Electrify Everything

Just when I was getting discouraged a special person came into my life and gave me encouragement about my blogging and then gave me another piece for my "Save Earth" puzzle.

I have long been stymied by how we are going to get all the gasoline-burning cars off the road. Where I live in metro Atlanta there are literally millions of them. Even when I'm on some obscure back road I see hundreds of cars everywhere. Where is everyone going? Are we all on the highway to hell? Maybe not.

On Wednesday, I ran into an old tree-hugger friend while running a work errand. We chatted briefly and he said he had read some of my blog, which made me happy.  By chance, he was one of the panelists at a Sierra Club program that I attended the next evening.

The topic of the evening was "Clean Energy for All," and the panelists shared a grand vision of replacing gas engines in cars, tucks, lawnmowers, agricultural machinery, and power tools with electric.

"WOW," I thought to myself during the presentation. I was surprised to learn that there are already electric riding mowers and agricultural machines on the market. Elon Musk has unveiled a plan for an electric semi tractor-trailer with a 500-mile range. "WOW," I said again, and almost fell out of my chair.

The Toad Chimes In

Now, let me jump in here and make two comments. First, I see blowing exhaust out your tailpipe as the same as littering. None of us have a right to do that. Every time I jump into my automobile I feel horribly guilty. I hope that one day I can own an EV (electric vehicle), and that everyone else can too. Instead of sticking EV owners with a road use tax, we need to charge everyone owning a gas combustion device with an atmosphere littering fee (oh no, Toddy's an extremest!)

Next, total lifecycle must always be considered. If the EV's are made in an air-polluting factory then that must be factored into the overall impact on the environment. But if the EV is made in a completely clean energy production line, then we're in business.

Pay as You Save

In addition to transportation, all homes need to be made efficient, converted to all-electric, and weatherized. All power must come from clean energy sources.

Now, getting many people, especially renters, to make their home energy efficient is a struggle because homeowners often don't have the money and renters don't have the incentive. So the idea of Pay As You Save (PAYS) is to bring in contractors to improve energy efficiency. The resident pays for the work by paying the difference between what is normally paid and what the new savings is. Eventually, once the work is paid off, the resident enjoys a drop in electric costs and lives in a more comfortable home. Roanoke, Virginia and Arkansas currently have programs in place, and the hope is to bring the idea here to Georgia.

Solar Time

The other part of the equation is for power companies to go completely clean using primarily solar. The challenge is to develop battery systems that can cost-effectively store the energy for days when the sun isn't out. As one of the panelist speakers said, solar keeps on working and can provide energy for many years. A key is to have a workforce in place that can do the proper maintenance and upgrades when needed. In fact, going solar has the potential to create a whole new industry focusing on solar system care.

Summary

I have deep respect for the environmental leaders who are moving these ideas and programs forward. I would love to be a part of this movement. My dream is to be on the cutting edge of some program that is making the world better, and Pay as You Save and the push to replace all carbon-burning engines with clean electric is the most exciting initiative I've seen in a long time. I'm excited and wanting to jump back into the sustainability movement. I do thank my friend Sam for coming into my life this week and giving me a much-needed charge (no pun intended).



Photo: Casey Horner

An Open Letter To Aliens

Dear Aliens,

First off, I'll say that your anal probes, crop circles, and cattle mutilations are a little annoying. But I know it's what aliens do, so I'll roll with it.

The purpose of my letter is to let you guys know what it's like to live in a stage 4 industrial society. See, neither you nor I can escape the laws of evolution, and where we humans are at now is a pivotal point.

I don't know the outcome of my species yet, but whatever happens we all win. Despite all the people who deny climate change the fact is that we've been putting tons of carbon into the air since the Industrial Revolution began in 1760. All this carbon is taking its toll and in the next 100 years our world is going to change drastically. Maybe there are some in our species who can adapt to a hotter world, but most will die. And even if humanity is wiped out, other species will evolve to take our place.

