Being Completely Blunt

I said in my last post that I’d come to the conclusion that I can have more effect doing local work than in trying to spread the word and encourage action via the internet. And that is what I intend to do. It may take a while to immerse myself into (or more likely create) a local action group, but once I have something to share, I intend to keep this blog alive (or start a different one) for that purpose, as well as for the previously mentioned intent of sharing action alerts and letter or petition campaigns.

But I’ve also reflected upon my desire for effectiveness and realize I am once again guilty of enculturation, this time the “need” for immediate results, that old instant gratification that industrial civilization has instilled in most of us. I reminded myself that, despite the urgency of accelerated climate change, what I really want will be a long battle lasting beyond my lifespan, if it ever happens at all. The results of my work may not be evident in my lifetime, and I have to come to peace with that. But it is quite difficult to come to peace with evidence that strongly suggests that more than half the life on this planet will perish within 90 years.

What is it I want? As to the title of this post, this is what I wish to make clear: A big part of why I want to be part of a movement that asks for genuinely sane climate policy is that such a movement would actually be asking for the planned dismantling of industrial civilization. And that is exactly what I want. I can’t be more blunt than that, can I?

In an earlier post, I put forward that we all need to redefine ourselves as we redefine our culture. Here is a snippet of one of my shifts: I now define my family much more broadly than I used to. It is not just my ancestral lineage and my siblings and my wife and in-laws and a few chosen friends, my family now includes oaks, willows, buckeyes, manzanitas, great horned owls, acorn woodpeckers, bushtits, quail, meadow larks, yampah, ookow, hound's tongue, needle grass, fence lizards, rattlesnakes, centipedes, millipedes and the hundreds of other species with whom I share this landbase. In fact, as I now see it, this land would not be this land without all those species, so the creek and hills and meadows and mountains are part of my family too. I'm not claiming to be evolved by saying this, but I feel I have been slowly reclaiming my humanity through this process. This is what I wish for all humans.

A number of books have helped me on this journey and for those interested in knowing what resources furthered my commitment to rejoining the community of life, I list a few favorites below. I also list a few movies that deeply moved me.


Books

The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff

According to Jean Liedloff, the continuum concept is the idea that in order to achieve optimal physical, mental and emotional development, human beings — especially babies — require the kind of experience to which our species adapted during the long process of our evolution. For an infant, these include such experiences as...

• constant physical contact with his/her mother (or another familiar caregiver as needed) from birth, and allowed to observe (or nurse, or sleep) while the person carrying him goes about his or her business—until the infant begins creeping, then crawling on his or her own impulse, usually at six to eight months;
• sleeping in her/his parents' bed, in constant physical contact, until s/he leaves of her/his own volition (often about two years);
• breastfeeding "on cue"—nursing in response to her/his own body's signals.

While it has been over a decade since I read this book, and I only read it once, it is still a book I recommend frequently. One story from the book completely changed my world view, from one of belief that humans were innately flawed to one where they were not. I had never read about or had a relationship with pre-civilized humans before. Thus began my journey to trying to understand what it means to be human. But I didn’t realize it at the time.


Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram

This one is an astonishing explanation of our past humanity. While one chapter is quite academic and almost lost me, the remainder of the book makes for one of the most fascinating reads I’ve ever had. Abrams shows the connections between gaining an alphabet and losing our sensual connection with our physical environment and its community of life. He makes it very clear that human languages rooted in the land resulted in human cultures incapable of destroying that land, while our symbolic and abstract language and views make it far too easy to kill what we most need.


My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization by Chellis Glendenning

Another book pointing out where we came from, and that most of our personal and societal suffering result as a loss of that connection with the natural world. She’s also a fan of Jean Liedloff and shares the same story from Continuum Concept that changed my world.


