Dirty Scoundrels

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• Steven Earl Salmony wrote on March 07, 2009, 08:04AM : Flag this comment as inappropriate

  Good people all,

  Let us agree never to give in and certainly not to ever give up. Polluters are to be found in many places

  At no time prior to recent days can I recall more vibrant and worthwhile discussions of humankind’s distinctly human-driven predicament. For me, the OnEarth community is a microcosm of what needs to be occurring ubiquitously. This work, the work of other groups, organizations and institutional instrumentalities appear to be necessary parts of an overall effort that simply has to continue, I believe, because our efforts will eventually lead to change.

  Change from unsustainability to sustainability is the goal of the human community, I suppose.

  It seems that if our leaders keep doing precisely what they are doing now and the family of humanity keeps getting what it is getting now, then the chance of some sort of unimaginable collapse of human civilization at some point in space-time appears likely……….perhaps sooner rather than later. On the other hand, if we can determine what human behavior changes need to be achieved and then move forward boldly to encourage policy formulation and implementation of the changes, perhaps the mere perception of the necessary behavior changes would be experienced as tantamount to another sort of crash, one that would accompany the unwelcome change of worldviews, expectations and lifestyles. While in the former instance, Nature would be in control of the fate of the human species, in the latter circumstances perhaps the human family could assume at least a modicum of control, initiate behavioral changes and, by so doing, take some degree of control over its fate.

  Please note that I am a psychologist. For a moment imagine a patient that is suffering from an addiction to a patently unsustainable way of living in the world. You ask the patient, “As you see it, what can you do about your addiction?” The patient replies, “If I keep doing precisely what I am doing now and have been doing for a long time, I am sure to be dead soon. On the other hand, if I choose a different way of living in the world, then I am afraid I might die.” The avoidance of an actual danger exposes the patient to a perceived danger. Behavior change would also mean that the patient’s experience of comfort would be exposed to the time-limited experience of subjective discomfort.

  Despite the best efforts of Ben Jervey, Ian Wilker and many other sensible people, there are other people in high places who vigorously object to efforts such as these. Gatekeepers {Bilderberger Group and Trilateral Commission members are excellent examples} of the global political economy and the status quo are not large in number; nevertheless, these self-proclaimed Masters of the Universe are so well-entrenched within the most recently reconstructed Tower of Babel {called the global economy in our time} that it is difficult to imagine how the family of humanity prevails against them. But prevail we shall because we must. Alternatives to our success would be ever so much more catastrophic and destructive than what is wrought in the process of voluntarily making necessary changes in the unsustainable ways human beings live today.

  Let’s keep going and hope others will choose to join us by doing the same.

  With thanks to all for what you are doing here and elsewhere,

  Steve

  Steven Earl Salmony
  AWAREness Campaign on the Human Population,
  established 2001
  http://sustainabilityscience.org/content.html?contentid=1176
  http://sustainabilitysoutheast.org/index.php
  www.panearth.org