our diet—processed food.
Most of our food is processed to some degree with the exception of fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Many food products have a low level of processing, like natural fruit juices, bread, tomato sauce, natural jams. Pretty hard not to have some processed foods in our kitchens. But then there’s a level of processing that takes food and turns it into non-food. I’m talking about made-up food, factory food, junk food.
Take an Apple Pop Tart for example. If there was once nutritional value in the apple it is mostly destroyed in the process of making up the Pop Tart. The process wastes the nutrients taken from the soil. On top of that cost, processing, packaging and shipping contribute to air and water pollution. This sort of “food” is made up of assorted chemicals and additives in order to give it texture and flavor and shelf life. This factory food is handy and convenient. It tickles our taste buds which have been trained to crave salt, fat and sugar. The only beneficiary is the food company.
To buy or not to buy? Imagine you’ve gone to the store and on your list is a favorite—natural corn chips. The label says there are no unhealthy ingredients so as a product it gets good marks. You reach for the package and then realize you won’t be able to recycle this. It doesn’t fall into any acceptable category at the recycling center. Do you buy it or not? Now you have to consider every item on your grocery list not only in terms of health value to you, but the environmental cost as well. Damn!
This same scrutiny must apply as well to some of the new products aimed to give us alternatives to meat and dairy products. Beyond Burgers from Beyond Meat comes to mind. So now you’re at the refrigerator case next to the meat department and you feel righteous and excited that you can avoid a meal of beef by buying a Beyond Burger which has no beef in it at all. But wait! Check out the label. It’s not unlike the Pop Tart in that it contains all kinds of ingredients that have been concocted in a lab. (See the “Health Detective” in Resources). And then there’s the packaging conundrum again! Disappointment and dismay replace your enthusiasm.
What about the affect of our food on our spiritual life? I believe that the further away we eat from the original source of the food the less connected we feel to the Earth which has provided the food. What’s the spiritual value of an apple versus the Apple Pop Tart?
Our diet is shaped by our family, our culture and by advertisers. Advertisers working for big food companies really want us to eat their processed food. They are not unlike the tobacco industry which is not at all concerned with human health. They had to be regulated. Ditto for big agriculture and fast food and processed food companies.
We have to ask ourselves important questions:
What is the level of processing of the product I want to buy?
What are the ingredients and how many have been concocted in a lab? How many are ok?
What’s the overall value of the food? What are the hidden costs?
Who benefits from my purchase?
Where is it coming from, how is it grown and by whom?
Will this food purchase enhance or harm me and the Earth?
We can change how we eat. We can change guidelines and regulations so that our food is healthful to people and the planet. We can steer clear of meat and dairy by cutting back on the meat in our diet, eating lower on the food chain, and if we do eat meat then let it be meat from animals who have lived a high quality life. We can shape our diet the way we want in keeping with our values and visions for a healthy world. Starting now.
RESOURCES
The Health Detective. Is Beyond Meat Burger Good for You?
"Are Cows the Cause of Global Warming?"
WHY BOTHER?
Why bother to vote?! Why bother to vote when Congress is not listening to We the People, nor is it working for the common good but rather for big money, special interest groups and super wealthy individuals. So voting doesn't appear to make any difference. About two-thirds of eligible voters feel that way and so they don't vote. But just imagine if those two-thirds did vote, and if they voted for candidates that would not take money from special interest groups. Can we not then imagine the restoration of a true democracy?
We can all see our political system is in crisis. Congress is in gridlock. This Red vs. Blue schoolyard game is dooming our democracy, and potentially much more than that. As many are saying, it’s time to pull on one rope. For example, did you know that 80% of us Americans (no matter our party affiliation or whether we consider ourselves liberal, progressive, conservative, or none of the above) think there is too much money in politics? So for starters, why not choose that rope to pull on? Get money out of politics.
There was a time when we thought all we needed to do to have a democracy was vote. Most of us didn’t do more than vote and trusted that our representatives were looking out for our common good. We trusted where we shouldn’t have. We didn’t realize, a) what democracy required, and b) how fragile it is when infiltrated and quietly attacked by big money interests. Most of us have now woken up to the reality that we do not have a democracy anymore. We have a plutocracy or a corporatocracy—government ruled by the wealthy—and this is an extremely hard pill to swallow. So it is no surprise that many have fallen for the promise of our president and his supporters in Congress that they will take care of us. Many are in denial because recognizing the truth is really really painful.
Why bother to vote? Here’s the alternative: If we’re willing to live with the current situation, which can be described as plutocracy or corporatocracy, we have to be willing to accept inadequate health care, voting districts drawn to guarantee partisan (Republican in most cases) dominance in elections, racial injustice, wealth inequality where the three richest people in America have more wealth the 50% of the population. We will continue to have poverty, lack of environmental protection, and an economic system that brings the highest return to existing wealth. Did you know that 10% of the population would be willing to trade in their right to vote for a living wage? (See this article by Frances Moore Lappe´). Our system cares more for a few people acquiring ever more power and money than about caring for people and the planet. As Wendell Berry says, "Our only real wealth is the health of our planet."
More and more people are aware of who and how our government is run. Many people dedicated to a true democracy are emerging and running for office in all levels of government—from school boards, county commissioners, mayors, state legislators and Congressional seats. Many are refusing to take special interest money and opting for public financing where available. And all over the country there are initiatives and ballot measures that will restore a true democracy: Anti-Corruption Acts, Fair and Clean Elections, new redistricting policies, voter rights.
If we want the Democracy Movement to continue to grow and take back our true democracy here is what we can do. In the immediate future we have midterm elections to focus on. We need to get Democrats back in control of Congress in this midterm election. Why? Because Democrats, far from being squeaky clean, are more likely to stand for and act on principles of democracy—fairness, equal rights and opportunities, the common good, environmental protections, caring and justice—than Republicans who now control our government and put profits over people and the Earth.
According to SwingLeft.org, the House will be decided by a small number (78) of Swing Districts, places where the last election was decided by a slim margin. Take a look at their website and if you are moved in any way to support this effort to put Democrats in control of the House I strongly urge you to do so.
Personally I'm not willing to give up my democracy to big money and special interests without a huge fight. What about you?
If we want to live in a democracy, we have to take responsibility for it. These are the words of a New Hampshire citizen joining with others to get money out of politics.
The first truth is that the liberty of the democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism—ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. FDR
Further Worthwhile Readngs and Good Lnks
ARTICLES:
As David Korten says in his article, Who Represents Us When Our Political Parties Represent Only Corporations? “President Trump’s unintended gift to the nation and the world may be to awaken us to the reality that, far from being the global model for democracy and a community-centric market economy, the United States’ political system is fundamentally corrupt and destructive to the common good.”
"It is very hard to see us fixing the climate until we fix our democracy." These are the words of Dr. James Hansen, former NASA climate scientist in a New York Times article.
BOOKS:
These are both outstanding, clear guides to restoring our democracy.
Daring Democracy; Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want, by Frances Moore Lappe´ and Adam Eichen.
Breaking Big Money's Grip on America; Working Together to Revive Our Democracy, by Bruce Berlin.
LINKS:
SwingLeft.org: Find out here where to focus midterm support to elect Democrats.
Represent.Us: "Fixing Corruption Can Fix Everything." A non-partisan organization fighting corruption in America.
BrandNew Congress.org}: A great site that will tell you where campaign money is going to and whom it's from.
We can all see our political system is in crisis. Congress is in gridlock. This Red vs. Blue schoolyard game is dooming our democracy, and potentially much more than that. As many are saying, it’s time to pull on one rope. For example, did you know that 80% of us Americans (no matter our party affiliation or whether we consider ourselves liberal, progressive, conservative, or none of the above) think there is too much money in politics? So for starters, why not choose that rope to pull on? Get money out of politics.
