Back On Course

After reading the book "Blessed Unrest" for a while I thought I would try to address all social causes. But the euphoria of the book has wore off and I've decided to return to my two life callings: peace and the environment.

In regards to peace, it is an irony that my daughter has announced plans to join the Marines. As a citizen it is my duty to ensure that U.S. political leaders only use the military for defense, and that the current global adventurism won't be continued.

How Big Can You Get?

Yesterday I attended a family reunion at my cousin's house. He and his wife have just purchased a 6,500-square-foot home deep in the countryside. Outside their trophy house was a Ford Expedition. As I left the reunion, I turned back to the massive house and gas-guzzling vehicle, and I said, "The end is near."

Of interest is that my cousin is very religious. It totally amazes me how people can reconcile their worship of Christianity with their worship of Consumerism. To me, the two religions are in vast conflict, but I have found that people simply modify their beliefs to make them fit and feel themselves comfortable. Churches need to come down hard on America's addiction to materialism, yet they don't. Instead, the preachers rant and rave about the cozy "push button" issues like abortion and gay marriage.

So, what's wrong with having a big house and big car? Well, for one it's being wasteful of the Earth's limited energy supplies. Before long, Uncle Sam will be sending my daughter to fight in some oil war. Yes, I know, women don't go into combat, at least not yet.

Okay, my cousin has two children (I applaud him for having a small family). But, really, do four people need an eight bedroom house?

And it is a sprawl house -- building it tore up beautiful countryside to look at and enjoy. And it is a trophy house -- all about power and narcissism. So, where does the Christianity part come in? I mean, doesn't everyone get a mansion in heaven anyway for trillions of years? Can't folks just wait 30-40 years for their mansion, and in the meantime, give their excess money to the poor?

So, I know you will say that I live in a development too. My response to that is:

• I believe there should be People areas and Nature areas. I have no problem with development and construction in settled, urban areas.
• There must be a balance between humans and nature. Why is it necessary to dot the entire countryside with trophy houses?
• Yes, I live in a development too, but it's not in the boonies where I have to drive miles and miles to get anywhere.
  

Not that I'm being self righteous, I just think people should live in smaller, more efficient homes in areas that provide transportation options.

Okay, that is my rant for tonight. The humble, lowly, Goose has spoken.

On Turning 44 ....

Eeeeks! My birthday is in two days. I can't say that I'm "early 40s" anymore. But so what.

As I reflect on my 44 years of existence, the most DRAMATIC thing that strikes me is how little I've changed since I was 15.

What I'm beginning to see is that humans develop their personalities at a young age and really don't change at all. You can say, "Well I can think of people who CHANGED," but what has really happened is those people have discovered who they are.

One of the greatest challenges of life, I have discovered, is that from the moment you are born your family and community try to mold you. As soon as you come into the world, your religion, value system, and even goals are already picked out for you.

You are told to go to college, get married, have kids, drive a nice car, live in the suburbs, be a good Christian, be a loyal Republican, brush your teeth, and wear yuppie clothes from the mall.

Some people conform because it never occurs to them to question the lifestyle of their parents or community. For other people, maybe they really are yuppie robots, so they fit in perfectly. But other humans are trapped in a strange world and try to live a life that gains the acceptance of our parents, church leaders, and community. But we are never truly happy because we don't get to be ourselves.

Some famous lines:

• "Go to college, be successful, make lots of money, and you will be happy."
• "Climb the corporate ladder and you will find contentment."
• "Get married and have lots of kids."
• "Confess your sin and become heterosexual."
• "Be a good Christian, be a good American!"

Already, the mold is made for us, and if we refuse to accept it we are called, a "rebel," "back-slidden," "problem child," "odd ball," and whatever other name people can tag us with.

In America, we are programmed to become materialistic consumption machines. We are told to give our kids a nice Christmas to show our love, and if we don't have the money, we are told to "charge it." At the same time we are told to follow "traditional Christian values," and no one questions if Materialism and Christianity conflict.

"Go to church, get a gun, kill the terrorists, buy lots of stuff at Wal-mart," are all uttered in the same sentence, and we are suppose to say, "Yeah, great idea."

