There is an alternative: let's build it together

Community Centre at Findhorn (Soulscribe - Wikimedia Commons)

The object of my work here is to inspire, and to help plan an alternative to the world we have been born into.  Not in opposition to this world or any of the people in it; without blame or judgement.  Obeying its laws, being kind, interested, understanding and compassionate to all - making no enemies. 

The lesson is that we are all hurt, and out of that we are all making enemies.  'Love your enemy' Jesus said, and no one really understands that.  It doesn't need a commandment from a supernatural source - we are making our own enemies, and that is isolating us from each other and making us victims of fear and greed. 

We are only really human in small groups where we know and respond to each other's thinking and feeling, where we know the joys of working and playing together, helping each other, growing to old age as we watch our babies grow and take over and care for all life and the Earth.

We have proved we can make communities that are nearly autonomous and self-sufficient, sustainable with the natural systems of life on Earth - there are thousands of them now, and some have been in existence for generations.  The more we create local economies, deriving their sustenance from their local regions and networking with others, creating interaction for mutual support, the more a truly human society will emerge. 

Some may call this aim 'Utopia' as a disparagement - but the word means 'no place' in Greek, and our dream has many places - I have lived in some and am still close to several.  They are no more perfect than we are, but they give us the opportunity to think and build together, to keep making corrections to our errors, and making life more fun and beautiful and loving. 

When we come together we bring old hurts and fears and distrust with us, but by opening our hearts to each other honestly and with compassion we begin to heal from the wounds of the 'old' world and learn how to help each other, to connect with the natural world, to joy in it and celebrate.

Community garden (Klest - Wikimedia Commons)

Permaculture for the Planet: a solution to climate change

WWF Climate March 2015 Madrid
(OsvaldoGago - Wikimedia Commons)

The media are full of the issue of terrorism but where the attention of all humankind needs to be centered is on the more vast and crucial terrorism of our human presence on this planet.

At least now all these governments have recognized that the fossil fuel era must end.  They have set a demanding target of holding the rise in temperature to be contained below 1 ½%.  That is stringent and will not be successful, but it gives more hope for a containment below 2%.  As Bill McKibben wrote: This didn’t save the planet, but it may have saved the chance of saving the planet.

If all human beings understood that, our governments would direct all their concern on the actions needed to preserve life.  Not just the life of our families, or our economy, or our nation, not just of our species, but of all life, the life of our Mother Earth.

Isn’t it interesting that the greatest threat to our existence, to all life on this planet, is the threat we have caused?  This is the only life we are aware of, the life we treasure and call sacred.  Yet we continue to cause that threat, even as we attempt to ignore and avoid the fact in our consciousness?  We are intelligent enough to be aware of the threat and its causes; aware that the only solution lies in drastically altering our lives, and our actions that pose these threats.  When this is brought to our attention, some either deny that they are threats, deny that we are causing them, or feel we have no responsibility or capability to do what is needed to avert the threats.  We hope someone else will do it.  Someone else will take care of it.  Science will invent a solution, some new mechanism or chemistry to cleanse the planet and its atmosphere of poisonous emissions.

The most powerful mechanism and chemistry to restore the natural health of all life on our planet exists now. It is available to us now, and it is not a human invention.  With our help, the cleansing and healing of the Earth, our precious Mother, lies in the flesh of her soil and in the life of our relatives the  plants, especially trees. 

The great forests we are destroying and banishing have the ability to absorb the emissions which are so toxic to our systems.  They can cleanse our atmosphere and the air we breathe.  They can give back in return the oxygen our bodies require.

So the human intelligence we value so much suggests that we take immediate global action to preserve all the forests we have; and to plant many, many more, at once.  What if we reverse the process of covering the Earth in cement: plant gardens, farms, orchards, and a lot more wilderness?  

Futatabi park, Japan
(663highland - Wikimedia Commons)

What if assuring clean air and water and soil everywhere became our priority?  What challenges to our creativity would that entail?  Already many people are reclaiming trashed properties and converting them to community gardens, with connection and fun for families and children.  Every year I contribute to the National Arbor Day organization and receive packets of seeds for trees that I plant wherever I find a good place.

What if we invite our enemies to join with us in planting gardens and orchards and forests?  Invite opponents to make circles about our love of nature and life, sharing our feelings and fears.  Reach out to work and play together; in common cause against the destruction that threatens everyone’s children and grandchildren.

I want to thank my friends Albert Bates of The Farm and Chief Phil Lane Jr. for their reports and thoughts on the deliberations in Paris.

Sending this to you is one of the things I do to take responsibility for our great gift of life here on Earth.

Please think about who and where you can pass this on to, on social media, churches, local groups, local media, how you can connect and engage with others on this one issue that is the foremost one for all nations, races and religion living together on Earth.

Blessings on you all,

Manitonquat