There was a time when we thought all we needed to do to have a democracy was vote. Most of us didn’t do more than vote and trusted that our representatives were looking out for our common good. We trusted where we shouldn’t have. We didn’t realize, a) what democracy required, and b) how fragile it is when infiltrated and quietly attacked by big money interests. Most of us have now woken up to the reality that we do not have a democracy anymore. We have a plutocracy or a corporatocracy—government ruled by the wealthy—and this is an extremely hard pill to swallow. So it is no surprise that many have fallen for the promise of our president and his supporters in Congress that they will take care of us. Many are in denial because recognizing the truth is really really painful.
Why bother to vote? Here’s the alternative: If we’re willing to live with the current situation, which can be described as plutocracy or corporatocracy, we have to be willing to accept inadequate health care, voting districts drawn to guarantee partisan (Republican in most cases) dominance in elections, racial injustice, wealth inequality where the three richest people in America have more wealth the 50% of the population. We will continue to have poverty, lack of environmental protection, and an economic system that brings the highest return to existing wealth. Did you know that 10% of the population would be willing to trade in their right to vote for a living wage? (See this article by Frances Moore Lappe´). Our system cares more for a few people acquiring ever more power and money than about caring for people and the planet. As Wendell Berry says, "Our only real wealth is the health of our planet."
More and more people are aware of who and how our government is run. Many people dedicated to a true democracy are emerging and running for office in all levels of government—from school boards, county commissioners, mayors, state legislators and Congressional seats. Many are refusing to take special interest money and opting for public financing where available. And all over the country there are initiatives and ballot measures that will restore a true democracy: Anti-Corruption Acts, Fair and Clean Elections, new redistricting policies, voter rights.
If we want the Democracy Movement to continue to grow and take back our true democracy here is what we can do. In the immediate future we have midterm elections to focus on. We need to get Democrats back in control of Congress in this midterm election. Why? Because Democrats, far from being squeaky clean, are more likely to stand for and act on principles of democracy—fairness, equal rights and opportunities, the common good, environmental protections, caring and justice—than Republicans who now control our government and put profits over people and the Earth.
According to SwingLeft.org, the House will be decided by a small number (78) of Swing Districts, places where the last election was decided by a slim margin. Take a look at their website and if you are moved in any way to support this effort to put Democrats in control of the House I strongly urge you to do so.
Personally I'm not willing to give up my democracy to big money and special interests without a huge fight. What about you?
If we want to live in a democracy, we have to take responsibility for it. These are the words of a New Hampshire citizen joining with others to get money out of politics.
The first truth is that the liberty of the democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism—ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. FDR
Further Worthwhile Readngs and Good Lnks
ARTICLES:
As David Korten says in his article, Who Represents Us When Our Political Parties Represent Only Corporations? “President Trump’s unintended gift to the nation and the world may be to awaken us to the reality that, far from being the global model for democracy and a community-centric market economy, the United States’ political system is fundamentally corrupt and destructive to the common good.”
"It is very hard to see us fixing the climate until we fix our democracy." These are the words of Dr. James Hansen, former NASA climate scientist in a New York Times article.
BOOKS:
These are both outstanding, clear guides to restoring our democracy.
Daring Democracy; Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want, by Frances Moore Lappe´ and Adam Eichen.
Breaking Big Money's Grip on America; Working Together to Revive Our Democracy, by Bruce Berlin.
LINKS:
SwingLeft.org: Find out here where to focus midterm support to elect Democrats.
Represent.Us: "Fixing Corruption Can Fix Everything." A non-partisan organization fighting corruption in America.
BrandNew Congress.org}: A great site that will tell you where campaign money is going to and whom it's from.
What does a line in the sand mean? Why does the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) describe our present Earth situation this way? On the one hand if we cross the line and continue as we are we will face irreversible and dire consequences because of increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Or, if we don’t cross the line and make addressing climate change and reversing global warming our top priority, we can minimize the already serious consequences of our excessive CO2 emissions.
First let’s look at some terms.
Climate change: This refers to the many changes that will occur with increases in temperature and greenhouse gases. That is why the UN climate agency is called the International Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, and not the IPGW. It studies the comprehensive impacts of climate change on all living systems. Paul Hawken, Drawdown.org
Drawdown: We hear more and more of this term that refers to that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on a year-to-year basis. Project Drawdown is the book and website presenting the 100 solutions to reverse global warming by cutting CO2 emissions. The book, edited by Paul Hawken in collaboration with 70 professionals, researchers and scientists from 22 countries, describes in great but accessible detail 100 solutions to effectively address climate change. These are regenerative and substantive projects and ideas already underway.
Here’s an important question: Do you believe in climate change? This is a complicated question because, as Hawken points out, science is not a belief system. But suppose you disagree with or dispute the science that documents our CO2 levels? It doesn’t really matter because I’m sure we can all agree that we want clean air, clean water, healthy soil and food, a healthy biosphere, and basic needs met for all. We can cooperate to solve problems such as conserving water to mitigate drought or reducing air pollution or reducing food waste whether or not we call it global warming or climate change.
It is difficult to watch the accelerating breakdown of our environmental systems or witness the breakdown of civility into camps, ideologies, and wars. What stands before us, however, is not the choosing of sides but the gift of seeing who we are as stewards of the planet. We will either come together to address global warming or we will likely disappear as a civilization. —Paul Hawken
Global warming and climate change are happening for us, not to us.
If we consider that global warming is happening for us instead of to us—that is, an atmospheric transformation that inspires us to change and reimagine everything we make and do, we begin to live in a different world. We take 100% responsibility and stop blaming others. We see global warming not as an inevitability but as an invitation to build, innovate, and effect change, a pathway that awakens creativity, compassion, and genius. This is not a liberal agenda, nor is it a conservative one. This is the human agenda. If what we tell ourselves is that we’re screwed, it destroys our imagination, our creativity and innovation for solutions. We’re screwed if we believe there’s nothing we can do. —Paul Hawken
Our task: Because so many of our legislators are bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry, big agribusiness, and other corporations who are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, getting action from our current government will require massive public outcry and action. As Hawken says, We can just as easily have an economy that is based on healing the future rather than stealing it.
We need to take steps in our personal lives to reduce our impact on the Earth, and we need to demand immediate action from government leaders, banks and corporations to support positive climate action.
The challenge that Hawken puts before us is “Game on or game over?”
RESOURCES AND EXCELLENT ARTICLES
Project Drawdown
Drawdown.org
A video presentation of Project Drawdown by Paul Hawken
Pie chart showing how different solutions contribute to reducing CO2 emissions
IPCC Summary Report
The Main Points to Take In
"The UN warns we have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe."
"Military experts say climate change poses significant risk to security."
"There's one key takeaway from the IPCC Report."
The Economy and Climate Change
"Hitting toughest climate target will save the world $30tn in damages."
"World economy can reap $226tn in a decade fighting climate change."
We the People and Climate Change
"What You Can Do About Clmate Change."
"3 Things You Can Do To Help Avoid Climate Disaster."
"How to Get Carbon-Free in 10 Years."
"What We Eat is Crucial to the Climate Change Question."
The Bigger Picture
"100 Companies Who Are Responsible for 71% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions."
A Big Picture of Movements and How They Relate to Clmate Change.
My Thoughts
My December Newsletter on Climate Change
Read "What You Can Do" in Inspired Action on this site.
First let’s look at some terms.
Climate change: This refers to the many changes that will occur with increases in temperature and greenhouse gases. That is why the UN climate agency is called the International Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, and not the IPGW. It studies the comprehensive impacts of climate change on all living systems. Paul Hawken, Drawdown.org
Drawdown: We hear more and more of this term that refers to that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on a year-to-year basis. Project Drawdown is the book and website presenting the 100 solutions to reverse global warming by cutting CO2 emissions. The book, edited by Paul Hawken in collaboration with 70 professionals, researchers and scientists from 22 countries, describes in great but accessible detail 100 solutions to effectively address climate change. These are regenerative and substantive projects and ideas already underway.