A Language Older than Words by Derrick Jensen

A very personal and powerful book about abuse, about connection with nonhumans, about our potential as humans. And so much more. This is a hard book to describe, so I’ll share this quote about it from Frances Moore Lappe:
“If any book can help us break free of this culture of denial, this is it…a book that is simultaneously horrifying and uplifting, terrifying and beautiful. I could not put it down.”


Culture of Make Believe by Derrick Jensen

This has to be one of the most difficult books I’ve ever read. It is primarily about hate. Jensen explains, with much historical evidence, that our culture teaches us to hate ourselves, our bodies, and the natural world. Tough to swallow, I know, but read the book. You too may find you agree that most of the hatred embedded in our culture doesn’t feel like hatred at all, it feels more like patriotism, loyalty, economic necessity, responsibility, tradition, habit, or progress. This book will likely cause you to reconsider some of your deeply held beliefs.


Endgame by Derrick Jensen

This is a two volume call to action. The first book explains some of the inherent flaws of civilization, and demonstrates that it is not redeemable. His analysis is thorough and articulate, and he shatters many illusions of would-be lifestyle activists. Throughout the book, he asks the reader to find his or her own answers, and the moral arguments made are very powerful. The second book is about resistance and dismantling industrial civilization. I’ve come to realize the paralyzing effects this book had on me. It brought me new friends and spurred lots of personal growth, but I had a false hope after reading this book that took nearly two years to uncover. Nonetheless, I think it is brilliant and inspiring.


Listening to the Land by Derrick Jensen

This was an early work of Jensen and it is a compilation of interviews he had with dozens of environmentalists and writers. It is a great introduction to the biocentric perspective.


Tending the Wild by Kat Anderson

This was another worldview expanding book. It is about the way the first people of California tended to the land, and gives a painful glimpse into the past. Painful because it isn’t the distant past and because so much has been destroyed so quickly. It gave me one of the answers I was looking for: how to live appropriately here on the land. It would have been a great follow-up to Becoming Native to This Place (see below), but I read that one 5 years earlier.


One Straw Revolution by Matsunobu Fukuoka

I don’t own this book, so I won’t quote it precisely, but one of my favorite themes from this treatise on natural farming is that the goal of a farm should be to grow healthy and beautiful people, which is best accomplished by disconnecting from the dominant culture mindset and work ethic.


Becoming Native to This Place by Wes Jackson

When I came to my new home to become a homesteader in 2003, I had visions of a permaculture-type food and herb forest, an olive-lined driveway, a couple acres of grains and cucurbits, a vineyard and five intensive gardens with rotated use. I came with a vision. This book helped me see how inappropriate that vision was. It started me down the path to seeing what was already here, to understanding that this land is not good agricultural land, but it has the potential to provide abundant food, just not the kind to which I was accustomed.
Jackson applies the notion of place to a rethinking of ecological and agricultural policy in hopes that the concept of place will seep deeply into our thoughts and change the way we inhabit the world. When we think of the whole Earth on a local level as a group of loved places rather than territory or resource pools, then we will be headed in the right direction.


Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

When I finished this book, I felt there was only one really important thing to do: defend pre-civilized indigenous cultures from civilization. Of course, that was years ago, and I didn’t do it. Now I know there is lots of important work to be done, but at the core of me, I still feel this as a deeply held belief. Those few humans embody hundreds of thousands of years of accumulated wisdom and connection with the land, they are a magnificent source of sane answers to most of our societal failures. In this book, Quinn indirectly shows that through a conversation between a gorilla and a human. A fun and thought-provoking read.


