BioEverything
Bet on Big Changes Ahead
by Jim McCue
Back in the 1970's, in another politically difficult time, I worked with the radically progressive Living Theatre Collective. Though in many ways these people were "hippies" (badmouthed by the corporate media as lazy, immoral, and dangerous), I remember being disappointed at how hard they worked at their craft. These were professional actors, writers, poets, directors and film producers, sculptors, and set designers - so dedicated that we often worked into the wee hours of the night. And they were talking about too much power in the hands of amoral bottom-line-only multinational corporations long before anyone else. Though the word "sustainability" wasn't yet used in reference to economic development, these people clearly understood that we as a society were (and we still are, by the way) crippled by our allegiance to the status quo, and headed for catastrophe unless we make some good but very deep changes. This continues today, with even larger stakes environmentally and internationally. We have to define what is good change. Remaining passive will allow destructive changes to overtake us. We have to find common ground and start working toward things that are really good, not allowing the current bleak economic outlook to encourage us to make compromises or take away from faith in the possibility of a better future.
The world is going to hell in a handbasket - if we let it. And there is an almost unimaginably wonderful future awaits us - if we make it. The same technology that is creating new weapons systems (as if we needed more, what with the atom and hydrogen bombs being invented more than fifty years ago) is able to provide for the establishment of a stable ecosystem with good nutrition, sufficient energy, and a sustainable economic situation for all - if we take hold of our economy and make the good changes needed. And for that, everything has to be on the table. We must talk about the military budget. We must talk about the dangers of hazardous materials being transported through our community. We must talk about how money is being made doing either useless or destructive things - and I'm not just talking about the illegal drug business. Look all around you. Look inside yourself. It's useful (and easier) to see the changes that others need to make; it's time to face the dangers also presented by our own unwillingness to change when appropriate.
Readers of my past articles know some of the changes I've been beating the drum about: recycling organic waste; biotech having to do with renewable energy; urban gardening; more local self-reliance as to jobs, food production, and decentralized energy; composting as a way to remediate pollution while encouraging a more stable local ecosystem. There's no use going on and on about good possible directions unless we as a community are willing to lay our money down on them and invest our time working together on them.
There was a saying in France during the sixties, not well known here: "La Revolution commence avec moi meme. " ["The Revolution begins with myself."] The changes coming are going to either raise us to a much better world or destroy us. Our attitude to them, and use of the marvelous new technologies coming online will determine which it will be.
by Jim McCue
Back in the 1970's, in another politically difficult time, I worked with the radically progressive Living Theatre Collective. Though in many ways these people were "hippies" (badmouthed by the corporate media as lazy, immoral, and dangerous), I remember being disappointed at how hard they worked at their craft. These were professional actors, writers, poets, directors and film producers, sculptors, and set designers - so dedicated that we often worked into the wee hours of the night. And they were talking about too much power in the hands of amoral bottom-line-only multinational corporations long before anyone else. Though the word "sustainability" wasn't yet used in reference to economic development, these people clearly understood that we as a society were (and we still are, by the way) crippled by our allegiance to the status quo, and headed for catastrophe unless we make some good but very deep changes. This continues today, with even larger stakes environmentally and internationally. We have to define what is good change. Remaining passive will allow destructive changes to overtake us. We have to find common ground and start working toward things that are really good, not allowing the current bleak economic outlook to encourage us to make compromises or take away from faith in the possibility of a better future.
The world is going to hell in a handbasket - if we let it. And there is an almost unimaginably wonderful future awaits us - if we make it. The same technology that is creating new weapons systems (as if we needed more, what with the atom and hydrogen bombs being invented more than fifty years ago) is able to provide for the establishment of a stable ecosystem with good nutrition, sufficient energy, and a sustainable economic situation for all - if we take hold of our economy and make the good changes needed. And for that, everything has to be on the table. We must talk about the military budget. We must talk about the dangers of hazardous materials being transported through our community. We must talk about how money is being made doing either useless or destructive things - and I'm not just talking about the illegal drug business. Look all around you. Look inside yourself. It's useful (and easier) to see the changes that others need to make; it's time to face the dangers also presented by our own unwillingness to change when appropriate.
Readers of my past articles know some of the changes I've been beating the drum about: recycling organic waste; biotech having to do with renewable energy; urban gardening; more local self-reliance as to jobs, food production, and decentralized energy; composting as a way to remediate pollution while encouraging a more stable local ecosystem. There's no use going on and on about good possible directions unless we as a community are willing to lay our money down on them and invest our time working together on them.
There was a saying in France during the sixties, not well known here: "La Revolution commence avec moi meme. " ["The Revolution begins with myself."] The changes coming are going to either raise us to a much better world or destroy us. Our attitude to them, and use of the marvelous new technologies coming online will determine which it will be.
posted by St. Jim the Composter at 7:50 AM
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