Here’s an important question: Do you believe in climate change? This is a complicated question because, as Hawken points out, science is not a belief system. But suppose you disagree with or dispute the science that documents our CO2 levels? It doesn’t really matter because I’m sure we can all agree that we want clean air, clean water, healthy soil and food, a healthy biosphere, and basic needs met for all. We can cooperate to solve problems such as conserving water to mitigate drought or reducing air pollution or reducing food waste whether or not we call it global warming or climate change.
It is difficult to watch the accelerating breakdown of our environmental systems or witness the breakdown of civility into camps, ideologies, and wars. What stands before us, however, is not the choosing of sides but the gift of seeing who we are as stewards of the planet. We will either come together to address global warming or we will likely disappear as a civilization. —Paul Hawken
Global warming and climate change are happening for us, not to us.
If we consider that global warming is happening for us instead of to us—that is, an atmospheric transformation that inspires us to change and reimagine everything we make and do, we begin to live in a different world. We take 100% responsibility and stop blaming others. We see global warming not as an inevitability but as an invitation to build, innovate, and effect change, a pathway that awakens creativity, compassion, and genius. This is not a liberal agenda, nor is it a conservative one. This is the human agenda. If what we tell ourselves is that we’re screwed, it destroys our imagination, our creativity and innovation for solutions. We’re screwed if we believe there’s nothing we can do. —Paul Hawken
Our task: Because so many of our legislators are bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry, big agribusiness, and other corporations who are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, getting action from our current government will require massive public outcry and action. As Hawken says, We can just as easily have an economy that is based on healing the future rather than stealing it.
We need to take steps in our personal lives to reduce our impact on the Earth, and we need to demand immediate action from government leaders, banks and corporations to support positive climate action.
The challenge that Hawken puts before us is “Game on or game over?”
RESOURCES AND EXCELLENT ARTICLES
Project Drawdown
Drawdown.org
A video presentation of Project Drawdown by Paul Hawken
Pie chart showing how different solutions contribute to reducing CO2 emissions
IPCC Summary Report
The Main Points to Take In
"The UN warns we have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe."
"Military experts say climate change poses significant risk to security."
"There's one key takeaway from the IPCC Report."
The Economy and Climate Change
"Hitting toughest climate target will save the world $30tn in damages."
"World economy can reap $226tn in a decade fighting climate change."
We the People and Climate Change
"What You Can Do About Clmate Change."
"3 Things You Can Do To Help Avoid Climate Disaster."
"How to Get Carbon-Free in 10 Years."
"What We Eat is Crucial to the Climate Change Question."
The Bigger Picture
"100 Companies Who Are Responsible for 71% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions."
A Big Picture of Movements and How They Relate to Clmate Change.
My Thoughts
My December Newsletter on Climate Change
Read "What You Can Do" in Inspired Action on this site.
Where does the expression “What gets your goat?” come from?
The most common story is that in older days goats were stabled with racehorses as calming company. A person with ill will and malicious intent might steal the goat before the race and the horse, upset and anxious, would race poorly.
Earlier this month I was driving by a local farm which pastures some 240 goats, and was led to think of what gets MY goat? And inspired to ask, what gets YOUR goat? How do we get them back?
What gets my goat? (Just to mention a few.)
What got my goat on February 15th was our president proclaiming a national emergency so he could build his border wall. My goat erupted in anger and leapt out of her corral, enraged at this new shocking abuse of power and disregard for the rule of law, another insult to what remains of our democracy. As one commentator put it, "It's like calling 911 because your pizza delivery is late."
What gets my goat is that Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader of the House, when referring to the Green New Deal, said, "The green dream or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but they're for it, right?" This close-minded, dismissive attitude is not only disrespectful, but counter-productive at a critical time for humanity.
Excessive packaging, usually plastic, gets my goat, as does excessive, invasive advertizing.
What brings my goat back?
Good news brings my goat back.
On that same day of the “national emergency," my hair dresser told me that someone had told her, quite correctly, that cattle are a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. She said she would stop eating beef. Just the day before that a bipartisan measure was passed in the U.S. Senate to expand and create new national parks and monuments, and protect millions of acres from development and mining.
What brings my goat back is all the people who are working on all levels of life for justice, democracy, equity, and environmental protection. I am excited by all the students and young people who are rising up to demand action on climate change. See all about The Sunrise Movement.
I bring my goat back by reminding myself that my job is to be as kind and caring and loving and generous as I possibly can be. And do what I possibly can do to bring a new world into being. If I put out good energy in place of negative stuff, or do something caring and kind for someone else or myself or the planet, my goat will wander back to her corral through the open gate.
I should also add that it helps to have a tantrum from time to time: weep and wail, scream, throw things (that won’t hurt anything) to release the built-up energy.
Things are inevitably gonna get our goats. We just need to be sure to bring them home again.
My March Newsletter, Mincing No Words
The most common story is that in older days goats were stabled with racehorses as calming company. A person with ill will and malicious intent might steal the goat before the race and the horse, upset and anxious, would race poorly.
Earlier this month I was driving by a local farm which pastures some 240 goats, and was led to think of what gets MY goat? And inspired to ask, what gets YOUR goat? How do we get them back?
What gets my goat? (Just to mention a few.)
What got my goat on February 15th was our president proclaiming a national emergency so he could build his border wall. My goat erupted in anger and leapt out of her corral, enraged at this new shocking abuse of power and disregard for the rule of law, another insult to what remains of our democracy. As one commentator put it, "It's like calling 911 because your pizza delivery is late."
What gets my goat is that Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader of the House, when referring to the Green New Deal, said, "The green dream or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but they're for it, right?" This close-minded, dismissive attitude is not only disrespectful, but counter-productive at a critical time for humanity.
Excessive packaging, usually plastic, gets my goat, as does excessive, invasive advertizing.
What brings my goat back?
Good news brings my goat back.
On that same day of the “national emergency," my hair dresser told me that someone had told her, quite correctly, that cattle are a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. She said she would stop eating beef. Just the day before that a bipartisan measure was passed in the U.S. Senate to expand and create new national parks and monuments, and protect millions of acres from development and mining.
What brings my goat back is all the people who are working on all levels of life for justice, democracy, equity, and environmental protection. I am excited by all the students and young people who are rising up to demand action on climate change. See all about The Sunrise Movement.
I bring my goat back by reminding myself that my job is to be as kind and caring and loving and generous as I possibly can be. And do what I possibly can do to bring a new world into being. If I put out good energy in place of negative stuff, or do something caring and kind for someone else or myself or the planet, my goat will wander back to her corral through the open gate.
I should also add that it helps to have a tantrum from time to time: weep and wail, scream, throw things (that won’t hurt anything) to release the built-up energy.
Things are inevitably gonna get our goats. We just need to be sure to bring them home again.
My March Newsletter, Mincing No Words
Very few of us make changes easily. We like our routines. We find it easier to stay where we are even if it’s uncomfortable or self-destructive. It’s hard to get out of a rut, whether positive or negative.
Sometimes change is forced on us by circumstances beyond our control: illness, injury, death of a loved one, relationship breakup or environmental disaster,
Sometimes change can be triggered by something we are given: an object (we receive a watercolor set and get into painting); or a book (my sister gave me Frances Moore Lappe’s book, Diet for a Small Planet, when I was 24), and we find ourselves setting off on a new path.
Maybe we fall into change when we fall in love.
We might have to change by necessity: a personal health issue or a planetary health issue.
The latter—an environmental health issue is what I am most focused on now. The absolute, indisputable need for change in the way we do things: the way we think about ourselves, each other, and the Earth. We must change the way we eat, shop, get around. We must change how our economy and government are run. We must make these changes very quickly, within a number of years, if we are to have a healthy future for living beings and the Earth.