It's quite possible that with all our air and water pollution, carbon releasing, and even nuclear war may make our planet uninhabitable, but that's okay too. The earth is going to die anyway when the sun supernovas, and it's quite likely that an asteroid or comet will smash into us, break our planet apart, and allow us to seed our area of the galaxy. What I mean by that is our planet is loaded with organic matter, and once in space it will be frozen, and once it hits a habitable planet you've got the building blocks for life.

If we do survive the current warming crises, or if another species takes over, there is nothing to stop us — we will keep evolving. Technology is integral with evolution because every species wants to meet its needs for food, comfort, and safety. Our greatest technology that completely changed us was fire, which we learned to control 1 million years ago. Fire gave us warmth, better food, protection, and light. It allowed us to separate from the other species and become more intelligent bipeds.

It is ironic that the same technology that allowed us to evolve into intelligent beings, and led the way to our consciousness, is now destroying us. And if we humans fail, I believe only bipeds with opposing thumbs can make use of fire, but sooner or later another species will come along and conquer it. Believe me, we have plenty of time for other species to evolve.

The problem with our technological evolution is that evolution requires challenges to allow for adaptations. We humans are genetically modifying our food to make it more efficient and we are continually conquering diseases. We have machines to do most of our work for us. Soon, we will have droids to clean our homes. When I walked into the grocery store tonight two things struck me: First, nearly every food item I saw was junk, but I know the sugary, processed foods taste good. Second, I noticed almost everyone in the store was overweight, if not obese.

We have made our lives so much easier and more comfortable, but the problem is we are trapped in our hunter-gatherer bodies, which don't know how to respond to the modern world. Our bodies simply do what they did a million years ago -- store the sugar as fat.

In our society it will soon become apparent that bodies are no longer needed. Brains can be hooked up to machines. We don't even have to go out — any experience we want can be sent by signals into our brain. We can have all the sex we want, eat all the food we want, and live in opulent mansions. Perhaps this is what Heaven is, and the streets of gold and mansions, that are referenced in the Bible.

For a while we will be a mixture of organic and machine, but hell, who needs a brain any more? Soon, our computers will capture our consciousness. The computers will keep getting smaller until they are little dots floating around in the Universe. But, heck, who needs hardware? We will be engineered to become fabric within the Universe, and we'll live forever. Civilizations before us could be the ghosts and spirit guides that we see now.

But, right now, as much as we'd like, we cannot escape death. The brain is a mixture of chemical and electrical impulses, and once oxygen is cut off everything in our being deteriorates rapidly. There is no technology that can conjure up who we are and put it on a flash drive — not even advanced civilizations can do that. But, maybe the spirit guides can, and then put us into another body, so that we will keep learning.

Unless an older civilization in an invisible form can help us, death is the end. But we can have peace knowing two things: First, our dust will be used for a few more iterations of stars until the Universe runs out of hydrogen. And, secondly, we are helping a future generation get to heaven. What I mean by that is that our mere existence in this society is indirectly helping the handful of scientists who are helping future humans reach immortality. 

I assume all of you aliens out there are from more advanced societies. And the point of my letter is to say that you may look down on us now, but even if we fail, we still live on in various ways. When our Universe goes dark, there may even be some way to move our life energy into a neighboring Universe. This is the immortality that we all want, right?

And, looking at the vertical spectrum, there is no limit to small because matter must always be something, and even when you get down to the molecule, atom, and quark, there could be entire civilizations existing at the subatomic level (by the way, watch the 1983 movie The Big Chill). What you see in us now may be a collection of billions of smaller civilizations.

The point, my alien friends, is that you can't stop us and we can't even stop ourselves. Even if we nuke our planet there is enough buried organic material to one day give life again.

We give a lot of lip service about the gods we created and reincarnation, but unless you aliens are the spirit guides there is no technology in the Universe to give us life after death. The Universe is mechanical and no being can beat the laws of physics, and the laws, mixed with matter, are what keeps everything moving along its inevitable path, whatever that may be.

