The book "Hunting for Hope: A Fathers Journey" is discussed in February issue of SUN magazine and this is a summary. The author (Scott Sanders) had a depressed son who was tired of hearing about eco disasters so this book was written for his son. The book presents positive ideas and hope for the future. Some quotes by Scott Sanders: Places need keepers -- people who know how things are changing, whether good or bad. People who have their eyes on the place and their hearts in it. The land itself needs people who know it, care about it, keep track of it, and work on its behalf. We need those same people for the sake of our human communities. We need people who care what the schools are like, what the libraries are like, whether there's a local historical museum... people who know the history of a place. In other words "staying put" is part of environmental ethics. we can imagine achieving a peaceful and ecologically wise society. I don't pretend to have a blueprint for this. I'm merely meditating on my own sources of hope and renewal and determination to work for a better, more decent way of life. I think this is saying we don't have to define an exact plan for the future. What we can do is move in that direction and the plans/dreams will occur. On the topic of solutions to despair he said: I think compassion is one key: to feel along with the other. Humility is also necessary. to recognize that one cannot solve the enormous problems of the world on one's own. Significant change is going to take a long time, perhaps lifetimes. So compassion, humility, and patience are the necessary qualities to help one maintain openness while living through grief and sense of loss that goes with ecological destruction. These ideas sound realistic to me. My personal view is that we should try to avoid complaining about the world unless we can also present a positive solution or course of action. Problems without a response lead to despair. ---- jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.xprt.net/~jko underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape to leave ecopath: unsubscribe ecopath -> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