We naturally resist making change. But what if we envisioned a future that was good for all of us, not just for the very wealthy few? What if we envisioned a future where the values of generosity, mutual respect, care, justice, equal opportunities and the well-being of all prevailed? What if people, and all life, were more important than power and monetary gain? Wouldn’t we like to go there? Wouldn’t we like to make that happen?
Such a vision is now before us, and before our Congress, in the form of the Green New Deal. If you want our country to support well-paid jobs, investment in infrastructure and clean energy, healthy food and environment, equity and justice for all, a true democracy, then look at the Green New Deal. It’s a vision to get behind and demand that our politicians, our corporate leaders, our small businesses, our cities and communities enact policies and practices that advance the ideas in this vision. Yes, we would have to make big changes in our lives, but wouldn’t it be worth it to have a healthy and sustainable life now and in the future?
To learn more of this vision here are a number of links to inform—and inspire—you.
Summary Page for the Green New Deal
House Resolution
Financing the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal is Not a Choice, by Frances Moore Lappe´
The Green New Deal Opponents are Stuck in the Past, by David Korten
The Sunrise Movement
A Synopsis of the Green New Deal, by Clifford Burke
Sometimes change is forced on us by circumstances beyond our control: illness, injury, death of a loved one, relationship breakup or environmental disaster,
Sometimes change can be triggered by something we are given: an object (we receive a watercolor set and get into painting); or a book (my sister gave me Frances Moore Lappe’s book, Diet for a Small Planet, when I was 24), and we find ourselves setting off on a new path.
Maybe we fall into change when we fall in love.
We might have to change by necessity: a personal health issue or a planetary health issue.
The latter—an environmental health issue is what I am most focused on now. The absolute, indisputable need for change in the way we do things: the way we think about ourselves, each other, and the Earth. We must change the way we eat, shop, get around. We must change how our economy and government are run. We must make these changes very quickly, within a number of years, if we are to have a healthy future for living beings and the Earth.
We naturally resist making change. But what if we envisioned a future that was good for all of us, not just for the very wealthy few? What if we envisioned a future where the values of generosity, mutual respect, care, justice, equal opportunities and the well-being of all prevailed? What if people, and all life, were more important than power and monetary gain? Wouldn’t we like to go there? Wouldn’t we like to make that happen?
Such a vision is now before us, and before our Congress, in the form of the Green New Deal. If you want our country to support well-paid jobs, investment in infrastructure and clean energy, healthy food and environment, equity and justice for all, a true democracy, then look at the Green New Deal. It’s a vision to get behind and demand that our politicians, our corporate leaders, our small businesses, our cities and communities enact policies and practices that advance the ideas in this vision. Yes, we would have to make big changes in our lives, but wouldn’t it be worth it to have a healthy and sustainable life now and in the future?
To learn more of this vision here are a number of links to inform—and inspire—you.
Summary Page for the Green New Deal
House Resolution
Financing the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal is Not a Choice, by Frances Moore Lappe´
The Green New Deal Opponents are Stuck in the Past, by David Korten
The Sunrise Movement
A Synopsis of the Green New Deal, by Clifford Burke
TURNING THE TITANIC
How does this metaphor relate to our modern times? What does the Titanic stand for? How do we turn the Titanic? I first heard this metaphor used by author Terry Patten in a talk to Google employees. For me it’s a very graphic and powerful image to describe the enormity of the changes we humans need to make if we are to have vibrant life on Earth now and for future generations.
If we’re going to turn the Titanic we need to know what it is we need to turn. Here’s a list of what stands out most for me. You likely will want to add your own. To me the Titanic represents: environmental destruction; gross inequality; authoritarian rule; disregard for the Constitution and the erosion of democracy; commonplace lying; the rise of hatred, violence and persecution of undesirable “others”; the disintegration of human rights; disregard for common human decency, civility and respect; widespread depression, despair and addiction.
As Patten says in his talk the climate crisis is a proxy for the broad range of crises we are facing: social, ecological, political, economic, psychological and spiritual. If we want a good life for ourselves, our kids and grandkids, all life and the Earth, then we need to make deep changes in how we think, how we relate to others, to ourselves and the planet. We must change what we do. We can no longer think in terms of endless abundance and expansion—the Cornucopian myth. Our voracious consumer culture is literally killing us.
So what do we do? First of all I believe we have to face the reality before us, recognize the unpleasant truth that we need to change the rules for ourselves and the whole system, and, as Patten puts it, come into the game with a “Yes, we can” attitude.
To get back to the metaphor again, because the Titanic is so large the turning is very slow and the radius very wide. It is a ship powered by one large rudder. In order to make the turn quicker and sharper the nautical solution is to add what are called “trim tabs,” small, powerful rudders added to the large one. That translates for me into millions of us being like small rudders and doing whatever we can to turn the ship. Patten also uses the image of breaking into the engine room in order to get this ship turned. We must do whatever we can to take control away from those who would keep things as they are. We can no longer allow business as usual which puts profit over people and the planet. We must be courageous, radical, determined, bold and engaged as never before.
What are your passions? What bothers you the most about our current situation? What small thing can you do to be a trim tab to help turn our Titanic?
For one thing we can join the Climate Strike on September 20. That’s a couple of months in the future. But our time starts now.
RESOURCES:
Climate Strike website
"A Turning Point in history"
Talk by Terry Patten to Google employees
If we’re going to turn the Titanic we need to know what it is we need to turn. Here’s a list of what stands out most for me. You likely will want to add your own. To me the Titanic represents: environmental destruction; gross inequality; authoritarian rule; disregard for the Constitution and the erosion of democracy; commonplace lying; the rise of hatred, violence and persecution of undesirable “others”; the disintegration of human rights; disregard for common human decency, civility and respect; widespread depression, despair and addiction.
As Patten says in his talk the climate crisis is a proxy for the broad range of crises we are facing: social, ecological, political, economic, psychological and spiritual. If we want a good life for ourselves, our kids and grandkids, all life and the Earth, then we need to make deep changes in how we think, how we relate to others, to ourselves and the planet. We must change what we do. We can no longer think in terms of endless abundance and expansion—the Cornucopian myth. Our voracious consumer culture is literally killing us.
So what do we do? First of all I believe we have to face the reality before us, recognize the unpleasant truth that we need to change the rules for ourselves and the whole system, and, as Patten puts it, come into the game with a “Yes, we can” attitude.
To get back to the metaphor again, because the Titanic is so large the turning is very slow and the radius very wide. It is a ship powered by one large rudder. In order to make the turn quicker and sharper the nautical solution is to add what are called “trim tabs,” small, powerful rudders added to the large one. That translates for me into millions of us being like small rudders and doing whatever we can to turn the ship. Patten also uses the image of breaking into the engine room in order to get this ship turned. We must do whatever we can to take control away from those who would keep things as they are. We can no longer allow business as usual which puts profit over people and the planet. We must be courageous, radical, determined, bold and engaged as never before.
What are your passions? What bothers you the most about our current situation? What small thing can you do to be a trim tab to help turn our Titanic?
For one thing we can join the Climate Strike on September 20. That’s a couple of months in the future. But our time starts now.
RESOURCES:
Climate Strike website
"A Turning Point in history"
Talk by Terry Patten to Google employees
LOVE IN ACTION
“There’s a powerful force for change in America,” says Christian leader Serene Jones, “but powerful forces oppose it. It’s a battle that is as much spiritual as political.” Does this statement ring true for you as it does for me?
How do we deal with a spiritual crisis? How do we respond to the increasing anger, fear and violence in this country? What should we do when this divisiveness and hatred are being blatantly perpetrated and energized by, of all people, the President of the United States?