Another irony is that in a couple of weeks we celebrate a holiday, where a lot of our children will dress up like you. They will go door-to-door, collect sugary candy, and get fat. I know, it's a little crazy — don't let this freak you out too much.

Respectfully,

Todd Daniel

Human 3,002,433,659

Photo: Donald Giannatti

Sustainability Summit: My Green Epiphanies

Last Thursday I had the honor of serving as moderator for the Cobb County Sierra Club's Sustainability Summit. Being around the hard-working and visionary panelists gave me a much-needed lift.

First of all, the following famous quote ran through my head: 

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Two of the themes for the evening where mass transit and clean energy. I am in awe how local activists and groups are working with the City of Atlanta to create green initiatives. Atlanta is the largest city in the Southeast and their sustainability efforts are setting an example for the entire region. This is an example of how the Sierra Club and likeminded organizations can make a difference with far-reaching results.

Jump Into Politics

Modifying corporate behavior was another theme for the evening. The speakers discussed plans for getting our local electrical utility to commit to more solar energy. Of equal importance is the need to campaign for good political candidates and lobby government bodies to push for positive public policies. Regulatory boards like the Public Service Commission hold tremendous power and it's important that their boards have green representation. Wind, solar, and other clean energy sources need to be continually promoted.

After the meeting I was talking to a woman who had been apolitical most of her life, but the election of Trump motivated her to get involved. She recently went door-to-door campaigning for a green candidate, which greatly touched me.

NAACP

We had the president of the local NAACP on the panel and I learned a lot of interesting and exciting things about this organization. I did not know that the organization was founded by white people, that it is nonpartisan, and welcomes all races. Right now the organization is focused on voter registration and has a wonderful campaign going on called the Power of Five: Register 5 new voters. Ensure that 5 people get to the polls. Volunteer – 5 minutes, 5 hours or 5 days — between now and Election Day.

I love this initiative. Already, our local Sierra Club group has been building connections with the NAACP through our participation in the annual Juneteenth festival, which celebrates the freeing of the last slaves in 1865.

Gerrymandering

My greatest takeaway for the night was the importance of getting the right governor in place in the upcoming election. The reason is that after the federal census is conducted each decade states are required to create new congressional districts. Gerrymandering is where the dominant political party draws the boundaries in a way that gives them a political advantage. The most common technique is to "pack" voters of a certain type into a single congressional district, thus they can't influence other races. You can look at a map of nationwide congressional districts and quickly tell which states gerrymander and which states do not. Although in a gray area, right now gerrymandering is legal. I see it as a disgusting attack on our democracy. And, I will be blunt by saying it's mostly an effort by Republicans to pack minorities into single districts, where they can only elect one representative instead of maybe two. 

While the courts may take some action on gerrymandering cases by far the most effective way to stop this practice is to elect a governor that would veto an unfairly developed plan. So, in red state Georgia, campaigning for a Democratic governor is probably the most effective use of my volunteer time.

Conclusion

The overall linking theme for the evening is the importance of getting the right people into political office. I am deeply inspired by Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson who were able to push massive civil rights initiatives through Congress. Lincoln did it by one-one-meetings and Johnson did it by spending full days on the phone talking to Congressional members. What was their secret? They used their personal connections, they pleaded, they bargained, and they did everything they could to get the votes needed to pass their initiatives. We need more leaders like this who will not only continue the drive for social justice but also for green initiatives. I find that conservatives ALWAY focus on immediate gratification even when that means everything else is slowly sinking. What we need are progressive politicians who emphasize the long-term, even if it means the short-term will be a little less comfortable. Yeah, this means sacrificing for the betterment of our grandchildren and planet. To me, that's the way it should be.

The Iroquois native Americans followed the principle that when a decision is made its impact seven generations into the future should be considered. To survive as a nation and as a global community we need politicians who will do the same.

I strongly applaud all the outstanding panelists, organizers, and the audience at last Thursday's event. Thank you for deeply inspiring and motivating me. 

Panelists and organizers at my local Sierra Club's annual Sustainability Summit.

Photo credit (at top): Noah Silliman

A Twist to My Population Thinking?