Little Jehovah's Witness kids come knocking at my door dressed in cute suits and dresses, with nicely dressed adults standing behind them. I just want to whisper in their ears, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO." It is not sowing seeds of rebellion, it's planting seeds of FREEDOM.

It took me much of my life to realize that I just wanted to be me, the little guy I was at age 15. So, seven years ago I just decided to start being me again, and I have loved it. No more ties, no more obsession with materialism, no more trying to impress people, no more faking how righteous or conservative I am, no more phoniness. Just me.

I guess you could say I "came out of the closet" in 1997. The person I found was a pitiful, pathetic wretch. The person had little money, a small house, and an old car. He believed passionately in God, but caught on to the clever, manipulating game of religion. He believed passionately in his country, but started to understand that democracy in America is a farce. He never believed in the corporate institutions, yet he found himself following their mantra of "BUY, CHARGE, SPEND."

The person I found buried under 22 years of social programming wasn't so bad. I'm sure there is something good about him, at least I think so. But what I do know is that this person is relatively happy.

To everyone reading this, I wish to say, "BE WHO YOU ARE." Question the institutions that try to force you into a mold and make you into someone you are not. And most importantly, LEARN TO ACCEPT OTHERS FOR WHO THEY ARE.

A good book to read:



Give Me Liberty, By Gerry Spence

Blessed Unrest

"Blessed Unrest" by Paul Hawken is a book I will probably be blogging about for a long time because it has given me so much clarity. I'm almost finished reading it, but what I can say now is that it is a direct hit on what is currently on my mind and soul.

How can we save the world?

Well, Hawkens says that what we really need to do is reinvent our civilization. The main challenge is how can we modify human behavior to stop screwing the Planet and the millions of underprivileged people who live on it?

He says we actually are taking action, in a million different ways around the world. He points out to the thousands of social justice and environmental organizations that ARE making a difference. He compares them to the body's immune system -- responding to a hostile pathogen.

Now, these are the most profound words that I will ever say:

We humans need to reinvent our relationship with the environment and to one another. That is the secret of our survival and sustainability.

In short, we need to live in such a way that we are not harming people, places, and other creatures. This is hard to do because we are so entrenched in our lifestyles, and we may not realize that each day, in a thousand little ways, we are hurting fellow humans and the Earth. This really hits the nail on the head of what my life's mission is all about. I thank author Paul Hawken so much for giving me this clarity.

Now, to begin the work -- at all levels. We need to continually pressure our institutions from the bottom up. Tomorrow I am going 90 miles away to another town to campaign for a green politician, going door-to-door. I really don't want to do it, but I've been lacking a little courage lately and need to face my fears. Most people, even highly involved activists, don't have the balls to do this. But I think of the people around the world who are risking their lives for their environmental or social cause, and I figure this is the least I can do.

I have to keep in mind that INSTITUTIONS THAT BENEFIT FROM THE STATUS QUO WILL RESIST CHANGE. Of course, the three big institutions in this world are government, religion, and corporations. All three are in urgent need of reform, and, once again, the pressure needs to be applied from below.

As for me, I am just a mass collection of cells. I am no better than my dog, any other living thing, or any other person. Maybe that's what Jesus was trying to tell us, but no one listened. Yeah, right.

Getting People To Play Nice

I continue to spend countless hours trying to figure the world out. I read the newspaper, read articles on the web, and read books. I go to a discussion group and I regulary have "deep thought" discussions with friends.

The point is that I AM making forward progress. But I am almost 47 years old, so I'm wondering if I will still be able to take action by the time I figure everything out.

One thing I'm learning is that all the issues I discover as "new" have probably been around for thousands of years. For instance, industry's exploitation of workers and the environment - OLD ISSUE. Or, religion's collusion with industry -- OLD ISSUE. Or, the fact that industry controls government -- OLD ISSUE. Or that the rich and powerful control the poor and weak -- OLD ISSUE!!!!

The challenge is not to wipe out the ruling capitalists, but rather to restrain them. Or better yet, educate and recondition them. The quest for profit at the expense of life quality is, well, senseless. Yet it goes on and on, all over the world.