To counter these dark forces Marianne Williamson and other leaders call for us to stand for love “as effectively and as passionately and with as much seriousness as that which is now being demonstrated by some who hate.” In this powerful interview with Anderson Cooper she says, “We can't just love people like us or our own children. We must stand for the children on the other side of town. We must stand for love for children on the other side of the world.” Citing the President’s call to “Send them back” when referring to elected Congresswomen, she says, “We don’t do this in America.”
What are our values anyway? What are the principles we cherish in this country? What do we stand for as individuals, as Americans, as members of the human and Earth community? If we love democracy, if we value respect and civility, if we love our kids, the Earth and all life that dwells here, then we must stand up for our beliefs, take action and engage the spiritual battle.
Rev. William Barber says it’s not a matter of right versus left. It’s a matter of right versus wrong. It means resisting powers that demonize, belittle or bully the “other.” As Jack Kornfield says, “This is not about red or blue. It is about standing up for the most basic of human principles, for moral action and the prevention of harm.”
Rev. Dr. Serene Jones says, “When we’re told there isn’t enough money to help the millions of Americans who live in poverty, but we can give billions to the wealthiest among us, we must be vocal about our basic belief that a society’s worth is measured in how we care for the most vulnerable, not how rich the rich get.”
Dr. David Suzuki asks this haunting question: "What kind of a species are we?" In an interview (link below) he is speaking particularly of his worry for his children and grandchildren. How is it, he wonders, that we seem not to care enough about their future and the well being of life to destroy that which sustains us?
As human beings we have a choice to make: Will we stand for love, and act from that place, or will we allow the cruel and destructive forces to escalate? If we choose the latter, then that’s what we stand for. By doing nothing and allowing these forces to continue we are tacitly saying it’s okay to demonize, marginalize, demean, abuse and insult people.
As a nation and a globe, we are going through divisive and painful times. Now is the season to stand up for what matters. To stand against hate. To stand for respect. To stand for protection of the vulnerable. To care for the natural world. —Jack Kornfield
We must act. We must engage in the affairs of our government, cities and communities. We don’t have the luxury anymore to be “apolitical.” We must engage and "act-out" Love. Whatever we do or say needs to come from a place of caring, compassion, generosity, connection and inclusion. We need that kind of a moral uprising in this country.
Those of us who love must now love with the same conviction that is demonstrated by those who hate, because conviction itself is a force multiplier. We have to stand for love.
—Marianne Williamson
Further Reading and Listening
Anderson Cooper interviews Marianne Williamson. “We don’t Do This in America.”
[My note: Citing this interview does not mean I am promoting Marianne Williamson’s candidacy for President. I am supporting and urging you to listen to what she says because it may move you as it did me.]
"An Uprising in Decency," an Op Ed in the NY Times. August 1, 2019.
Jack Kornfield, “Moral Action and the Dharma.”
Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, “Will We Open the Door or Close it?”
Interview with Dr. David Suzuki
How do we deal with a spiritual crisis? How do we respond to the increasing anger, fear and violence in this country? What should we do when this divisiveness and hatred are being blatantly perpetrated and energized by, of all people, the President of the United States?
To counter these dark forces Marianne Williamson and other leaders call for us to stand for love “as effectively and as passionately and with as much seriousness as that which is now being demonstrated by some who hate.” In this powerful interview with Anderson Cooper she says, “We can't just love people like us or our own children. We must stand for the children on the other side of town. We must stand for love for children on the other side of the world.” Citing the President’s call to “Send them back” when referring to elected Congresswomen, she says, “We don’t do this in America.”
What are our values anyway? What are the principles we cherish in this country? What do we stand for as individuals, as Americans, as members of the human and Earth community? If we love democracy, if we value respect and civility, if we love our kids, the Earth and all life that dwells here, then we must stand up for our beliefs, take action and engage the spiritual battle.
Rev. William Barber says it’s not a matter of right versus left. It’s a matter of right versus wrong. It means resisting powers that demonize, belittle or bully the “other.” As Jack Kornfield says, “This is not about red or blue. It is about standing up for the most basic of human principles, for moral action and the prevention of harm.”
Rev. Dr. Serene Jones says, “When we’re told there isn’t enough money to help the millions of Americans who live in poverty, but we can give billions to the wealthiest among us, we must be vocal about our basic belief that a society’s worth is measured in how we care for the most vulnerable, not how rich the rich get.”
Dr. David Suzuki asks this haunting question: "What kind of a species are we?" In an interview (link below) he is speaking particularly of his worry for his children and grandchildren. How is it, he wonders, that we seem not to care enough about their future and the well being of life to destroy that which sustains us?
As human beings we have a choice to make: Will we stand for love, and act from that place, or will we allow the cruel and destructive forces to escalate? If we choose the latter, then that’s what we stand for. By doing nothing and allowing these forces to continue we are tacitly saying it’s okay to demonize, marginalize, demean, abuse and insult people.
As a nation and a globe, we are going through divisive and painful times. Now is the season to stand up for what matters. To stand against hate. To stand for respect. To stand for protection of the vulnerable. To care for the natural world. —Jack Kornfield
We must act. We must engage in the affairs of our government, cities and communities. We don’t have the luxury anymore to be “apolitical.” We must engage and "act-out" Love. Whatever we do or say needs to come from a place of caring, compassion, generosity, connection and inclusion. We need that kind of a moral uprising in this country.
Those of us who love must now love with the same conviction that is demonstrated by those who hate, because conviction itself is a force multiplier. We have to stand for love.
—Marianne Williamson
Further Reading and Listening
Anderson Cooper interviews Marianne Williamson. “We don’t Do This in America.”
[My note: Citing this interview does not mean I am promoting Marianne Williamson’s candidacy for President. I am supporting and urging you to listen to what she says because it may move you as it did me.]
"An Uprising in Decency," an Op Ed in the NY Times. August 1, 2019.
Jack Kornfield, “Moral Action and the Dharma.”
Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, “Will We Open the Door or Close it?”
Interview with Dr. David Suzuki
WHAT WE CAN DO
We all need to come to grips with the climate crisis, and reckon with the reality that it is our growth-oriented, profit-driven economic system and consumer culture that has caused this and other crises we face today. We live on a finite planet with limited resources for nearly 8 billion people to share. We cannot expect this endless cornucopia of abundance to continue. If we carry on with business as usual it will cost us our lives, and the lives of millions of other species.
To avert the worst emergencies we need to come together. We need to simultaneously take serious, disciplined personal responsibility to shift our lifestyles in the right direction, and also to make strong efforts for our public policies to shift towards our long-term survival on the planet, which means engaging in politics with a new vision of our future.
SOME SPECIFIC THINGS WE CAN DO IN OUR PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE LIVES FOR POSITIVE CHANGE:
Eat less meat and junk food. If every American were to eat just ONE less hamburger a week, it would be the equivalent of taking 10 million cars off the road each year. Be mindful of waste. Food waste accounts for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Consume less and consume wisely. Buy local. Everything we buy requires carbon as it is created and then moved to your home or refrigerator. As best you can know how and where the item you buy is made. Buy from companies who have policies and practices that are socially and environmentally responsible. Buy things that are of good quality that will last and / or can be repaired.
Cut energy consumption at home.
See this homeowner’s guide to going solar.
Drive and fly less. Drive thoughtfully. Driving 60 mph instead of 80 mph uses 30% less fuel. Remember the days when President Nixon mandated the 55 mph speed limit?! Use public transportation where possible.
Support tree-planting and reforestation efforts. {See links below for recommended projects.)
Check out Project Drawdown, the book and the website to learn of the 100 solutions to reduce carbon emissions.
Electric cars? If you need a new car consider a used hybrid or an electric one, but keep in mind that the production of any new car requires natural resources and energy. It may be better from the planet’s point of view to preserve your old car.