Hmm, this article was written by a Sierra Club staffer for World Population Day in July 2016, and I just came across it. I served on the Sierra Club's Population Committee for many years, both as a member and as a volunteer. I was surprised to recently learn that they changed the name to the Gender Equity & Environment program. My first impression is that once again, political correctness is running amok. It wasn't that long ago when my other favorite nonprofit, Zero Population Growth, changed their name to Population Connection. And, I guess I shouldn't complain because the National Audubon Society and National Wildlife Federation used to have good population programs, which seem to have faded away.

A couple of things in this article trouble me:

• Apparently the Worldwatch Institute did a study that finds that there is no proof that "wider use of family planning promotes environmental sustainability." My immediate thought is that government and nongovernment agencies can only meet a small percentage of the global need, which is why researchers are not seeing an impact. But as the article points out, the issue is complicated, and there may be other factors in play.
• Item 2 in the article below is disturbing because it makes it sound like the human population crises will solve itself at the end of the century, so why worry? So, to me, the vibe of this article is that we shouldn't worry about population, but we should focus on gender equity instead. Certainly, gender equity is a key component, but being too afraid to mention "population" is ridiculous.

Anyway, I won't dwell too much on this now. I've lost contact with my fellow population committee members, but I hope to reach one at some point and learn what's going on. For the most part, I believe excessive political correctness is just another nail in our planet's coffin, but that's a blog post for a different day.

---

 

3 Things You Didn’t Know About Global Population and Climate Change

The question “What is the impact of family planning on the environment?” does not have a simple answer. In fact, it depends.  

Experts often promote increased rights-based access to family planning as a key to environmental sustainability.  However, just last week, the Worldwatch Institute released a study of more than 900 peer-reviewed articles and found support but no confirmation for their hypothesis that “wider use of family planning promotes environmental sustainability.” These findings show that we need more research on the topic to increase our understanding of the nuanced relationships between family planning and the environment. The story of our global population and our environment is one that requires a more comprehensive look at all aspects of sustainable development. 

Yesterday was World Population Day, to commemorate that, we took a look at global demographic trends and how they affect people and their environments.

1. Consumption plays a large role in contributing to climate disruption.Often, when people talk about the impact of population on climate change, it is about the number of people. More people, more degradation. While this may carry truth for natural resources on a local level, the vast majority of climate emissions are a result of a handful of largely high-income countries. The United States for instance, while only five percent of the global population, produces 25 percent of the emissions. The average person in the United States produces 42 times the emissions of the average person in Bangladesh. On a national scale, that means the U.S. is producing 92 times more emissions than Bangladesh. The wealthiest 20 percent of people in the world consume 86 percent of its goods, with the poorest 20 percent consuming only 1.3 percent.
2. Population growth has dramatically slowed.  While population continues to grow, the rate of that growth has dramatically slowed. Today, our population is growing by 1.13 percent per year, nearly half the rate during peak growth in the late 1960s. While experts predict we’ll have 9.7 billion people by 2050, that represents a slowing of the population growth rate to an estimated half a percent growth.Most of the continued growth we’ll witness through 2100 is based on population momentum. This is due to a lack of balance in births and deaths, largely attributed to a younger population. On  global scale, more than half the world’s population is under the age of 30 and as youth  enter reproductive years - even with a replacement rate of two children per woman - our population will grow. With these estimations, population will stop growing before the end of this century.
3. Climate disruption has increased impacts for women and girls.Climate disruption is not gender neutral. It’s impact on women and girls is disproportionate. Women are an estimated 14 times more likely to die from a natural disaster, which fueled by climate disruption are growing in frequency and intensity.  Women constitute up to 80 percent of global refugee and displaced populations, and typically in emergencies 70 to 80 percent of those needing assistance are women and children. As women, they are often the target of systematic rape, violence, and terror.
   