So, the question is: How can you get people to change their behavior and put the greater good of the whole ahead of making a quick buck? Is it possible? Do we need a sort of restrained capitalism, which will both motivate people and also force them to act responsibly? Me don't know.

Goose

Darfur

The first genocide of the new century actually isn't a genocide -- it is a resource war. Survivalists should be watching Darfur closely because it's a great preview of things to come.

First, sub-Saharan Africa has some of the highest birthrates in the world, well above 3% annual growth.

Second, over-farming and other factors are causing the Sahara Desert to expand -- known as desertification.

The good religious groups that have tried to help the area brought their bags of grain and drilled the wells, but they forgot to bring the contraceptives and family planning education. Yes, I put the blame squarely in the face of religious aid workers for bringing on the first
major dieoff of the 21st century.

On one side of this war, you have the government forces and their nomad militia. In addition to their horses and vehicles, they have military aircraft. On the other side, you have the farmers, who with their large families and over-farming are slowly destroying the region. The government soldiers and militia, known as the janjaweed, have so far slaughtered up to 400,000 farming families, and have forced another 2 million to flee.

Aid groups, such as the Save Darfur Coalition, a religious coalition, continue to bring in food and medicine. But where are the contraceptives?

Nations with huge populations, high birthrates, and growing food deficits, will be prime candidates for social upheavel, extreme violence, and adjustment. In the next decades, the following nations will collapse first: Indonesia, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, and Mexico.

Often, the "adjustments" will manifest themselves in the form of terrorism, and we are already seeing plenty of this in the nations mentioned above.

Just like in the United States, collapsing societies will hold on to their religious fundamentalism as the world implodes around them. "It is the will of God, Allah, or Fill-In-the-Blank," they will scream. These people have no concept of taking responsibility for the Planet -- everything that happens is the will of their diety.

At 11 million people with limited fresh water, Georgia won't be a fun playground either. Before long, our population will be 20 million as refugees from around the world flood our humble state.

Okay, time to repeat a line from my favorite song: "Does anyone really know what time it is. Does anyone really care."

Speaking of the War

For years I've heard military leaders and others say that we lost Vietnam because their "hands were tied" by the politicians. So, when we went rolling into Iraq, the President and others proclaimed that the military's hands "would NOT be tied."

Well, it appears that it doesn't matter any way, since we lost Vietnam and now we are losing Iraq.

Now that the good Democrats are finally taking a stand on this insanity, they are becoming the scapegoat, just like Vietnam. The U.S. warmongers scream, "See, it's all your fault, you are trying to control the military and you are empowering our enemies."

Nonsense. The bottom line is that NON-DEFENSIVE WAR IS WRONG -- always has been, and always will be. When you engage in something that is morally and ethically wrong, you should not be surprised when it turns around and bites you in the ass. That is what is happening in Iraq.

See, I want our boys and girls home because I'm sick of reading the death reports in the newspaper each day. I know that some of them want to "finish the job" but I don't think it can ever be finished. We put our troops in a bloodthirsty region where people continually kill one another in the name of their clan, religious sect, political party, or just for fun. It's not right to put our troops in that situation.

IRAQ WAS AN UNNECESSARY WAR - No weapons of mass destruction were found.

Let's not forget that, boys and girls. Those who have wrapped themselves in the U.S. flag need to peek through the fabric that's over their face and see the deep mess we are in.

THE WAR WAS ALREADY LOST IN APRIL 2003

We just have to slaughter more Americans before we can come to grip with that. An Iraqi democracy and a stable government are a pipe dream. What government that does exist in this failed nation is corrupt to the core and completely infiltrated by clans and tribes who have their own loyalties.

The point of the story is that all humans need to EVOLVE beyond violence. We need to find a better way of doing things, rather than using force. Yes, I know the world is a crazy and brutal place, but those who revere peace can stand up against the rouge states and creatively use nonviolent tactics. There is a LOT we could have done with Iraq besides war.

Now, what have we accomplished? Now we must face an increasingly aggressive and belligerent Iran. The Iranians know how to deal with states they don't like, for we have taught them well.

On this Easter, I hope God will forgive the United States of America for its sins.