The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith

I started down the path to a mostly vegetarian diet when I was in my early 20’s when I learned about how veal is created. That lead to more reading about disgusting factory farming, unfair and ecologically devastating ranching policies, and so on. By the time I was 26 I rarely ate red meat any more. Once I understood how most shrimp were caught, I gave them up too. Then, as news of fish decline increased, I nearly phased out seafood.
But I never became a purist and felt that “If the meat consumers would just eat less, making it a treat, not a norm, we’d destroy less rain forest and fragile semi-desert and preserve fisheries.” So that is what I did. I knew that the agriculture that brought me the grains and legumes and most of the fresh fruit and veggies was responsible for species extinctions and the death of millions of warm-blooded and cold-blooded individuals every year. But I still felt that, given our bad choices, a mostly vegetarian diet was most appropriate for this era. I have to admit, given the size of the human population, and the fact that billions of acres of previously destroyed land is now farm land, I still think it is worthy of consideration. But like all other facets of my lifestyle choices, which I make for my own spiritual benefit, not to “save the world,” I have to ask this question: What is the best choice for the land? (Or, in other words, as Keith puts it, which choice benefits the soil? Or yet another way: Of all the options, if none is truly positive for biodiversity, which causes the least environmental damage?) For example, when I buy food, I try to minimize the amount of products that come from far away. I try to buy organic, and local organic is best. But I’m not fooled that most of these choices are actually ones that benefit the world. The Vegetarian Myth helped me synthesize all these thoughts, and made it very clear that I do have a better choice here where I live. I eat grass fed meat regularly now. This book dissects three standard reasons for vegetarianism, and has given me much to ponder. If what Keith has uncovered is true, we should all avoid soy products and minimize our grain consumption, in effect turning the USDA food pyramid on its head. The evidence she cites is convincing. Plus, this book is very anti-civ, so the perspective resonates with me. I’m curious to hear what others think!


Running on Emptiness by John Zerzan

Zerzan assumes a lot of his readers, and if you aren’t already somewhat anti-civ, this may be difficult to digest. This collection of essays succinctly captures the “pathology of civilization.” So what can you do with this information? Use it to free you mind, and in so doing, find a glimpse of a freedom that civilized people have long forgotten.


Burning All Illusions by David Edwards

This was a great wake-up for me, making clear that so many of my deeply held beliefs were all part of the illusions of civilization. Illusions? What is more real, a dollar bill or a tree? One is a concept carried out through faith in a human-made system, the other is an integrated and integral part of a living community sharing billions of connections. You won’t find this kind of discussion in this book, but reading it may make you have these kinds of thoughts! Thanks to Andrew for gifting me this book years ago!


Original Wisdom by Robert Wolff

If you are curious what I mean when I talk about regaining my humanity, this book provides a fantastic view into the world of pre-industrial people, who have no need for jobs or electricity or useless gadgetry like the the alphabet! Highly recommended!



Movies

What a Way to Go
Blind Spot
Koyanisqatsi
Earth and the American Dream

Some Great and Helpful Responses

I think I’ve thanked all of you readers who have responded to my inquiry about what you value most, but if I missed you, I’ll thank you now. Thanks to all of you who spent time thinking about my question.

Every response I received inched me closer to the realization that was already brewing internally: it is time to pursue activism that has the potential to yield noticeable positive effects. It is time to focus on my locale. I will still send the occasional post or action alert to ask for support of great organizations or to urge the stoppage of another egregious bill. But I won’t be spending so much time staying up-to-date on the latest climate news, nor will I spend so much energy trying to figure out a way to frame our dire situation in hopes of inspiring more people to action. I’ve realized that metaphor and analogy are concepts of symbolic thought, a product of literate civilized culture, and that in searching for a great metaphor, I’ve been caught in the trap of separation from the real world, separation from that which truly sustains us: the earth. Along those lines of thought, I intend to do a post listing the most influential books I’ve read, and the most influential experiences I’ve had. That will take more thought and time than I will give right now, but when we have a very hot stretch of weather, I may be able to make that a priority. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from any readers with their list of influential books and descriptions of world-view-shaping experiences.

For this post, I’d just like to share some of the responses I’ve gotten, for I think they will be of value to everyone. I’m grateful to have such thoughtful and articulate friends and family. I’ve edited some comments to make them anonymous. If any of you who sent the responses below wish to have your comment removed, please contact me, and I’ll do it.

