Brother Canary Brian Speaketh

Gulp

We interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcasting to hear from a guest Canary tonight. This is from Brother Brian, whom I met on the local Daniel Quinn discussion list (Atlanta Leavers). Of course I'm going to reprint this—Brother Brian says nice things about me. Would anyone else do that? Would W do that? Would my mom do that? Nope.


Okay, take it from here...


Your website is impressive, both interesting and enlightening, clear, concise and funny. I like it. Most importantly, your writing style is non-confrontational. You are able to portray your opinions as self evident facts, that you are amazed many people haven't considered or accepted. I like your quick guide to agree to reducing our footprint, it hits the big items that people can act on. This website will increase awareness of pressing environmental problems. Do you have much traffic on it? [Nope, just fellow bloggers and other Canaries, mostly] How long has it been up? [It keeps evolving as I keep growing in my walk - my first website went up exactly 8 years ago] Why did you choose the metaphor of yellow canary? [My last website on sustainability was too cut-and-dry. I decided I needed a metaphor. In April 2003 at a training class, an instructor said that we environmentalists are like yellow canaries — like the canaries that miners used to take down the mine shaft. We warn others of impending danger.]

This site probably works best for people that already see the dire global situation, to educate and inspire into action. [Correct - my outreach is for those young canaries just hatching out of the egg, and just waking up to what's REALLY going on in this world.] What do you think we can do for the vast majority who are brainwashed by culture and religion into denying a problem? [Most of what we are fighting is ignorance and denial. Open-mindedness is the antidote to the Hard Right mantra. Education is the poison to the 500-year-old establishment that is designed to benefit the privileged few.] Why don't most people think overpopulation and environmental destruction is a problem? [Because of a shocking and profound belief that technology or God will deliver us from all problems. But more realistically, I think it's a shocking laziness. People are just too lazy to care, they don't want to care, they forgot how to care. Instead, they immerse themselves in reality TV and sports, and just try to deny it all. People may feel the problem is too big for them. But in the area where I live, I think the biggest problem is that all that's going on in the world is a challenge to their religious beliefs. Both sides agree that we are in the final days, but one side thinks that God is going to do a rescue mission and the other side (those damn humanists) think it's up to us to save ourselves. There is a big moral divide here, man.]

Quinn shed light on this question, and it resonated deeply with me. That's why I haven't strayed too far from his ideas since I read Ishmael in 1998. It comes down to core beliefs that all "takers" share:

1) The world was made for man to tame and use.
2) Man is the pinnacle of creation, separate and superior to all other creation.
3) Our system of agriculture and civilization is the way humans were meant to live.
4) The earth is full of suffering and should be transcended, whether it is towards heaven or reincarnation to a higher being or nirvana.

I agree with Quinn that if these memes were dropped, then we would all stand a chance at survival, for humans and all other life forms. I think focusing on dispelling these cultural myths would be the most effective way to "save the earth", to encourage a cultural shift, and new Renaissance if you will. How can we do this? [I'm guessing that people won't wake up until their world is really falling apart and they are FORCED to deal with uncomfortable things, like the fallacy of their religion, culture, and way of life. It is no coincidence that the bloom of the Renaissance came on the heels of the Dark Ages. For all practical purposes, we are living in the Dark Ages now. Maybe not for the privileged few, but for most of humanity, for wildlife, and the environment, the current age we live in is a living hell. And it's going to get worse before it gets better.]


This is the point I'm at in my life. I've been sidetracked by sustainable solutions, reduce/reuse/recycle, environmental activism, etc. They help, but only appeal to those who care. While more and more people care, the number isn't increasing fast enough, and their resolve to make a change isn't deep enough. These bandages don't attack the core problem- how we view our place in the world. Any conversation in this area would be greatly appreciated, because I'm at a dead end. [I am optimistic because the things you mention, like recycling, are the first step in changing core values. Recycling is a great introductory function that brings people to a greater awareness. Remember that concepts like "little ol' me can impact the entire world, either good or bad" are entirely new to people. Folks are too busy singing in the choir or getting drunk at Hooters to really think about their role in the cosmos.]

Again, Brother Canary Brian -- thanks for sharing, and for caring.

The Yellow Canary