Save Me From My Cynicism

Today I'm thinking that the entire world is slowly going insane. My government, people in general, and everything is totally nuts. We have politicians that argue about everything and never get anything done. We have a "democracy" that is controlled by the rich -- nothing has changed since the days of Ancient Greece. We have millions of people who are ignorant or indifferent of the world's problems. We have more millions that are treating one of the Greek religions as hard fact, we have a president that needlessly sends men and women to die in an unnecessary war, we have a U.S. Congress that can't do nothing except vote itself raises.

Honestly, I think less and less about this country that I was born in. I really have lost respect for the ol' Red, White, and Blue. I think it would be more appropriate to put a big dollar sign on the flag. I have no idea what patriotism means anymore. The U.S. is a great world example for democracy, but I doubt we've ever had a democracy. Our government is simply controlled by the people with the big bucks. George W. Bush is a mindless puppet of the Neocons and Profiteers.

As far as "making it better" I don't know what the answer is. The whole government needs to be restructured. It really needs to be "For the People" instead of "For the Corporation." Most importantly, people must have faith in their government and the democratic process. Most people don't even bother to vote, and many of those who do are single-issue voters: gun rights, anti-choice, etc...

Maybe one day we'll make it better. But then again, maybe not.

Goose

It's All About Population

The bottom line is that most, if not all, of our environmental problems, as well as many social problems, can be traced to our exploding population.

The following is from Tom, a colleague in my Ishmael group:

People of our culture who procreate do so for many reasons, but they rarely consider the environment in their decision-making. I didn't. As decendents of the Great Forgetting, we do not respect the feedback that the Earth gives us and insist that we have the right and the might to "grow" as we see fit.

Breeders and non-breeders alike, most people think that growth is our destiny. In our business and personal lives, we are insatiable. Our religions teach us that ("human life is precious.") Business and technology insist on it (conquer disease, see the world, increase market share.) Our economists teach us that (GDP, young workers needed to support the aging baby boomers.) We want more for our kids, more for ourselves, more for our employers, more, more, more.

So, we continue to increase our population (and humanity's collective ecological footprint) and can continue to do so, until our cultural beliefs collide with ecological limits.

Let us redouble our efforts to convince enough people to stop the madness and find a new story to live, one that embraces the concept of "enough." If we don't, then Nature will impose new stories on us that may not be so pleasant.

This is so eloquently said that there is nothing more I can add tonight. The main thing is that there are dozens of environmental issues to work on, at all levels, and it's easy to get distracted. I have to keep my focus on the "mother" of all issues, even though at times it seems remote and unobtainable.Oh, and here is a great signature line from a population campaign:

"The Fate of the World is in Your Hands...And Your Pants!"

Classic!

Violence & Sustainability

All this time the two goals of my life have been to eliminate human violence and achieve global sustainability. But in the last month or so I've been thinking that maybe the two goals contradict.

Every day I read the news reports on Iraq and I get sick to my stomach. The folks over there simply LOVE murdering Americans, coalition forces, civilian contractors, each other, and any living thing they can get their hands on. They simply love to kill -- it's probably fun for them.

As I sit back and think, I'm beginning to realize that this is simply evolution at work. Violence is perfectly natural in nature, and to prevent humans from murdering and slaughtering one another is to prevent the natural flow of evolution.

What this violence accomplishes, I'm not sure. It will eventually prune out the aggressive genes in humanity. It will weed out the weak and those who are slower to draw a gun.

Maybe we just need to accept violence as part of life and let our murdering and killing pursue its natural course. Maybe this pruning of the flock will help to create a better, stronger human race.

But I keep thinking about what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King said when he gave his Nobel Peace Prize speech. He said something about evolving BEYOND the violence. It always struck me strange that a preacher would use the word "evolve." But I think Dr. King was far more than a preacher -- he was a great global visionary.

So, no. As much as the Iraqis, Iranians, and gun-happy rednecks drive me crazy with their violent acts and threats, and their love for weapons, I cannot accept it.

What is the point of continued evolving, if we are only evolving ourselves to death? I mean, humanity desperately needs some goals, and I always thought "world peace" would be a nice one.

But then again, who am I to interfere with the natural process of nature? Isn't getting back in touch with our animalism a big part of sustainability?