   Widespread gender inequity impacts women and girls not just when disaster strikes, but also on a daily basis. Climate disruption induced changing weather patterns can wipe out crops and decimate a family's livelihood. In places like Bangladesh, in order to feed their families, fathers are marrying off their daughters early taking girls out of school, continuing the poverty cycle, and increasing gender-based discrimination. In 2015 alone, more than 700 million women in the world were married before the age of 18, including around 15 million girls who were forced into marriage.

What does this all mean?

Simplifying people’s role in climate disruption to one of numbers is a false comparison, because some of us play a much larger role in nature’s destruction than others. A growing population puts less stress on our climate than high consumption by the few. And this heavy consumption is putting women and girls at risk. That’s why we are fighting coal and trying to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

With a better understanding of the problem comes a better understanding of the solution. Providing access to family planning and increasing gender equity is about climate adaptation and resilience -- not about climate mitigation. By increasing access to reproductive rights and healthcare, education, energy, and economic opportunity, women are better able to adapt to the immediate effects of climate disruption. That’s why the Sierra Club advocates for policies and organizations that are standing up for women and girls. Join us in advocating for investment in women and girls.

About the author: A. Tianna Scozzaro is the Director of the Sierra Club's Gender Equity and Environment Program.

The Metaphorical Jesus

I often think that Jesus Christ was the first great sustainability activist. Now, first, let me say that American Christianity has absolutely no relation to 1st century Christianity. Rather, what we see in the U.S. are people treating religion as a political movement or worshipping the dominant culture.

Now, on to my point. If you study Christ's three-year ministry you'll see he devotes a lot of energy into simply saying "follow me," but he doesn't go into much detail. He kind of turns me off because he teaches elitism and exclusivity. But if you take his "kingdom" to the metaphorical level it makes sense — the "kingdom" are the people who follow his teachings, and in that sense I'm a Christian.

If you look at His teachings, Jesus lays down a good blueprint for a sustainable world. Both by his lifestyle and messages, he sets the example for humility, loving one another, and a simple lifestyle. He criticizes wealth.

Some of my favorite things about Jesus:

• His followers wanted a rebel leader who would kick out the Roman occupiers. Jesus wasn't political and his vision was far greater and beyond a simple military action. 
• Jesus respected women. He made Mary Magdalene an important part of his ministry.
• He spoke out against religious, self-righteous hypocrites. He spoke out against the wealthy.
• By his examples and teachings he opposed violence.

When I see Christians in America supporting Donald Trump, that's when I agree with them for once — Christianity is cold dead in this country. Jimmy Carter is the only true Christian I've ever met.

Capitalism

It's interesting that our so-called wonderful economic system is based on the primitive human instincts that Jesus spoke out against — selfishness and greed. To me, the whole message of Christianity is to rise above our basic animalistic nature and to behave at a higher altruistic level. It continues to amaze me that any Christian can be a Republican, which is a political party infested with money grubbing moguls who manipulate the laws and the citizens to allow them to acquire more wealth.

More Jesus Teachings

The holy Christians in the U.S. are so busy bashing immigrants, Muslims, and gays that I don't think they read their Bible much. Here are some more of my favorite teachings from Christ. These are summarized by my fellow blogger Steve Kimes of Portland, Oregon:

• He sort of rehashed the 10 Commandments — don't murder, steal, defraud, or commit adultery. And honor your parents.
• Don't serve other gods, like the money god.
• Respect God.
• Pray.
• "Clean the inside of the cup" — I love this one. Our intentions and motivations should be pure.
• "Seek first the kingdom" — Hey, Jesus constantly used parables, which are metaphorical, so I interpret the "kingdom" as metaphorical too. The kingdom is the family of likeminded believers.
• Love your neighbor and the Golden Rule. These are the things completely forgotten in the new Trump America.
• And more: Love your enemies, reconcile with others when you've done wrong, don't judge, love one another, be at peace, wash each other's feet, and sell your possessions and give to the poor.

Summary

My idea of a church is where you get with fellow believers and focus on the above. It takes a lot of peer support to elevate yourself beyond basic human instincts. There are Bibles everywhere and you can pick one up and read this stuff for yourself.