Use our power. Support political leaders and candidates for elected offices who are actively engaged in dealing with environmental and social justice issues. Likewise, withhold support from those who are in climate denial. We need to think about the pressure we can exert on governments. All our politicians need to hear that we insist on effective and strong climate policies. And given the lack of progress to date, each of us has to be considering how and where to take to the streets. The Global Climate Strike September 20th is a start.
Support campaign finance reform: Most of our government leaders are bought and paid for by corporations and special interest groups. We must get MONEY OUT OF POLITICS.
Be kind to yourself. “Very few of us are squeaky clean in carbon terms. You don’t have to become so overnight but most of us do need to make serious changes over the next few years. It’s important to keep moving in the right direction and enjoy the process of cutting carbon out of our lives. Don’t beat yourself up, but don’t let yourself off the hook either.” This quote is from the article “What can I do to stop climate change?”
Doing nothing is no longer an option because there is no Planet B. We wouldn't stand around and watch as our house was burning. Let's not stand around now and pretend that everything is normal while our common home is burning.
Our time to effectively address our crises and build a new vision for our future starts . . . now. As Bill McKibben says, "We need to be honest about the scale and pace of the problems we face so that the scale and pace of our solutions have some hope of matching them." 350.org
We can do this.
RESOURCES AND GOOD READING
GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE
Find an event near you.
“What can I do to stop climate change?”
“How planting a trillion trees could stop climate change”
Tree Sisters
Stand For Trees
To avert the worst emergencies we need to come together. We need to simultaneously take serious, disciplined personal responsibility to shift our lifestyles in the right direction, and also to make strong efforts for our public policies to shift towards our long-term survival on the planet, which means engaging in politics with a new vision of our future.
SOME SPECIFIC THINGS WE CAN DO IN OUR PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE LIVES FOR POSITIVE CHANGE:
Eat less meat and junk food. If every American were to eat just ONE less hamburger a week, it would be the equivalent of taking 10 million cars off the road each year. Be mindful of waste. Food waste accounts for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Consume less and consume wisely. Buy local. Everything we buy requires carbon as it is created and then moved to your home or refrigerator. As best you can know how and where the item you buy is made. Buy from companies who have policies and practices that are socially and environmentally responsible. Buy things that are of good quality that will last and / or can be repaired.
Cut energy consumption at home.
See this homeowner’s guide to going solar.
Drive and fly less. Drive thoughtfully. Driving 60 mph instead of 80 mph uses 30% less fuel. Remember the days when President Nixon mandated the 55 mph speed limit?! Use public transportation where possible.
Support tree-planting and reforestation efforts. {See links below for recommended projects.)
Check out Project Drawdown, the book and the website to learn of the 100 solutions to reduce carbon emissions.
Electric cars? If you need a new car consider a used hybrid or an electric one, but keep in mind that the production of any new car requires natural resources and energy. It may be better from the planet’s point of view to preserve your old car.
Use our power. Support political leaders and candidates for elected offices who are actively engaged in dealing with environmental and social justice issues. Likewise, withhold support from those who are in climate denial. We need to think about the pressure we can exert on governments. All our politicians need to hear that we insist on effective and strong climate policies. And given the lack of progress to date, each of us has to be considering how and where to take to the streets. The Global Climate Strike September 20th is a start.
Support campaign finance reform: Most of our government leaders are bought and paid for by corporations and special interest groups. We must get MONEY OUT OF POLITICS.
Be kind to yourself. “Very few of us are squeaky clean in carbon terms. You don’t have to become so overnight but most of us do need to make serious changes over the next few years. It’s important to keep moving in the right direction and enjoy the process of cutting carbon out of our lives. Don’t beat yourself up, but don’t let yourself off the hook either.” This quote is from the article “What can I do to stop climate change?”
Doing nothing is no longer an option because there is no Planet B. We wouldn't stand around and watch as our house was burning. Let's not stand around now and pretend that everything is normal while our common home is burning.
Our time to effectively address our crises and build a new vision for our future starts . . . now. As Bill McKibben says, "We need to be honest about the scale and pace of the problems we face so that the scale and pace of our solutions have some hope of matching them." 350.org
We can do this.
RESOURCES AND GOOD READING
GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE
Find an event near you.
“What can I do to stop climate change?”
“How planting a trillion trees could stop climate change”
Tree Sisters
Stand For Trees
THE POWER OF ONE / THE POWER OF MILLIONS
Inspired by 16 year old climate activist Greta Thunberg, 4 million people from 163 countries took to the streets on September 20 to demand immediate and effective action to address the climate crisis.
What are the demands? They are similar all over the world. These are from the San Francisco Climate Strike:
1.WE DEMAND A SAFE, HEALTHY AND JUST PLANET.
This climate crisis threatens our ability to live. If climate change continues on this course, we won’t be able to eat, breathe, or have safe shelter. In order to successfully fight the climate crisis we are facing, we must also fight the systems of white supremacy, racism, greed, and exploitation that have led us to it. Fighting for climate justice means fighting for a world that is safe, healthy, and just for all of its inhabitants. We must enact climate emergency plans at the local, national, and international level.
2. WE DEMAND JUSTICE AND ASYLUM FOR PEOPLE DIAPLACED BY CLIMATE CHANGE.
Individuals and families displaced by climate change seek asylum in a safe place because they have nowhere else to go. Climate justice means abolishing ICE, closing concentration camps at the border, ending family separation, and creating inclusive new laws and regulations that treat everyone as human.
3. WE DEMAND POLICY BASED ON SCIENCE.
We have eleven years before the effects of the climate emergency are irreversible. We can’t afford to compromise with climate change deniers. We must enact immediate legislation based on scientific analysis of carbon emissions and the ways that climate disasters impact certain communities. Science clearly shows that global temperatures are rising dangerously, and that we are on track to face unprecedented climate disasters. We demand a Green New Deal, a resolution that lays out a science-based plan to reach negative carbon emissions by 2030.
4. WE DEMAND THAT PEOPLE, NOT CORPORATIONS, INFLUENCE POLICY.
Representation and transparency are vital for successful democracies; corporate money must be taken out of politics. We demand all politicians sign the “No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge.” We demand Citizens United must be overturned and super PAC’s be abolished. Corporate funding and donations from millionaires and billionaires must be replaced with public funding of elections in addition to small-dollar donations. To ensure that every vote counts, we must restore the Voting Rights Act, secure automatic registration for every citizen above 18, and re-enfranchise those convicted of felonies.
5. WE DEMAND EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL.
The government must be for the people, by the people; all policies and decisions made must be for the benefit of all. Black and trans lives matter; the Equality Act must be passed. The rights of Brown, Black, and Middle Eastern migrants must be respected. Women deserve full reproductive justice, and equity in the workplace. We demand universal background checks and Medicare for All in order to ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone. We demand diversity and representation, and intersectionality must fuel the climate justice movement. Frontline communities must have a voice and leadership role, and we look to indigenous communities to lead the transition to a just and sustainable world.
6. WE DEMAND THAT HUMANS PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF NATURE.
Just as humans have rights, nature has rights. Humans have a moral obligation to respect and protect plants, animals, and ecosystems. We demand that the rights of nature be legally represented. This includes legislation to provide sanctuary for endangered species, regulate hunting, and end deforestation, pollution, destructive fuel extraction, fracking, factory farming, and unsustainable agriculture. All life is interconnected, and we must live in harmony with the Earth.
7. WE DEMAND A JUST TRANSITION
Countries and individuals that have contributed the most to climate change must be held accountable. We demand urgent climate action, including the Green New Deal, that protects vulnerable communities and create economic justice. Policies must respect workers’ rights ’to living wages and health care, young people’s rights to free, relevant education, and everyone’s right to affordable housing. To quote Movement Generation:
"Transition is inevitable. Justice is not. A just transition is the process of getting from where we are to where we need to be by transforming the systems of economy and governance.