Finally, I can't help but think that the Sunni and Shiite civil war is all engineered by the U.S. government. Maybe the Bush Administration is much smarter than we give them credit for -- maybe their goal is to let these two religious factions keep killing each other until all those aggressive young men are gone. Then Iraq would be less of a threat and the entire region would be easier to subjugate. I never put anything past those government neocons -- they are a slick bunch.

A New Religion

Whaaa, I'm not even two yet and I've already
determined that life sucks.

Let Us Think For A Moment .....

Over the past couple of years, I've spent a lot of time researching different religions and trying to find one that fits me better. See, most people just take the one handed to them by their parents, but the one I was given seems to have major shortcomings.

When I take those tests on the Internet to determine my faith, the following religions always top the list:


Liberal Quakers (100%)
Liberal Christian Protestants (95%)
Unitarian Universalism (91%)
Bahá'í Faith (78%)
Secular Humanism (75%)
Neo-Pagan (74%)
New Age (70%)
Reform Judaism (65%)
Mahayana Buddhism (63%)

I've also been fascinated with a new religion started by a young man in nearby Birmingham, AL that is not about faith at all, but rather focuses on logic and reason. It is called Universism and is similar to Deism and Agnosticism (not related to Unitarian Universalism). Even this so-called "religion" is not a good fit for me.

A New Religion

There are thousands of religions on this Planet, and many people insist that their religion is the RIGHT one. Often, people determine this not by analytic reasoning, but simply because they were BORN into a particular religion. It amazes me how people can simply accept their religion without putting it through rigorous examination. Of course, some people feel that God gets angry if they question their religion, which is a great self perpetuation mechanism.

I think we would have a much more peaceful and sustainable World if we simply threw ALL religions out the window. In their place, I would like to propose a new religion. I'll call it Making Others Less Miserable (MOLM).

The Religion of Making Others Less Miserable (MOLM)

See, my religion is based on the tenet that life is basically difficult and miserable. Whether it's financial, health, relationships, or just plain ol' loneliness, there is an abundance of hurt on this Planet. So, to practice this religion, all you have to do is go around and help other people. And, oh yes, I also extend my religion to all animals and nature.

Here are some easy ways to practice the religion of MOLM:

- Just love every human. Bring cheer into their life. Build their self esteem, give them encouragement, make them laugh. Spend time with them when they are lonely. Don't get so self-absorbed in your own pathetic life and pick up the phone and, instead, call someone who is going through a hard time.

- Practice random acts of kindness. Send a card, deliver a meal, or leave an extra large tip for a waiter who is having a bad day.

- Help the poor by finding a family in need and buying them specific items. Give to non-religious charities like American Red Cross.

- Think about everyone in your life — coworkers, friends, neighbors, family, and even strangers — and think about what you can do to lift them up.

Now, I know that you are going to say that a lot of religions practice MOLM, but there is usually a problem with this. You should not practice acts of kindness to get a bigger mansion in heaven or because it's the "Christian thing to do" (I despise that term). Rather, you should do it because it is the RIGHT thing to do, period. Unfortunately, when religions do their brand of MOLM, they often follow their good deeds by hitting you with guilt, fear, intimidation (you're going to HELL!), and coercion to accept their beliefs. Do they really want to make you happy, or are they just trying to grow their Church or religion?

Imagine

The song "Imagine" by the Beetles and recently re-made by A Perfect Circle, is one of the best songs ever. I think about it often. What a better world it would be if we didn't use our religions as an excuse and justification for hurting one another.

Imagine
Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

You may say Im a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

Diatribe

So, I'm sitting here on this third Planet from the sun, just in awe of how beautiful it is. More than anything, I love the trees. Ever since I was 10-years-old I've had a passion in my heart for the natural world. But at the same time, I realized how quickly humans are destroying it, and this has bumbed me out.

You see, without the air and clean water and good soil for growing food, we can't live. Yet, the natural world seems to be the furthest thing from most people's lives. See, I'm driving in traffic and everyone is in their SUV with a TV IN IT and no one seems to give a poop about nature. What's funny is many people around here are involved in a local church, so they bring their gas-guzzling, Earth-destroying SUV's to church, and they get their fill-up of "holy" and then they go back to their business of being indifferent and destroying the Earth.

