First of all, I do wish all of you some very happy holidays and emphasize that we do love all of you*.
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I’m beginning this christmas message with a theme which often comes forth from my mind. The image therein is a metaphor for today’s world, a 737 Max at 35,000 feet of altitude with about 0.5-1 billion super-Haves living relatively comfortably (though extremely artificially & unsustainably) in the first-class section of the cabin, ca. 3 billion in economy, and ca. 3 billion relative have-nots clinging to the outer shell of the plane. There are Nature-exploiting tubes from down on relative paradise (Earth/Eaarth) supplying necessary fuel for the plane and the inhabitants, and some of the fuel entering the cabin does leak out as crumbs to those clinging onto the exterior. The plane cannot land because (1) the pilots are absent or inept, (2) of a very poor navigation system and (3) non-functional landing gear, i.e., lack of ecological knowledge & values and critical thinking & decision-making. There are a few in and around the plane working on the navigation and landing systems; however, most in the cabin are just busy living the “good” life and/or working hard to keep the plane flying (with the military/police, fuel providers, artificial information/algorithm-systems personnel being the most important), and those outside are both working to keep the plane flying as well as struggling to get inside the doomed international capitalistic system. Down below on the rest of Eaarth, there are a very few humans and other species living very comfortable low-input/-throughput (sort of Paleolithic or early Neolithic) lives in concert with what is left of dynamic homeostatic symbioses (from the perspective of humans and species associated with quality life for humans).
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With eight (8) billion humans going on ten (ten) and a considerable amount of energy being devoted to military/police, fuel, and for the maintenance of flight of the human economy, and rigid–if non-sustainable–mindsets, attitudes and behavior, means for getting out of this predicament & its challenges are extremely complex. However, it would start with:
• a learning system of “positively ethical applied community ecology/PEACE” across all human organization entities,
• a more holistic, comprehensive, and profound understanding of ecological principles and processes (especially connectivity, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the Precautionary Principle, net primary productivity & embodied human-appropriated net primary productivity, and an ethic of reciprocity & pacifism), and
• a development of plans and actions in solidarity from those perspectives with a goal of: light ecological human footprints, individually and collectively, and increase in parity within the human population as well as realizing protection and enhancement of habitat for other species.
The development of this metaphor, or model, of today’s world and my proposed solutions to its challenges to quality life for all for as long as possible is based on hard scientific facts. Its construction was facilitated by enablers such as St. Louise, Alton, Betsy, Ruth, Darryl, Pete, Dick, Lanier, Marvel, Peggy & Kathy, Helene, Luica, Bill, and Lupe and role models such as Alton, St. Louise, David, Karen, Miguel, and Francis. And even in my 77th year, this model, metaphor, and mindset continues to always be in a state of flux and influenced by ecologists studying various aspects of ecological community, naturalists, and humanitarians of intelligence, energy, and integrity. I encounter these wonderful folk who positively affect my psyche, mindset and core values in many ways, but mostly in volunteer work in Texas, the Great Plains, and Latin America each year with Kids On the Land, Generations Indigenous Ways, Honduran Episcopalian Veterinarian Services, Dos Pueblos, Ogallala Commons, & Siempre Sustainable Network. https://www.facebook.com/KidsOnTheLand/ https://www.giways.org/ http://lovehonduras.org/ http://dospueblosny.org/ https://ogallalacommons.org/ https://marikasculptures.com/tag/siempre-sustainable-network/
I do hope for a world of humans who live sabiamente/wisely, simply, smally, slowly, steadfastly, sharingly, and sustainably. And I do believe that we must all collaborate to get population growth of humans and domesticated species leveled off and consumption by the Haves reduced by as much as two-thirds (2/3). We must tithe+ and share to help to get consumption by have-nots up to levels conducive to quality life and to get needed habitat and resources for other species.
(I do realize these thoughts of mine impact you as a function of:
• your concept of the meaning of human life and life in general for the short & long term,
• what wholes you think are of real importance (e.g., self, family, village, ecological community, Eaarth/Earth, universe(s), or all of these), and
• what you believe the status of the shared natural resource base is.)
Anyway, I do fervently wish for and will continue to attempt to work toward solidarity and PEACE for regeneration & conservation of resilient, sustainable community!
Merry christmas,
paul (and family)
[ 7 Ss / VV->^^ ]
http://www.paulpeaceparables.com/2019/10/16/faith-hope-and-charity-within-humankind-can-we-rally-around-limiting-embodied-human-appropriated-net-primary-productivity1/
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*There is NO ONE in this world I know of who I don’t love in some way!