As I've said in earlier posts, I don't believe Jesus was supernatural. However, he could have been an alien or influenced by some higher-evolved force in the Universe. For Jesus to make such incredible statements so early in our human history is uncanny. I do not believe in miracles without technical evidence, and I believe there must be a form of technology for every action. Technology simply facilitates physics in some way that brings us a benefit. Thus, I don't believe Jesus brought Lazarus back to life because that would require a technology to restore millions of damaged cells. Once oxygen flow stops, those cells begin to deteriorate immediately. It's over. But, like I say, it's possible that there are evolved species in the Universe that no longer even need a physical body. They are out there, and one could have been inside Jesus.

Some one, somewhere, and for some reason felt it necessary to send Jesus as a messenger to our world. Jesus taught us a better way to live that is sustainable and nondestructive. His ideas immediately caught on around the world. But rather than creating true Christian institutions, his teachings were immediately politicized and used as a source of government power and social control. Before long we humans created "Christian" institutions that became exactly what Jesus taught against. The lesson learned here is that getting away from our human nature is harder than one would think.

If you are saving trees, helping animals, living a simple lifestyle, and doing something kind for your fellow human, then you are a true Christian, at least to me. If you are consumed by church busybody activities, obsessed with material things, and living for your own pleasure, then you are not.

So, maybe you should put your Trump banner in the closet and befriend a gay, Muslim, or someone who is different from you. Only then will you begin to see what you can't see now. 

Photo: Diana Vargas

Balloons, Fish, and Fireworks

Every time I blog I feel like I am shouting in a giant, dark room. There's no one to hear me. I guess I do it because I have a lot of thoughts inside me that I want to get out. I am mystified at how humanity continually spins its wheels in the mud. While our technology moves forward, little else does. We are the lost species.

One thing that frustrates me is how people get locked into behaviors that are harmful to themselves, others, and the environment. If you confront them with something they brush it off with comments like, "it's not that bad." They can't grasp that what they are doing is hurting someone or some thing and they go one doing it.

Here are a few pet peeves I have. As the comedian Carol Burnett says, "this just burns my grits."

Catch & Release

I know several fisherman who enjoy catching fish and releasing them. This is torturing the animal. They swallow a hook, are yanked out the water into the air, and then some redneck is sticking fingers down their throat to get their hook back. The traumatized and injured animal is then tossed back into the water, where it has a good chance of dying. And this is called a sport? Fuck. A search on the web shows that only PETA takes a stand against this form of animal abuse. I guess I am now an animal lover extremist. Oh well.

Balloon Releases

It's so pretty to let balloons go into the air, but all you are doing is littering and endangering wildlife. One day I noticed a large balloon had landed on my house, with a note on it. It was part of a balloon release at an elementary school in Alabama, 90 miles away. Are you kidding? I wrote an unpleasant letter saying I had to get out the ladder and climb on my roof to get the dastardly thing.

On several hiking trips I have seen balloon scraps high in the trees. To see something shiny in a forest really gets your attention. I immediately think of the alien crash site in Roswell, NM. Is it debris from a UFO? Or is it a signaling station for a spy network? But as I get closer to the shiny object and look up I notice that it's, oh, a balloon.

The fallen balloons are sometimes mistaken by animals as food. And in the water they cause entanglement issues for sea life. If you must buy a balloon for a festive event, please don't let it get away.

Fireworks

During one major holiday the loud fireworks made my neighbor's dog go crazy, and he tore up the basement ductwork trying to get away from the noise. At my house, things went far worse. It was New Year's Eve, and the loud noise made my two dogs burst through the gate and run blindly down the street. One dog, my beloved friend Tripp, was smashed by a car. So, I hate fireworks. During New Year's and Independence Day the fireworks go off for days before and after the event. They terrify wild and domestic animals alike. If you must celebrate a holiday with burning objects, use fireworks that don't make noise, like sparklers.

One positive trend are the drone light shows, which I hope will soon replace fireworks at public events.

