In the case
of yesterday’s forum, some great topics in need of discussion came up: climate change, human population, economics, solar
and wind energy, etc. I do believe that
all of these are critical issues that need to be understood if we are to have
any hope of changing the direction the human world is going. What troubles me however is that these topics
are sort of just lobbed out there and batted around with implications that if
we just refined, controlled, or reinvented them then everything will be “groovy”.
The event came across as much more of a
sales pitch, rather than a presentation designed to encourage understanding
about the topics presented.
It is my
belief that major issues threatening humanity and the planet, things like
climate change, human population, loss of habitat, species extinction, war,
etc. are all symptoms of a much worse “evil”
and that “evil” is our current global world view that is primarily shaped and
imposed by CAPITALISM or a system of civilization designed by the “elite” folks
to control everybody else so that they can have more wealth and more
power. And one of the keys to doing this
is to consume the resources of the planet to produce expensive and complex infrastructure,
designed to provide global access to more resources, more markets, and hence
more wealth. Of course waste disposal, illness,
or other negative side effects like climate change are denied or ignored or the
cost imposed on someone else – otherwise the whole thing would not be
profitable.
It is kept
in place using coercive methods imposed by governments who write rules, hire
military and police and other agencies to enforce those rules and keep the
people in line. Huge sums of money are
spent on advertising, education, and other manipulation techniques to convince
people that this is the system they need to follow. And it also depends on the
support of other various folks within the hierarchy to implement the rules and to
reward those who do these duties. And then once it is all in place, it is
difficult if not impossible for the non-elite folks to survive outside this
globalized economic/political system, especially when the support systems outside
the market are destroyed, outlawed, or impaired. These support systems include the likes of families,
neighborhoods, small local business, and the commons of our land, air, water,
etc. which are needed to obtain what we need to live.
If you’re
interested in this topic, one of the best sources of explaining it all that I
have found has been in the writings of anthropologist John Bodley in his books CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY, VICTIMS OF PROGRESS, or ANTHROPOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY HUMAN
PROBLEMS. I am sure there are many other
authors and books that have delved in to the topic from other perspectives as
well.
So what do
we do? That is indeed the challenge,
especially when survival outside this messed up system is by design discouraged
by the cultural and material infrastructure that keeps it all in place. I believe that the solution will come as we
learn to unlearn all that we have been taught growing up in this system. To do that we need to understand what lies
behind the curtain of Capitalism – reading one of Bodley’s or other author’s
books on the topic might be starting point.
Learning to
get along with our families and neighbors will be an important hurdle. These support
networks have by design been destroyed or dysfunctionalized by the “system” to
force us to have to go the market for things that we should be getting from our
friends, families, neighbors, or even obtain for by ourselves. We need to rebuild our communities so we can
insure we meet our real human needs.
Recognizing the
methods we use to “numb” out so we don’t have to think about all this stuff
will also is critical. These might be
the obvious things like drinking alcohol, or doing drugs; but also include the
less obvious like over working, or performing acts of “charity”, or
participating in the games provided by the empire like surfing the internet,
watching movies or sporting events, or playing other “games”, being consumed by
consuming “junk” food, etc. Bruce
Alxander’s book THE GLOBALIZATION OF ADDICTION is a great source for more on
this topic. The solution to these mind numbing
issues is not to be found through righteousness or pharmaceuticals, but by
understanding that to survive in the insanity that defines our society today,
one needs to numb out in some way or another.
As we do the
above things, another step we need to take is to begin to understand what it is
we really need to thrive and survive – or what our real human needs are. At the core they include the need for clean
air and water; access to healthy food and land; and access to healthy
community. The writings of Chilean
economist Manfred Max-Neef might be one source of information that helps to identify
what it is we really need and not get sucked into buying what the market sells
us.
We need to relearn
how to recreate a society that is designed to meet those human needs. One example of a possible model for doing
this can be found in the Transition movement, which may not be perfect, but it
might be a start. This re-creation will require
we meet our real needs locally as much as possible. We will need to learn to feed, cloth, and
shelter ourselves. The energy we use to
accomplish these tasks will need to be locally sourced and not destroy us or
the planet by using it. Technology we
use will need to be about helping us to meet our needs, not about increasing the
profits of someone on the other side of planet or about creating jobs. Economy will be a subset of people, and
people will be a subset of planet – economy will be put in its place, and not
used to control us. We can no longer
simply take what we want from others.
And last,
but certainly not least we need to
understand what it means to be human, and appreciate our place in the
planet. Unfortunately our religious institutions
have failed us here and instead of helping us to reconnect to the cosmos they have
instead been used to guilt us into complying with consumption. This means we need to re-find that deep connection
to the planet and ecosystems that are the real source of all it is we need. Shutting off our electronic devices and
spending time outside in nature will be one of the primary methods of
accomplishing this. Finding respect, appreciation, or perhaps even
reverence for the planet will be the key to everything else.
And throughout
this we start practicing and experimenting with how to do all this. We reduce our consumption, we spend time with
our families and friends, we build community, we get rid of lawns and plant
gardens, we grow more trees, we learn to cooperate, we stop depending on the
market for our needs and start relying on ourselves and our communities, we let
go of blind faith in technology, we stop numbing ourselves and start thinking, we
stop listing to fools and call them out when they act foolishly, and hold them
accountable for their foolish acts, and we begin dismantling the current infrastructure and reclaim it to rebuild a new society designed by the people - for the people - with the planet in mind.
So my goal
for the coming year is to find or perhaps create events where these sorts
topics can truly be discussed, understood, and perhaps even practiced, and not to
waste time or energy going to sales pitches designed to keep the same old game
going. Waiting for governments,
non-profits, corporations, or other institutions means relying on the same old
systems that have gotten us to where we are now – does not seem like a viable option
anymore. I indeed need to be the change
I want to see and I need to start living accordingly.
