Hi:
I've been off this list for a couple of years, but I hear it's still a
sounding board for reality - for which there is generally little appetite,
when it comes to considering humanity's future prospects
I was sent a recent post, so I though I'd sign on for a while.
REH said
>Jay,
>
>Coming from a former resources rich state. The state of Oklahoma which had the
>richest lead and zinc deposits in the world as well as being the "Oil
Capital of
>the World" all now depleted, I can share that your predictions are not only
>logical but probable. Of course, like the Aztecs who believed that the energy
>of the blood of captives kept heaven "running on time," the Oklahomans have
>become rabid almost totally conservative Republican, Libertarian and
>Fundamentalist Christian. It was shocking to see how the people who were
having
>their minds "messed with" by the system, just said , "it has to be done," and
>tried harder to make a basically illogical system based upon "luck" and "guess
>work" work for them. No one in Oklahoma, has asked the question as to whether
>it can work at all, yet.
>
>But remember that fewer people worry about AIDs than do Eboli, even though
it is
>all the way across the globe and isolated in the jungle, and no one wants to
>think that all of those cute little mice might make them spit up blood sooner
>either. And then there are all of those Italians clustered around Mount V.
>
>Do you think we could come up with some kind of syndrome that connects all of
>these massive denials? How about it Brad? A 12 step program maybe? Jay
>could write about it, Eva could do the numbers and the economists could work on
>the ideology of change, Steve could market it, and Mike Hollinshead could
>document the history. Now that might really be Future work.
>
>REH
With regard to the 12 step comment:
Up until about a year ago, the Gaia Preservation Coalition (GPC) held
regular meetings in Toronto, and each meeting commenced with a reading of
the 12 Gaia Principles, listed below.
Although those who attended seemed to enjoy the opening, these meetings
stopped because we never reached a critical mass in numbers, and we did not
find the magic mechanism for reaching out to the public, in order to expand.
We have shifted to an email venue, and at the moment we, the board of
directors, are working on wording of new by-laws which will reflect this
change and maintain our status as a Federally registered non-profit
organization. If we are approved in this new mode, we will be the first
such organization in Canada.
The 12 step approach seemed/seems feasible since addition and denial seem to
play a major role in keeping society marching along in a paradigm with a
predictable bad ending.
These thoughts are reinforced by a new book by John McMurtry of U of Guelph
called "Unequal Freedoms: The Global Market As An Ethical System". McMurtry
makes such statements as: "The market is now not seen as a structure to
serve society. Rather, society is seen as an aggregate resource to serve
the global market.", and suggests we are all believers in this mad scenario.
I'm not finished reading it yet.
Anyhow, since the subject of 12 steps came up, here are some that are
temporarily gathering dust.
GPC - Personal Principles
PRINCIPLE ONE
To acknowledge that uncontrolled human population growth in conjunction with
the unrestrained consumption of earth resources have brought about a crisis
that threatens all life on earth. To work toward establishing an
equilibrium of nature in which all life - Gaia - and future generations can
enjoy and share the fruits of this unique planet.
PRINCIPLE TWO
To recognise that humans suffer individually and collectively from foibles
which may blind our objectivity regarding an unpleasant reality. By
interacting with fellow humans we can help each other recognise,
acknowledge, and understand these weaknesses, enabling us to deal with
unpleasant reality.
PRINCIPLE THREE
To modify our personal expectations in life from expectations based on the
past, to expectations consistent with a sustainable future.
PRINCIPLE FOUR
To assume responsibility for personal change because in a free society no
government or world-wide organization can force upon us the required
behavioural and attitudinal changes. Personal long-lasting freedom requires
personal responsibility and compromise.
PRINCIPLE FIVE
To be undaunted by the enormity of the task at hand and to work around
problems that cannot be dealt with effectively and immediately.
PRINCIPLE SIX
To establish `the common good' as the highest priority, while preserving
individual human freedom and rights where possible. The long-term
well-being of Gaia will be the primary consideration.
PRINCIPLE SEVEN
To work toward living within our global means with regard to energy usage
and to recycle consumer goods rather than extract non-renewable resources
from Earth.
PRINCIPLE EIGHT
To work toward the elimination of man-made classification barriers that have
historically caused conflict between groups of humans.
PRINCIPLE NINE
To work for the maintenance of the democratic process in countries where the
democratic process is functional, and to bring about change within the rule
of law.
PRINCIPLE TEN
To recognize that humans must become stewards of the planet, but stewardship
does not make humans superior to other life forms.
PRINCIPLE ELEVEN
To lobby governments to assess all legislation considering the full
dimension of time, including life on Earth in the distant future.
PRINCIPLE TWELVE
To accept personal responsibility, and to help in your own way toward
communication of the GAIA PRINCIPLES, either individually or collectively to
others both at home and abroad.
Quote from Stafford Beer in, Designing Freedom
I am proposing simply that society should use its tools to redesign its
institutions, and to operate those institutions quite differently. You can
imagine all the problems. But the first and gravest problem is in the mind,
screwed down by all those cultural constraints. You will not need a lot of
learning to understand what I am saying: what you will need is intellectual
freedom. It is a free gift to those with the courage to accept it. Our
culture teaches us not intellectual courage, but intellectual conformity.
////////\\\\\\\\
Don Chisholm
416 484 6225 fax 484 0841
email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Gaia Preservation Coalition (GPC)
http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/gaia-pc
personal page: http://home.ican.net/~donchism/dchome.html
"There is an almost gravitational pull toward putting out of mind unpleasant
facts. And our collective ability to face painful facts is no greater than
our personal one. We tune out, we turn away, we avoid. Finally we forget,
and forget we have forgotten. A lacuna hides the harsh truth." -
psychologist Daniel Goleman
\\\\\\\\\/////////