To the question, “What do you value most?” (which I also implied could be asked “What is your most deeply held belief?”), I got these responses:

• The most important thing to me is resisting the globalized death culture of civilization/imperialism and joining with indigenous cultures worldwide in re-establishing primacy of bioregional specific cultures in reverent relationship to Mother Earth and all life upon her.


• The things I value most are: water, soil, gardens, trees, wildlife, friends of like mind, habitat.


• For me, the loss that most sears my heart is when people are deprived of the right to carry on harmless lifeways they have been practicing for centuries. It could be farmers who are not allowed to sell raw milk because of rules written by corporate "dairies", or villagers who are no longer able to harvest their common forests because of environmental degradation that wasn't their fault, or because the resources are now critically endangered because of short-term-thinking policies, or because of political or military folly. The right to enact the ancient dances of sustenance is often inseparable from the right of ecosystems to remain vibrant and intact.

I know a lot of people would find it offensive or inappropriate to hear the following words coming out of the mouth of an ardent abortion-rights advocate, but I believe the unborn have certain inalienable rights we must fiercely defend. They have the right to the same amount of clean air and water we enjoyed. They have the right to the same opportunities for self-realization and useful work we had; the right to the same ration of beauty and biodiversity. They have the right not to live lives which are the more miserable for our actions. All generations have an equal right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The darkest and most horrifying human crime would be for one generation to decide to seize all it can, at the expense of all the others who are to come.


• My most deeply held belief is that humans can and must learn how to live on this planet with much less damage to the earth’s systems and other species. And I believe we can. If we learn from nature, who is our best teacher, then we do have a chance at change. I don’t believe humans are a plague or alien species, but I do worry that we may be heading towards our own extinction if we don’t change. Care for the Earth. Care for People. Try to equitably distribute surplus to your community.

After reflection I don’t know if this is my most deeply held belief because that might be of a more spiritual nature, but I do believe this is one of the most pressing things I hold dear.


• What I value above all else and what I genuinely crave, is a healthy vibrant and reciprocal relationship and connection with all creatures including the relationship I have with myself.

I include myself in this equation because as a woman* (and especially as a woman of colour) I really feel that the 'pornification' of mainstream culture has meant that I have spent a great deal of my life objectifying myself while being unaware that I was doing so.

Becoming aware of Feminist issues back in the late seventies and then identifying myself as a Feminist in the 80's was what first radicalized my politics. Unfortunately we feminists (as well as anyone who cared about anything worthy) lost horribly as mainstream culture became more and more pornified.

The very toxic and specific ideas of sexuality that have been sold to this culture (and continue to be) has meant that people commodify themselves and their relationships, and that leads to the commodification of everything.

For me the War against the planet is deeply connected to this commodification and misogyny. If we cannot value ourselves then how on earth will we value or stand up for anyone else?


• For me, I think it is connection that I value most.

That includes mostly and most strongly the obvious connection between myself and my family and friends, but when I think about it, It also includes whatever it is that connects me and makes me part of, well, everything. Maybe other words for the same thing are love or spirit.

Maybe that is too obvious and what you are really asking is what am I most connected to. For that if you were to draw concentric circles, in the middle circle would be my children, and my spouse would be in the next one. The next circle after that has a lot of family and friends and this farm is actually pretty near in. Some principles are probably in the next circle: It is important to treat people with love and respect. It is important to use the earth's resources minimally and carefully...

• As a parent, it seems to me, the answer to what I value most ought to be my child. In my case, that is my answer. That’s really a very expansive answer, not a narrow one. Because if what I care about most is my child, then righting the world’s wrongs and improving on what’s wonderful (or at least not further degrading it) is part of my job. There is so much wrong with the world that it’s easy to focus on that. It’s easy to be negative. Too easy. It’s harder to say, OK, this is what I can bite off and chew in an effort to make a difference. No one can fix the whole world, but everyone can make a difference.

