People Are Like Air

Where I'm At

I had two great experiences last week. On Thursday, I went to a meeting of the Atlanta Leavers, which was the first meeting I've made in about a year. The Atlanta Leavers is a discussion group that uses the writings of Daniel Quinn as a starting point to discuss world issues. At the meeting on Thursday, we also talked about another author whom I believe is on a similar wavelength — Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conservations With God.

On Friday, I had more fun. After having lunch with some Sierra Club friends in midtown I then traveled to nearby Decatur to see two of my wonderful Canary friends — Brothers Günther and Fida. We enjoyed a great afternoon sipping on tea and having "save the world" type discussions on the back porch. Brother Günther, by the way, lives in a tent in Fida's backyard, which I think is really neat.

The Piece of the Puzzle For This Week

While the events on Thursday and Friday gave me tons to blog about, Brother Fida gave me a great analogy that ties into my search for ways to save the world.

Brother Fida told me that humans are like air (I am paraphrasing here):

• Seventy-eight percent of people are like Nitrogen, an inert gas. They are just there.
• Twenty percent of people are like Oxygen — they have the potential to breathe life.
• About 2 percent of the people are like Argon, Carbon Dioxide, and the various trace elements. They are the activists.

Nothing can ever be done with the 78 percent of people who are inert. Thus, the goal is for the 2 percent of people who are the Trace Elements to activate the 80 percent who are Oxygen.

I asked Fida where he heard this, and he said, "My father. "

Wow, A Great Epiphany

We then had a great discussion about this analogy and I've been thinking about it ever since. I told him that I have been in many churches over the years to give my Sierra Club presentations on sprawl and population. In the moderate churches I visited, like Presbyterian and Methodist, I see lots of Oxygen — more open-minded people who will join us in our journey if inspired and led. As for the Baptist church I grew up in, they will always be inert because their literal interpretation of the Bible and other strict beliefs makes it difficult for them to take responsibility for the Planet and Future.

Along with the Baptist, there are many other folks in the 78 percent Inert group — the people who hang out at Hooters, the people who don't vote or read a newspaper, the guys who are totally obsessed with sports, etc... But that's okay.

Moral of the Story: Don't Worry - It Only Takes A Few of Us




I often think about one of my favorite Bible stories where the Israelites are about to fight the Midianites. The Israelite leader Gideon gathered his army for the great battle (Judges 7:1-7).


But God said to Gideon, "You have too many men. Anyone who is afraid may turn back (go home)." Most of Gideon's men went home. God said to Gideon again, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water and I will test them for you." So Gideon took his men to the water to drink. Many of the men knelt down and drank the water as a dog drinks. Only 300 men drank the water from their hands. Then God said, "By the 300 men who drank from their hands I will defeat the Midianites."

This story pops in my head all the time when I'm doing activist work. When I first began my journey in 1997, I was shocked that so many people didn't "get it" and never would — even my own family and relatives. Now, I've come to accept this as a way of life. As an Activist, my goal is to inspire and empower the 20 percent of people who are Oxygen. They are the moderates and the level-headed folks who we need. They are the ones who will assume the top roles in government and introduce the initiatives that will take us on the road to sustainability. As for me, I can't do all that. I'm just the spark — I just want to light up all that centrist, middle road Oxygen out there. These people are the great progressives of our time, and we Canaries need them.

As for the Inert people, it is a total waste of time trying to "convert" them — I don't think it's possible. They didn't do much to resist slavery or Hitler's Germany. They have made zero contribution to history. They are just there, singing in the choir or watching NASCAR races. Most of them are good people and I love them all, but God has not given them the vision, intellect, or the analytical mind needed to save our Earth. They are simply the sheep grazing in the pasture.

A Quote from one of the Top Canaries of All Time:

We are living beyond our means. As a people we have developed a lifestyle that is draining the earth of its priceless and irreplaceable resources without regard for the future of our children and people all around the world.
—Margaret Mead, famous anthropologist