"A just transition requires moving from a globalized capitalist industrial economy to linked local living participatory economies that provide well-being for all."
We have not taken to the streets, sacrificing our education, for the adults and politicians to take selfies with us and tell us that they really, really admire what we do. We are doing this to wake the leaders up. We are doing this to get them to act. We deserve a safe future. And we demand a safe future. Is that really too much to ask? —Greta Thunberg
What are the demands? They are similar all over the world. These are from the San Francisco Climate Strike:
1.WE DEMAND A SAFE, HEALTHY AND JUST PLANET.
This climate crisis threatens our ability to live. If climate change continues on this course, we won’t be able to eat, breathe, or have safe shelter. In order to successfully fight the climate crisis we are facing, we must also fight the systems of white supremacy, racism, greed, and exploitation that have led us to it. Fighting for climate justice means fighting for a world that is safe, healthy, and just for all of its inhabitants. We must enact climate emergency plans at the local, national, and international level.
2. WE DEMAND JUSTICE AND ASYLUM FOR PEOPLE DIAPLACED BY CLIMATE CHANGE.
Individuals and families displaced by climate change seek asylum in a safe place because they have nowhere else to go. Climate justice means abolishing ICE, closing concentration camps at the border, ending family separation, and creating inclusive new laws and regulations that treat everyone as human.
3. WE DEMAND POLICY BASED ON SCIENCE.
We have eleven years before the effects of the climate emergency are irreversible. We can’t afford to compromise with climate change deniers. We must enact immediate legislation based on scientific analysis of carbon emissions and the ways that climate disasters impact certain communities. Science clearly shows that global temperatures are rising dangerously, and that we are on track to face unprecedented climate disasters. We demand a Green New Deal, a resolution that lays out a science-based plan to reach negative carbon emissions by 2030.
4. WE DEMAND THAT PEOPLE, NOT CORPORATIONS, INFLUENCE POLICY.
Representation and transparency are vital for successful democracies; corporate money must be taken out of politics. We demand all politicians sign the “No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge.” We demand Citizens United must be overturned and super PAC’s be abolished. Corporate funding and donations from millionaires and billionaires must be replaced with public funding of elections in addition to small-dollar donations. To ensure that every vote counts, we must restore the Voting Rights Act, secure automatic registration for every citizen above 18, and re-enfranchise those convicted of felonies.
5. WE DEMAND EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL.
The government must be for the people, by the people; all policies and decisions made must be for the benefit of all. Black and trans lives matter; the Equality Act must be passed. The rights of Brown, Black, and Middle Eastern migrants must be respected. Women deserve full reproductive justice, and equity in the workplace. We demand universal background checks and Medicare for All in order to ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone. We demand diversity and representation, and intersectionality must fuel the climate justice movement. Frontline communities must have a voice and leadership role, and we look to indigenous communities to lead the transition to a just and sustainable world.
6. WE DEMAND THAT HUMANS PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF NATURE.
Just as humans have rights, nature has rights. Humans have a moral obligation to respect and protect plants, animals, and ecosystems. We demand that the rights of nature be legally represented. This includes legislation to provide sanctuary for endangered species, regulate hunting, and end deforestation, pollution, destructive fuel extraction, fracking, factory farming, and unsustainable agriculture. All life is interconnected, and we must live in harmony with the Earth.
7. WE DEMAND A JUST TRANSITION
Countries and individuals that have contributed the most to climate change must be held accountable. We demand urgent climate action, including the Green New Deal, that protects vulnerable communities and create economic justice. Policies must respect workers’ rights ’to living wages and health care, young people’s rights to free, relevant education, and everyone’s right to affordable housing. To quote Movement Generation:
"Transition is inevitable. Justice is not. A just transition is the process of getting from where we are to where we need to be by transforming the systems of economy and governance.
"A just transition requires moving from a globalized capitalist industrial economy to linked local living participatory economies that provide well-being for all."
We have not taken to the streets, sacrificing our education, for the adults and politicians to take selfies with us and tell us that they really, really admire what we do. We are doing this to wake the leaders up. We are doing this to get them to act. We deserve a safe future. And we demand a safe future. Is that really too much to ask? —Greta Thunberg
GAME CHANGERS
I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy. And to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation. —Gus Speth
There’s a powerful force for change in America but powerful forces oppose it. It’s a battle that is as much spiritual as political. Dr. Serene Jones
In my view, knowing about climate change adds a much broader context and many new layers to our understanding of justice: It is about rethinking what matters in society and how we should live, and this discussion must include all voices equally and fairly. Dr. Marit Hammond
I agree with what these people say. It is time that as individuals and as a culture we take a serious look at how we live. We need to ask some deep questions: What matters? What’s important? Are we happy?
We are a culture steeped in capitalist ideology and practice. We put more emphasis on competition than on cooperation and collaboration, more importance on the individual than the collective, and certainly more value is given to money than to Life. The Earth is being destroyed and used up. Not only that but most people in America are struggling to make ends meet, and millions live in poverty. I am reminded of Frances Moore Lappe´s article about our essential human needs once the basics are met: namely, meaning, agency and connection. These days, meaning is mainly given to how much stuff, or money, or fame or power we have. As for having power over our lives—agency—we have just a token democracy as power and control is in the hands of wealthy individuals, and corporate and special interests. We aren’t encouraged to have connections with other people because other people are considered likely to be obstacles to getting what we think we want and need. So we have to see that the system is working against our best interests and the common good, and most importantly, the planet.
As Annie Leonard points out in her delightful and poignant style in the films, “The Story of Change, Why citizens (not shoppers) hold the key to a better world." and "The Story of Solutions", if the game doesn’t work for most people we not only need to change the goal of the game but also to change the rules. And if people who are running the game like the rules the way they are then we need to rise up and challenge the rules. As Greta Thunberg says, If standing up against the climate and ecological breakdown and for humanity is against the rules then the rules must be broken.
In the U.S. and many parts of the world the goal of this game of Life we are playing is MORE. Our current economic and political system values more — power, more money, more status, more stuff — as opposed to better — quality of life, diversity, opportunities, relationships, quality of things. The rules of this game are destroying us and the Earth. Why do we continue to play? We have been told and have come to believe that these things will make us happy.
"Change the direction in which you are looking for happiness." This is the counsel of Father Thomas Keating, one of my most important teachers, now deceased. Where and in what do we find happiness? Will those activities be harmful, neutral or beneficial to Life? What values underlie whatever we think, say or do? Now is the time for looking deeply within and bringing about a healthy life for all.
"Growing Up as a Species, Accepting the Worst, Realizing the Best," by Frances Moore Lappe´.
“The Story of Change, Why citizens (not shoppers) hold the key to a better world."
"The Story of Solutions"
[Gus Speth is the co-founder of National Resources Defense Council and co-chair of the Next System Project]
[Dr. Serene Jones s the President and Johnston Family Professor for Religion and Democracy at Union Theological Seminary, New York City.]
[Dr. Marit Hammond, lecturer in Environmental Politics at Keele University in the U.K.]
There’s a powerful force for change in America but powerful forces oppose it. It’s a battle that is as much spiritual as political. Dr. Serene Jones
In my view, knowing about climate change adds a much broader context and many new layers to our understanding of justice: It is about rethinking what matters in society and how we should live, and this discussion must include all voices equally and fairly. Dr. Marit Hammond
I agree with what these people say. It is time that as individuals and as a culture we take a serious look at how we live. We need to ask some deep questions: What matters? What’s important? Are we happy?