So I would like to leave my daughter a planet that won’t continue to degrade at a horrific rate. I spend every day trying to reduce my own carbon footprint (except when I travel, and even then, I’m still conscious of what I buy and what I burn). I try not to waste water, another precious resource in increasingly short supply. I have taught my daughter to do these things, too.

I would like a better education system, a more enlightened mass of people. In my own small way, the messages I craft for my employer’s website and magazine continue to harp on these themes of trying to live in a more sustainable, harmonious way.

I would definitely like better government, which is why I will likely run for City Council next May. I could at least bring a little more enlightened discussion to the current council and maybe get a few more people to think about the impact of their actions (or inaction).

Finally, I want my daughter to be happy so I have to model happiness. This is something that has become increasingly difficult.

So while I know that much of the world is a very sad place, much of it is happy and wonderful and I will live daily in the hope of making it a bit happier and a bit more wonderful. That’s all any one person can do. And it does make a difference.

Time to Write Obama

(For those of you who get my Action Alerts, you've already seen this.)

I've just received a fantastic sample letter you could edit (or not) and send to President Obama (and your representatives, if you haven't already written them).

Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel of CarbonFees.org have done impeccable research once again.

Please read "Why Waxman-Markey Won't Work" at their website: http://carbonfees.org/home/WhyWaxman-MarkeyWontWorkJune-09.pdf.

and then use their sample letter as a template or write your own, but let Obama know that the current legislation doesn't begin to address this enormous problem, in fact it may hasten our demise.

And if you do this, I would really appreciate a note saying you did it. Thanks!

Brien

Sample letter

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is trying to get a sweeping global warming package (H.R. 2454) out of committee this week. And there are a number of flaws, but the most glaring is the use of cap-and-trade. Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel at CarbonFees.org offer a far superior approach.

I cannot stress enough that cap-and-trade is the equivalent of a sub-prime "fix" to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. It is a deeply flawed market-based scheme. If you'd really like to understand this, please read this paper (PDF) from Laurie and Allan.

On their website, you can also find this sample letter:

Subject: Cap-and-Trade vs. Carbon-Fees-with-100%-Rebate

Dear Representative:

To date there has been a lot of publicity about the tragedies that can result if climate change is not addressed promptly by a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy. However, there has been a lot less debate and very little public education on the alternatives for getting our economy to make this transition. Specifically, there has been little news and little debate on the choice between Cap-and-Trade vs. Carbon-Fees-With-100%-Rebate.

While many politicians are advocating Cap-and-Trade, I am asking you to become educated about the alternative of Carbon-Fees-With-100% Rebate. Please visit www.carbonfees.org to learn more about the potential for this alternative market mechanism to create the incentives necessary to rapidly transition to a post-fossil fuel economy. In addition, I also ask that you obtain expert input from economists and scientists as well as educating the public about both the urgency of the problem and the factors to consider in making this important choice.
Thank you for your consideration.

And here is an important excerpt from Laurie and Allan's paper sited above:

Given the huge momentum that cap-and-trade has developed, it is critical for every concerned citizen who believes this decision deserves additional scrutiny to communicate with their elected representatives, friends, neighbors and colleagues. . . In addition, some surveys have indicated that many people are afraid of carbon taxes or fees, even with rebates. Our belief is that the issues of urgency, effectiveness, and relative cost to consumers of cap-and-trade v carbon fees with 100% rebate have not been effectively explained to the public. We encourage you to help your friends, families, neighbors and colleagues understand these issues as the most pressing ones we face, even at this time of economic crisis.

Conclusion
While the recent debate on how to rescue the economy has tended to overshadow the debate on climate change, as many people have noted, the economic crisis has provided an opportunity. It has made it clear that massive investments must be made to stimulate the economy. The question is how to make those decisions wisely. Carbon fees with 100% rebate has the advantages of costing the government very little, returning all proceeds equally to everyone to fund continued spending on energy, and creating huge incentives for climate-saving changes. The fact that little government spending would be needed to scale-up clean energy technology would leave more room for any stimulus package to focus on the other necessary measures, such as funding for green-jobs training and a new comprehensive system of efficient transmission lines.