The growth, damn I HATE growth, but it is relentless. I've lived here in this beautiful place called Georgia since I was a kid, and seeing the constant, relentless, rape of this habitat destroys my heart and soul. Just how many trees do we have to mow down for the bland subdivisions and those mind-numbing, unimaginative strip shopping centers that the make-thy-money-and-run developers throw up everywhere. They are garbage, but who gives a shit because the developer gets his yacht in Florida and the local government gets their fucking "tax base" so everyone is happy, so the rape and pillage continues. And the churches like it too because more growth means more money in the plate, and God only knows how much churches like money. So, the insanity goes on and on and on.

And then there's all this talk about "sanctity of life." Whew, WHAT A JOKE! If people really cared about life, they would limit their family size, limit their obsession with materialism, and reduce their impact (footprint) on the Planet that sustains us.

"Oh, little Canary, you are worshipping Nature instead of God, shame, shame, on you little boy."

And that is another disaster: The anthropocentric religions. What a mess. This whole idea that we humans are better than rats or any other living creature is wrong, wrong, wrong!

So, the innate robots of the world continue consuming, and continue to engage in "shopping therapy," and our weak, impotent, federal government continues to do nothing but move paper around, while they tax us to death. All in the name of God or the "One Right Way" or whatever.

The Bush regime, Pat Robertson, Dobson, and everyone who supports the indifferent politicians and the Earth-destroyers are all guilty of the greatest crime in history: The destruction of the Planet Earth and the extinction of the Human Species. Yes, Mr. Christian, yes Mr. Businessman, the blood is on your hands and you can't wash it off.

The preachers, the politicians, the lawyers, and all the other phony leaders provide elaborate window dressing, but they all live for one thing: Maximum revenue extraction. That is the legacy of humans, and it is pathetic.

Long live the people who have not sold out. Long live the people who still have a soul. And to hell with the sellouts, for you are damning God's Big Brain experiment. Homo Sapiens, as it now turns out, has become a silly joke. Go Islamic extremists, horde your oil and build your nukes. Go American, continue wasting your oil to support the "American way of life." Go, everyone, go. Continue enriching yourselves at the expense of your children. Continue running your country into deeper debt. Go, kids, go. No one cares, and nor do I. You have fucked your children, yourselves, your future, and your Planet. You reengineer your totally stupid religion and so-called patriotism to justify your foolish acts. It's a game you play, and everyone is the loser.

Enjoy your clothes, your nice car, your McMansion, and your pretty jewelry. Horde your wealth, throw a pittance in the plate to justify your existence, and then continue to horde, horde, horde. It's the American way.

God damn America!

Starting To Get It

Yeah, yeah, a big vision is starting to unfold in my life. The idea is to not leave the Earth "in as good of shape as you found it" but rather "in BETTER shape" than when you found it.

All of us humans need to live in such a way that is Zero Footprint, or better. This requires a big switch from the way we are living now. For instance, on the Ishmael discussion board we have been talking about composting our poop, and then composting our bodies when we die. Some will call this extreme environmentalism, but it's all starting to make sense to me.

But I'm really wondering if I have the balls to poop in a bucket and then take it out to my backyard garden. What will my neighbors think?

Anyway, my dear friend Chris gave me permission to post some thoughts on this topic. He is a true prophet, visionary, and the most UNhypocritical person that I've ever met. Here is his quote:

... All of us are trapped in an invisible prison of belief and cultural preconceptions. If we live in a 'normal' home with normal carpeting, bedding, children's toys, curtains, and so on, then yes, errant feces is quite unsettling. If we live however in tipis, bamboo cabanas, adobe apartments, or earthen cob hogans, and the like, the entire illusory perception of separateness from "nature" tends to evaporate. ... I am sure you know all of this intellectually. One of the personal challenges of my life is to transform an academic understanding of sustainability into an experiential one.

Does this quote rock or what? I just love it. However, making all the life changes needed to live in total harmony with the Earth will require a complete "mental retooling" for all of us. But we can do it ... we really have no other choice.

Goose