Jeff wrote:
Good post, Jeff. It hit one something I feel you and I have been skirting
around. Is it necessary, or even good, to try to influence the ideas of
others?
> How about these for components of "just do it"
> 1. Empower people and take control of their life.
> 2. Encourage life long learning.
> 3. Build community and talk about future models.
> 4. Tolerate many different viewpoints and hope they
> will converge and build a sustainable culture.
> 5. Always give priority to "process" and not to
> specific viewpoints or beliefs.
Good list. Nothing there I'd object to, except . . . [You knew I'd find
something ; )] number four. Jeff, you must be more of an optomist than I
am. It's the "hope they will converge" part that I have trouble with. Is
that all we can do? Is it the best we can do? Can we feel we did our best
if we only worry about what we're doing? There seems to be quite a gap
between tolerating different viewpoints and hoping others will do something
possitive.
> This is a "design" or "process" oriented philosophy that
> doesn't pressure anyone or tell them what to believe. It
> defines the "do what" in terms of a process rather than a
> specific philosophy.
Jeff, you often seem to be trying hard to avoid "pressuring" others or
telling them what to do. I'm not quite sure how far you take that idea.
Do not force others to believe something.
Do not pressure others to believe something.
Do not try to influence others to believe something.
Do not try to engage others in discussions about what they believe.
Do not concern yourself with what others believe.
Do not share with others what you believe.
What about people who already have ideas similar to your own?
> This philosophy would accept other ways of proceeding and
> avoids some debate/conflict. We could argue that the whales
> need saving "now" and this requires a different approach.
> OK, but we still need a long term solution that gets at the
> cause of problems and builds sustainable systems (culture).
Are you assuming that they already agree that we need to work toward a
sustainable culture? Or is this something that you will leave up to their
own opinions? Do you believe that, left alone, humans will move toward
sustainability?
> We might feel uncomfortable around those who view a future of
> spacecraft and stun lazers, but arguing doesn't do much good.
Agreed, but not all people who are not trying to create a sustainable
society are so far from being able to consider it. While it may be a waste
of time to try to convinvce some, there may be others who are easily
convinced or who would even thank you for the insight.
> I had this discussion once with a person who was going off to
> start an intentional community. My feeling was that they were
> running away from society and hiding from some of the problems.
> He responded; by staying in society i was supporting it and all
> the activists were helping build the very thing they were fighting.
>
> There is some truth in both of these viewpoints.
> The way to fight this requires more than laws or working
> within existing cultural structures, it needs a new cultural
> mind set. People have to understand and begin living new
> models or they will be mostly talk. This is the old stuff about:
>
> Be the change you want to see in the world.
> -- Ghandi
Yes, we must be the change. But Ghandi did not "just do it", he also
encouraged others to do likewise. Balance. We need to think and talk
about what needs doing AND we need to do it. We need to stop supporting
that which we are trying to change AND we need to try to change it. I
believe there is too much momentum in the current direction that some
amount of trying to help others see a better way is necessary. "Just
doing" in isolation will not bring about a change in society. It is the
combined efforts of many who are "just doing" that will start to make a
change.
I'm curious, Jeff, how you see the numbers of people who are working toward
sustainability increasing? Do you feel it is necessary, or even good, to
try to influence the ideas of others toward sustaiability?
Eric Storm