We are a culture steeped in capitalist ideology and practice. We put more emphasis on competition than on cooperation and collaboration, more importance on the individual than the collective, and certainly more value is given to money than to Life. The Earth is being destroyed and used up. Not only that but most people in America are struggling to make ends meet, and millions live in poverty. I am reminded of Frances Moore Lappe´s article about our essential human needs once the basics are met: namely, meaning, agency and connection. These days, meaning is mainly given to how much stuff, or money, or fame or power we have. As for having power over our lives—agency—we have just a token democracy as power and control is in the hands of wealthy individuals, and corporate and special interests. We aren’t encouraged to have connections with other people because other people are considered likely to be obstacles to getting what we think we want and need. So we have to see that the system is working against our best interests and the common good, and most importantly, the planet.
As Annie Leonard points out in her delightful and poignant style in the films, “The Story of Change, Why citizens (not shoppers) hold the key to a better world." and "The Story of Solutions", if the game doesn’t work for most people we not only need to change the goal of the game but also to change the rules. And if people who are running the game like the rules the way they are then we need to rise up and challenge the rules. As Greta Thunberg says, If standing up against the climate and ecological breakdown and for humanity is against the rules then the rules must be broken.
In the U.S. and many parts of the world the goal of this game of Life we are playing is MORE. Our current economic and political system values more — power, more money, more status, more stuff — as opposed to better — quality of life, diversity, opportunities, relationships, quality of things. The rules of this game are destroying us and the Earth. Why do we continue to play? We have been told and have come to believe that these things will make us happy.
"Change the direction in which you are looking for happiness." This is the counsel of Father Thomas Keating, one of my most important teachers, now deceased. Where and in what do we find happiness? Will those activities be harmful, neutral or beneficial to Life? What values underlie whatever we think, say or do? Now is the time for looking deeply within and bringing about a healthy life for all.
"Growing Up as a Species, Accepting the Worst, Realizing the Best," by Frances Moore Lappe´.
“The Story of Change, Why citizens (not shoppers) hold the key to a better world."
"The Story of Solutions"
[Gus Speth is the co-founder of National Resources Defense Council and co-chair of the Next System Project]
[Dr. Serene Jones s the President and Johnston Family Professor for Religion and Democracy at Union Theological Seminary, New York City.]
[Dr. Marit Hammond, lecturer in Environmental Politics at Keele University in the U.K.]
Stepping Out of the Consumer Culture
Why do we need to step out of the consumer culture when our whole system is designed for and sustained by consumerism. How do we change that?
This is indeed a daunting task and a tall order. We’ve all been raised on the “mother’s milk” of buying stuff to satisfy our every need—physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. If we are to change our ways—personally and systemically—it helps to know why we need to do this.
Here’s our situation:
Every single good or service or form of transportation we humans use requires energy. World energy demand continues to rise, and development of renewables has not been fast enough to satisfy this increased demand.
The bottom line is that we’re using up our resources faster than the Earth can regenerate them.
The fact that has shocked me the most is the Overshoot Day: By July 29th, we used up all the regenerative resources of 2019. From July 30 we started to consume more resources than the planet can regenerate in a year. It's very serious. It's a global emergency. —Pope Frances, August 2019
So what do we do? For starters we need to imagine a different way of having comfortable and fulfilling lives, and to see real life examples of how people are creating alternative ways of living that do not compromise their own well-being or the health of the planet. Quite the opposite. These alternatives are contributing to restoring natural environments and building thriving local communities and citizens. View the excellent film "The Economics of Happiness. The abridged version is 20 minutes.
More food for your imagination: We invite you to a journey of departure from this consumer culture. We ask you to imagine an alternative set of economic beliefs that have the capacity to evoke a culture where poverty, violence, and shrinking well-being are not inevitable—a culture in which the social order produces enough for all. . . . This departure into another kingdom might be closer to the reality of our nature and what works best for our humanity. . . . Luckily, the exodus from a consumer, globalized culture into a neighborly, localized communal and cooperative culture has begun. We join the chorus of other agents of the alternative economy: food hubs, cooperative and social enterprises, the climate change activists, health activists, [etc.]. . . . (Adapted from Peter Block, Walter Brueggemann, John McKnight, An Other Kingdom: Departing the Consumer Culture.)
Want more good ideas? Here are links to excellent articles that speak to the path of building an economy based on the well-being of all people and Earth, rather than the maximization of profit for a wealthy few.
Fr. Richard Rohr (the Center for Action and Contemplation) featured Daily Meditations (11/24-30) on what he calls “The Economy: Old and New.” Some titles are as follows,
“The Gift of Sufficiency”
“Moral Capitalism”
“Departing the Consumer Culture”
“Making Do with More”
"The Economy Old and New," by Fr. Richard Rohr.
"A Vision of a New America," by Gus Speth.
IF YOU CAN DREAM IT YOU CAN DO IT.
—Walt Disney
Let's do it!
CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. ACTION IS NEEDED NOW
Before I introduce you to one of the best Climate Action Projects I know of, let me say there is much more information and links about climate change in "Inspired Action—What You Can Do" in this website.
What is Project Drawdown? What does draw down mean? “Drawdown is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on a year-to-year basis.” Project Drawdown is a most impressive, inspiring and rewarding work. Edited by Paul Hawken in collaboration with over 70 professionals, researchers and scientists from 22 countries, the work outlines 100 solutions that we already employ to reverse global warming and address climate disruption. It's "a road map with a moral compass."
The website, drawdown.org is virtually an online version of the book and incredibly accessible. This video presentation of the project by Paul Hawken is well worth the hour. Hawken has a refreshing holistic approach to the issue of climate change. He addresses the science, our fears, our possibilities. In all realms of human activity--energy, food, women and girls, buildings, land use, transport, materials--Drawdown meticulously examines the things that are being done now and what can be done to draw down CO2 emissions and reverse global warming. Whatever piques your interest, it's all there. He puts the challenge before us: Game over or game on. View a larger image of this graph of CO2 levels and read more about Project Drawdown in my monthly column of September 2017 and December 2018
What is Project Drawdown? What does draw down mean? “Drawdown is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on a year-to-year basis.” Project Drawdown is a most impressive, inspiring and rewarding work. Edited by Paul Hawken in collaboration with over 70 professionals, researchers and scientists from 22 countries, the work outlines 100 solutions that we already employ to reverse global warming and address climate disruption. It's "a road map with a moral compass."
The website, drawdown.org is virtually an online version of the book and incredibly accessible. This video presentation of the project by Paul Hawken is well worth the hour. Hawken has a refreshing holistic approach to the issue of climate change. He addresses the science, our fears, our possibilities. In all realms of human activity--energy, food, women and girls, buildings, land use, transport, materials--Drawdown meticulously examines the things that are being done now and what can be done to draw down CO2 emissions and reverse global warming. Whatever piques your interest, it's all there. He puts the challenge before us: Game over or game on. View a larger image of this graph of CO2 levels and read more about Project Drawdown in my monthly column of September 2017 and December 2018
It's Our Choice
The fact that has shocked me the most is the Overshoot Day: By July 29th, we used up all the regenerative resources of 2019. From July 30 we started to consume more resources than the planet can regenerate in a year. It's very serious. It's a global emergency. Pope Francis, August 9, 2019
All human activity requires energy and Earth resources, which means more greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate our climate crisis, and fewer resources for our genuine needs. World demand for energy continues to rise and development of "clean, renewables" is not enough to satisfy this demand.
There can be good lives for all people if we abandon the goal of infinite energy growth. Our guiding principle needs to be that the only form of truly clean energy is less energy. Don Fitz, Local Futures
"What is Energy Denial?"
"Renewable Energy Won't Change the World."
All human activity requires energy and Earth resources, which means more greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate our climate crisis, and fewer resources for our genuine needs. World demand for energy continues to rise and development of "clean, renewables" is not enough to satisfy this demand.
There can be good lives for all people if we abandon the goal of infinite energy growth. Our guiding principle needs to be that the only form of truly clean energy is less energy. Don Fitz, Local Futures
"What is Energy Denial?"
"Renewable Energy Won't Change the World."