So, because I sent the above sample letter a month ago, and to show my awareness of the Waxman-Markey bill (H.R. 2454), here is the letter I'm sending to my representative.

Dear Representative:

As the likelihood of catastrophic climate change increases with almost every new climate science study released, prompt rapid transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy is critical. One excellent part of the solution that has garnered very little public attention is Carbon-Fees-With-100%-Rebate. This approach has three very significant advantages: costing the government very little; returning all proceeds equally to everyone to fund continued spending on energy; and creating huge incentives for climate-saving changes.

While Congressmen Waxman and Markey (and many others) are advocating Cap-and-Trade, I am asking you once again to become educated about the alternative of Carbon-Fees-With-100% Rebate. Please visit www.carbonfees.org to learn more about the potential for this alternative market mechanism to create the incentives necessary to rapidly transition to a post-fossil fuel economy. Specifically, read their 17-page Cap-and-Trade vs. Carbon Fees discussion paper. In addition, I again ask that you obtain expert input from economists and scientists as well as educating the public about both the urgency of the problem and the factors to consider in making this critical choice. I hope you will then begin urging your fellow Congresspersons to support Carbon-Fees-With-100% Rebate.

Thank you for your consideration.

More Grim Predictions

This from Climate Ark:

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology forecast that global warming's effects this century could be twice as extreme as estimated just six years ago. They found that Earth's median surface temperature could rise 9.3 degrees F (5.2 degrees C) by 2100 compared to a 2003 study that projected a median temperature increase of 4.3 degrees F (2.4 degrees C). The new study, published in the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate, said the difference was due to improved economic modeling and data. The paper calls for "rapid and massive action".

I'm searching for a metaphor to which people can relate. If space aliens were slowly filling our atmosphere with a poison, wouldn't the world "leaders" throw everything we have at them?

Or how about this one: If the US was involved in World War III, and the nation needed everyone to conserve all resources, stop unnecessary traveling, and focus on growing as much of their own food as possible, wouldn't you want to do that? To prevent the destruction of our country?

Still not quite right, and the reason is clear: those scenarios present threats from others. I think it is safe to say that most people don't see capitalism, the endless growth economy, and big corporations as "others." I think most folks generally feel all this is necessary to their way of life. That is why I've said before we need to redefine ourselves and our culture.

Maybe I'll return to the psychopathic murderer metaphor, but this time, the murderer is your best friend, someone you trust completely. So Western industrial civilization is your best friend, and he's got a gun, which is CO2 emissions, and he's running around shooting anyone he sees. Do you try to talk him out of it (and get shot in the process) or do you do whatever it takes to knock the gun out of his hands?

Hmmm, that still does not quite capture the situation. It portrays the urgency well enough, but it is maybe too immediate. And it requires a rather natural response. Plus, the threat is only to people, not everything else we need to survive. And, he's only one person. Not a great metaphor, really.

We have all become so enculturated that we don't know how to respond. We don't have a culture that demands genuine democracy with threats of revolution. But that is what we need. Of course we need a few thousand people writing letters and making movies and posting to blogs and raising awareness, but at some point VERY soon, we need to take it up a few zillion notches and start general work stoppages, start taking land away from corporate polluters by use of sheer numbers (let them send ten thousand policemen, we will have 500,000 squatters willing to risk all to save our home).

Too radical for you? Then maybe you could join in on the awareness-raising. Maybe only 3 million Americans could demand sane policies that would lead us toward the kind of paradigm shift we so desperately need. Maybe we need 10 million, who knows, but I'm back to my original phrase: we don't know until we try.

I hope to hear from more of you that you want to make action for climate justice a regular part of your life. It really is more urgent than we've been lead to believe. And there is still a sliver of a chance that it isn't too late.

But inaction will guarantee the death of most life on this planet.

Oh, and if you think of an appropriate metaphor, let me know please!