Collective Continuity of Dissonance

As I look back over the last 20 years of my "environmentalism," I cannot help but think that at least those years were not wasted in vain. Every now and then, I feel like I am wasting my time, advocating our very delicate, and sensitive issue to certain major environmental groups that seem to turn off the moment we tell them we are not going to allow ourselves to be part of a fund raising campaign. This is so as this stance respect both the dead and the dying. But that doesn't matter, at least they know; that since this has happened to us, it will happen to them (whether this motivates them to introspection is not our concern nor is seeking their pity).
Several years ago I described to my elders the experiences I enjoyed, sharing our tragedy with several environmental groups and that relief soothing my anguished soul, knowing their ears are mine for that moment. The elders ask, "How come they don't do anything? There is more than one group fighting for the environment? They don't seem to be working together, joining forces with other groups? There must be more than one environment for them to be fighting alone." That always amazes me, when they say that, it reminds me of traffic jams, honking horns, yelling drivers.
I tell them, "That is the way they were raised, they seek individuality before they seek community; when they seek community, that search always leads to others just as lost, not knowing that community always means more than just a group of people coming together at a point in time, it means blood stretched through time---the essence of spirit also known as the soul. They are scared of being forgotten, so they clamber over each other, screaming, deriding each other until one comes out on top, then they too get stepped upon back into the mud."
And now again, I'll be going back to the simpler things on the reservation, breathing relatively clean air for a few days, and pausing my rat race to enjoy life and our ceremonies. And again, I'll share with my elders what I've seen, heard and also what I read happening on the Internet. The Internet fascinates them as it resembles smoke signals, but in bytes and bits; millions of people talking all at once, like a strong breeze blowing through autumn cottonwood trees.
I'll have to tell them about the BP oil disaster, the flooding, the exploding nuclear stations and how it created this buzzing sound of bees, then fades out to silence until the next catastrophe happens. As long as everyone is in it for themselves, singing their our swan song; the catastrophes are sure to come to listen.

Deep Ecology Renascence

After finding this in Google search, I began understanding that the modern environmental movement sets itself contrapositive to protecting the earth; being just another fad for sedating its adherents into a false sense of being one with nature. By commercializing the modern environmental movement, the would-be environmentalist is lured into buying T-shirts, refrigerator magnets, bumper stickers, organic clothing, "natural" foods and conserving electricity, gasoline and water: this clearly isn't protecting the earth from harm, instead these acts only devalue the effects of the root cause: the rampant destruction of our environment. In essence, the more unscrupulous industrial movement whose sole purpose is to ruthlessly exploit the earth's natural resources in the name of profit and God has found another resource to exploit through greenwashing, the unwary environmentalist.

Therefore I have decided to include this in my blog, but reluctantly; I already consider myself a man with a deep understanding of our environment and humanity. Seeing that this could be another label that isn't necessarily a bad label, it is a label nonetheless. Perhaps I just need to see if I can find others that feel the same way about this deep ecology movement and share with them the insights into our world that I was given by others that have passed on into the next world.

DEEP ECOLOGY

1) The well-being and flourishing of human and nonhuman life on Earth have value in themselves (synonyms: inherent worth; intrinsic value; inherent value). These values are independent of the usefulness of the nonhuman world for human purposes.

For me this means that if we decide to exit this world through some fantastic catastrophic self-extermination such as nuclear combat or biochemical warfare, then the world would still exist. In other words, contrary to religious belief, this world doesn't belong to us, we belong to this world. We are its children as are all other living and non-living beings sharing it with us. We are also only have a limited lifespan as individuals, temporally we existed as a species only for such a small moment in time; our future depends on us understanding the further deeper outlook that long after we have passed into the other world, our works in this life should reflect this understanding.

2) Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the realization of these values and are also values in themselves.

Simply put, flowers are pretty, certain animals and fish are extremely beautiful. Our appreciation of these aesthetic qualities are also related to our understanding or misunderstanding of our earth. Each person, each individual has their own beliefs, emotions and insights into this, we hope that we share this same value.

3) Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs.

To waste the earth's natural resources, to pollute our air, land and water is contrary to furthering ourselves as species; we should take what we need, saving more for our future. The property ownership concept negates this thought, profit should not be held for only one, rather they must be shared by all.

4) Present human interference with the nonhuman world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening.

Oceans, lakes, and the ground water are being polluted at a rate that exceeds understanding; we need water yet we poison it thinking that it is limitless, can one make water pure again using your own hands. This is bad, but it is overlooked since all one has to do is turn on the tap. The water pollution must stop now or tomorrow water will become the currency of existence and of life.

5) The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires such a decrease.

Although this seems contrary to the rights to reproduce in vast numbers, there is a limit to our reproduction as is seen in Africa and Asia where overpopulation is causing their societies to war, to destroy themselves.

6) Policies must therefore be changed. The changes in policies affect basic economic, technological structures. The resulting state of affairs will be deeply different from the present.

As the leading nation in the democratric principles our responsibility as an example to the rest of the world is becoming tarnished with acts contrary to freedom and ecological preservation. The environmental laws are routinely subsumed as mere hindrances to the laws of environmental exploitation. We have to change this for the better or our existence is threatened.

7) The ideological change is mainly that of appreciating life quality (dwelling in situations of inherent worth) rather than adhering to an increasingly higher standard of living. There will be a profound awareness of the difference between big and great.

For myself, living simply while living happy is my ultimate goal; society dictates otherwise, causing sadness and sorrow, the overbearing sense of hopelessness...I am not perfect, I am far from it, but every day I get closer to this understanding that imperfection is only seen from the eyes of the other. With others we have shared this ideology that if we share each other's lives, we are making each other that much more perfect, happy without sadness, sorrow and the sense of hopelessness.

8) Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly or indirectly to participate in the attempt to implement the necessary changes.

Once you understand what the foregoing tenets really mean, it is your responsibility to share them with others, hoping that out of the thousands there will be one that accepts these as their own. Many difficulties are there, but only in perseverance will you succeed. This doesn't meant that one becomes offensive in speech, this means that we walk together in this world.

- Arne Naess and George Sessions