Conclusion

So, I'm sitting at my local grocery store parking lot and I notice that I'm the ONLY one who brings in my own canvas bags for groceries. Now, if I was in a yuppie area at one of those organic grocery stores, I know that far more people would have their reusable bags. Why is that? I live at the edge of the Atlanta suburbs in Georgia. Why don't less educated and country folk care about the environment? Why don't they just take a little extra effort to obtain some reusable bags and bring them to the store? Maybe because their religion doesn't show much interest in the environment? Or maybe they are too ignorant or isolated to understand the harmful impacts of plastic bags? The same hold trues for the love and care of animals -- it's just not mentioned much by the fire and brimstone preachers. I really don't know the answers, but it makes me sad.

Nihilism, Animalism, and Me

Someone today called me a nihilist, which is furthest from the truth. The statement was made in response to my comment that humanity is only a few years away from extinction.

Okay, maybe we have more than a few years left, but our end is inevitable. When I said that I wasn't trying to be negative or pessimistic. Rather, I was thinking about how fragile human life is, and how scientists keep coming up with better ways to destroy it. North Korea uses nerve agents and Russians use radiation poisoning to kill people they don't like. More troubling are the sonic weapons under development by the U.S. and other nations. In the next war we will be destroying each other's brains with inaudible sonic blasts. As technology progresses, researchers will find even more ways to take the life out of our delicate bodies. So, yeah, sorry, I'm not seeing a rosy future for humanity.

Meaning

A nihilist is someone who believes life has no meaning. I've never, ever felt that way. Life is full of meaning. To me, the meaning of life is to help others, animals, the planet, and, lastly, ourselves. The meaning of life is to continually learn and to take action on our knowledge in a positive way.

A nihilist is someone who rejects all religious and moral principles. That's not me at all. When I take those "What religion are you?" tests I'm told that I'm either a Reformed Jew or Unitarian Universalist. In both religions, there is a continuous search for the answers — and that is me. I wouldn't say that I don't believe in God, it's just that I haven't found any proof yet. The case for God is no stronger than the case for fairies. Maybe one day I'll find proof. But in the mean time, I see all religions as part of my culture and I'm free to learn from the good things they have to offer. As for faith, I don't understand why believing in unprovable things is so important to God. It sounds like a convenient social control mechanism for keeping people in the flock.

Animals

My ultimate life meaning and dream for humanity is for us to view ourselves as caretakers of this remarkable and beautiful planet. The meaning of life is for us all to be zookeepers, except that we should live in cages (our houses and cars) and let the animals roam free. I do not understand the obsession with guns, secret weapons, and killing one another. Why do people kill in the first place? Usually because the victim is threatening someone's wealth or power. Why do we have to be rich? Why do we have to be powerful? Why can't we all just live in green friendly huts and care for the wild animals? Most of what we humans do is such a total waste. Who cares about Game of Thrones or how far you can toss a javelin?

It's at this point where my appreciation for religion goes out that window. Currently, the predominant religions don't seem to give a fuck about animals. Some religions even tell you to murder animals to atone for your sins! When you think about it, that's utterly insane. So, at least with the Christian religion, God sent himself to Earth, and had himself tortured and executed, so that animals don't have to be sacrificed any more. So, we thank you for that Father God.

But the lack of respect for animals and the earth is one of the many things I find troubling about conservative religions. These religious people invest a tremendous amount of time on things that don't really matter, such as maintaining their steepled entertainment centers, music programs, and leading people to Christ. Metaphorically, leading someone to the example set by Christ is a good thing, but all the talk about the Man in the Clouds straightening your crooked toe or curing you of chronic bad breath is wasted energy.

Summary

Life is short, fleeting, but full of meaning. Humans really need to change their values and thinking quickly, or we will all be extinct. When I see entire countries run by oligarchists or religionists it's easy for me to start losing hope. Again, humans appear obsessed with hoarding wealth and power, at the expense of less fortunate people and the environment. I am actually the complete opposite of a nihilist, I am a vain and hopeless idealist.

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash