The odds are on our side

For those who are the believers, the ones to carry the torch to light the way to a more just, sustainable, and compassionate society, it can, at times, seem to be a struggle already lost.

For instance...

Unlike the Presidential primaries where candidates are guaranteed the same amount of news coverage regardless of their qualifications, experience, or even their chances of being elected, the average mouth piece for industry has no constraint. This is how a relatively marginalized and certainly shrinking band of climate change deniers can huddle together for a "conference" and capture national headlines.

Even I am helping their "cause" by point out their tenuous existence, but I do so willingly and for a purpose.

This tribe of “stay the course” industrialists have some money, they are connected to Big Oil and Big Polluters. They employ their two PowerPoints and a microphone to spin talking points, make a few Ann Coulter style statements related to their hurt egos and lonely dance cards. It’s getting harder and harder to justify mass consumption and strip mining, though they press on. But alas, their moment in the climate light is brief and soon the banner will be taken down from the stage, the sages of silly will put away their Al Gore voodoo dolls and return to the warm glow of their computer monitors and conspiracy theories.

The green movement, or as I like to call it, the "lets save the species" crowd, has something to rail against for a week, which is good. Remember when Murphy Brown had a kid on TV and George Bush Sr. called her a tramp? Such stupidity from the POTUS actually helped create a brief, but thoughtful, national dialogue about single mothers, pride, and children. When Ellen came out of the closet and was protested, those screaming about the end of society were yawned at. The "event" did help with equal rights for all citizens because it brought attention back to the issue, if only for a few days. Japan is now killing whales for “science” (the science of digestion?) and their activities rekindle the dwindling flame of “Save the Whales”.

I celebrate the rantings of the deniers, they keep the fires of change alive.

The moral compass is a muscle that needs to be exercised on a regular basis. It is no different than the bicep or heart. If you go too long without flexing, stretching, and testing your conscious it will atrophy.

And really, who wants a flaccid soul?

Each block on the road to doing the right thing, the just thing, the moral thing, is an invitation to not only strengthen our resolve and hone our arguments about the growing threat of environmental instability, but also a chance to let the light of love shine through us individually.

These brief blasts from those who are personally closed and rigidly frozen in their dysfunctional fears should be seen as small opportunities to yet again commit to the cause of spiritual sustainability. When you meet someone who calls climate change “junk science” just remember that they are scared, afraid of change, unable to process the prospect of growth. If you encounter a person who says “Of course the climate is changing, it always changes, it’s a NATURAL process,” recognize that they are personalizing the guilt associated with over-consumption. They are the ones to pity the most, the ones that need the most compassion and understanding. Those that try to skirt the responsibility of our collective actions are the ones who deep inside actually see that we brought this upon ourselves, and they can’t handle the responsibility.

In their eyes we are blaming them for putting us and our children in harm’s way. This is not true, yet they can not see it. There is no blame for where we have been, only accountability for where we are and the challenge of being more thoughtful moving forward. It does not matter who spilled the oil, only that everyone agrees to clean it up and work to prevent spills in the future. No one person is singularly responsible, we are collectively liable.

The greatest threat to making the real change necessary to ensure a habitable and sustainable future for our species is not the rabble of finger-pointing deniers, but rather our own apathy. Divisive commentary will only create division, and halving our resources is something that we can ill afford to do. Now is the time to remain calm, loving, and confirmed in our ideals and beliefs. Those that are barking loudly today are helping awaken more and more people to the notion that the world is not a disposable juice box for us to suck every last bit of sugar out of then crumple and discard, but instead it is our vulnerable life raft.

Take heart, the odds favor the willing.

The Ethics of Green Commerce

There is something brewing in my mind concerning the "green" movement.

I use the term green to encompass all activities that could be considered sustainable to our species on this planet. Perhaps, I hope, we will also salvage our societies, norms, and traditions along the way. Is it possible that amidst the crush of overpopulation, pollution, and natural resource depletion we will find the sanity to stop our consumption and preserve our art?

Time will tell.

My concern, my question, is as we make a move to a more sustainable future, will we encourage our moral compass to follow suit? Will the new green enconomy be one that still dwells on profits soley or will we expand our ideas of business to be more inclusive of community and spirit?

Though it will require mega-corps to help mass distribute energy saving technologies like CFLs, and hybrd cars, we can not expect their interests to ever be far from stake holder profit margins. It is not their strength.

But we can expect more from the individual who decides when and with whom to share their personal wealth. If we want to shift the world into the new paradigm of responsibility I suggest that we begin with our own sphere of influence.

Buy local.

Buy less.