Thanks to Timothy Colman for this thoughtful bit of writing about our planet, and what we have done, and can do for the future - thought provoking! Sunday sermon: The Emperor Has No Clothes. (Please add your thoughts and share with others. Agree, disagree with my call here. Think trimtab, Bucky Fuller. ) It is no wonder that my sister Susan Berta posted this flick. You have here a great example of the living breathing earth we live in, that we are here to protect. And Susan and I among many kindred spirits believe were on the cusp of a radical reset, where we must use disruptive force of technology like this animation to break through the trance state of capitalism and focus deeply on restoring what is left of our shattering ecosystems. I call it a shift to a stewardship society. Others fight for a greener, more just world. But here is where we are in 2015: the systems in place that comfort some of us with abundance of food and clothing, meaningful work are paradoxically killing all of us. A radical reset is needed by our tribe -- our species has moved rapidly from savannah forest edge predator to apex predator, driver of climate, species extinctions, waves of pollution unfurling with a wink in the name of profit. Are you waiting for a sign from the Earth? The Earth doesnt care that way. The earth is a huge life force, and so big that carbon loaded in the atmosphere today will take centuries to balance even if we cut our energy use 80%, plant a billion trees today to sop that CO2 up. You are that sign. You alone? Helpless. No way forward. You and me organizing millions more people who believe as we do? Were a force for change, for rapid shifts in relationship, for deeper understandings of human kindness. Death abounds on this planet. If you look carefully at our planet history, the world turns and churns through species like I dump grounds of coffee in the compost after several cups of hot drink I love in the morning. We are a perfect composting species this way-- clearing everything in our path before we join them over the metaphorical cliff, returning to where we came in this earth, to stardust. I believe we can shift. We have kids, nieces, nephews, family with grandkids. It is important simply to support them having productive, loving lives full of meaning that the ecosystem we think nothing of, peripheral as it is in many lives -- that it moves to being central to our work. If you follow my posts, you saw a story this week that is a case in point of how we abuse our fellow species instead of steward them. Cod used to be THE FISH. We could see them from sea to shining sea. But instead of managing the fishery as it dwindled, to stop fishing it so intensively, we used technology to find the few, the proud, the rest of the species until now there is less than 5% of what used to be abundance in the northeast coast of America. nytimes/…/…/where-have-all-the-cod-gone.html… We need to use technology to repair our food web, but we cannot get there without a new vision of our purpose on this planet. First steps toward that vision are all the millions of people organizing to stop climate impacts and push for carbon tax. We could demand that taxes raised on rich go to creating jobs for a green CCC that works to restore our tattered ecosystem while creating jobs. We should insist that our headless technologies we let disrupt our lives (cars, cell phones, Facebook apps, drones, warcraft take your pick) serve a greater good to protect our ecosystem and all creatures great and small. Capitalism is taken so seriously here in the US, it is the state religion. Even though it is not working. It is everywhere, like the last 5% of cod in the ocean, until it has failed entirely. There is no serious counterpoint to the state religion. We need another way to organize to protect our people and our planet, our fellow travelers in the flora and fauna world, in this world. What we need are tools like this clumsy day by day animation of seasonal snowpack for measures of success, for a green vision of the future that is full of biodiversity, and humans as part of this home sweet home. What is your vision? Where do we go from here? Right now the most powerful country on earth is mostly leading the charge over the cliff with trade pacts and the cult of free trade driving deals in secret so the rest of us dont get to see who is shoving us first over the cliff. What is hopeful? People organizing. Creating large networks so our species -- a visual species can see and apprehend what exactly we are doing here on Earth, then measure our success bringing species back, creating jobs, clean air, fresh water, families that are prosperous and healthy. We may have to do more with less in the process. I wont wink about it. Getting off fossil fuels (think about that name) will require a WW II mobilization when Exxon Mobil makes $48 billion in profit a year. But we the people can make the changes necessary to shift out of the 6th great extinction and to a stewardship society. But I need your help. If this conversation stays on Facebook and email then were cooked. Our bodies in the streets is the only way this changes. Civil rights, womens rights, anti war, unions organizing, pick your fight. When we organize we win. And the time is perfect for local organizing. Work bioregionally. Find meaning in the work solidarity creates for you. The work now is to use our human gift of empathy to extend solidarity to all species. They need us now to save what is left on our beautiful planet. Will we respond to them? What do you recommend?
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:24:24 +0000
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