Every second day
Shower every second day, until the problem disappears. Thus reads the sign I witnessed being pasted up at the Queensland State Library today. Had me shaking my head, wondering who thought of suggesting that our environmental crisis will just 'disappear' someday if people walk around less than squeaky-clean every other day.
Last week I attended the lecture of a Thomas Homer-Dixon, author of _The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization_. (for one of his recent articles, see http://www.homerdixon.com/download/prepare_for_tomorrows_breakdown.pdf). He laid out a rather depressing three-layered assessment of our world in its current plight. He explored questions of demographic pressure, energy scarcity (peak oil theory), environmental devastation, climate change, and the increasing gap between rich and poor. I appreciated his assessment of the 'deep causal' factor feeding all of these life-threatening global ills, which he identified as the growth imperative of contemporary capitalism.
Homer-Dixon explained that this imperative gained prominence after the Great Depression, when leaders decided that to prevent revolutionary movements, which could arise due to misplaced labor, the answer was to promote 'development'. In doing so, many societies have become obsessed with economic growth, and consequently, the western world has doubled in wealth in the past fifty years... but remains at the same level of happiness.
Not only have we not experienced greater fulfillment from wealth, but our environment has suffered immensely. In a few decades, ramifications may include moving populations inland from coastlines, digging deeper for water, pumping CO2 underground, etc.
This author stated that "no one is questioning the underlying logic of the growth imperative." I would argue that millions have been, but that political 'leaders' have not been listening. I reflect on the lessons non-natives could be learning from indigenous ways of treating our earth as our true Mother. Our fast-paced lives and arrogance have taken us far away the open-heartedness we would need to conceive of another way of being in this world.
How can we begin to shift back to 'center'? Can we begin to look at each other instead of ourselves or the endless products on the shelf, and ask how to weave again a unity? Find some hope in the ashes, open our ears to the wisdom of the true leaders among us...
When is the last time we had a conversation about what we consider to be our ultimate purpose here on earth? I'd suggest first asking a child...
Last week I attended the lecture of a Thomas Homer-Dixon, author of _The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization_. (for one of his recent articles, see http://www.homerdixon.com/download/prepare_for_tomorrows_breakdown.pdf). He laid out a rather depressing three-layered assessment of our world in its current plight. He explored questions of demographic pressure, energy scarcity (peak oil theory), environmental devastation, climate change, and the increasing gap between rich and poor. I appreciated his assessment of the 'deep causal' factor feeding all of these life-threatening global ills, which he identified as the growth imperative of contemporary capitalism.
Homer-Dixon explained that this imperative gained prominence after the Great Depression, when leaders decided that to prevent revolutionary movements, which could arise due to misplaced labor, the answer was to promote 'development'. In doing so, many societies have become obsessed with economic growth, and consequently, the western world has doubled in wealth in the past fifty years... but remains at the same level of happiness.
Not only have we not experienced greater fulfillment from wealth, but our environment has suffered immensely. In a few decades, ramifications may include moving populations inland from coastlines, digging deeper for water, pumping CO2 underground, etc.
This author stated that "no one is questioning the underlying logic of the growth imperative." I would argue that millions have been, but that political 'leaders' have not been listening. I reflect on the lessons non-natives could be learning from indigenous ways of treating our earth as our true Mother. Our fast-paced lives and arrogance have taken us far away the open-heartedness we would need to conceive of another way of being in this world.
How can we begin to shift back to 'center'? Can we begin to look at each other instead of ourselves or the endless products on the shelf, and ask how to weave again a unity? Find some hope in the ashes, open our ears to the wisdom of the true leaders among us...
When is the last time we had a conversation about what we consider to be our ultimate purpose here on earth? I'd suggest first asking a child...
posted by Amanda Joy at 1:21 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Amanda,
I enjoyed reading your reflections today, just dropping a line to say I applied to a position in Uganda. Hopefully I'll find out shortly if I made the interview short list. Other than that, working on the thesis and taking a class. Hope all is well.
djg
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