"Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If you're time to you is worth savin'
And you'd better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'"
Bob Dylan
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If you're time to you is worth savin'
And you'd better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'"
Bob Dylan
I have been talking to a lot of people about our predicament lately and it seems as if some of them, at least, have intellectually accepted the idea of NTHE. They agree that things are bad and that there is no hope for the survival of the species but they don't do anything to change how they are living.
They tell me that they have to keep doing what they are doing because they have no choice but at this late stage I would propose that they do have a choice. The choice between spending their final days, weeks, months or years living the pointless, mediocre existence that they have always lived or begin to do something meaningful with the time there is left.
To me the idea of just going on as I have been and then dying is the most horrible thing that could happen. I am in a somewhat privileged position in that I have sold my house and now have a little money to exist on. In addition to selling the house I have sold all the tools that I used in my former business. This is a decision that I did not take lightly as I now have no means to continue to make money. Money, however, is becoming much less important. What is important is talking to trees and listening to trees, building a tribe, taking care of the land and the people I love and doing that for as long as possible. Even if you are not in a position to drop everything I would like to suggest that you begin the process of divesting yourselves of unneeded baggage.
If you believe that we are in trouble than it is time to start internalizing that, start to really accept our collective fate instead of just reading articles about it. This is not to disparage the people who do read articles and try to raise awareness of the issue. There will come a time, though, in the not too distant future, when the articles will no longer be there to read, there will come a time, in the not too distant future, when there will be only the people you have surrounded yourself with. They will become the most important part of your life. The facebook friends will be gone, the bloggers will be gone, the you-tube channels will be gone and unless you take steps to surround yourself with real live people you will be alone.
If you think about that I hope that you will start this process. The real live people are going to be all you have. Nature, or what is left of it, is going to be all you have. You are going to have to make some hard decisions, decisions that will alienate a significant number of the friends and partners who are in your life. You can do this now or maybe wait and see. My vote is now.
I almost screamed at a friend of mine the other day who believes we are on the way out but continues to think that he needs to continue doing what he is doing. He could stop right now but he won't. He is kind of like someone who sort of believes in god. He may not buy it fully but he wants to hedge his bets so instead of embracing a life of meaning he just plods along thinking he can just get his taxes paid or his credit cards paid down or a little more money in the bank. I can not talk to him any more because his acceptance is still intellectual.
I am listening to Bob Dylan and I think on some level he knew, even way back then. Songs that had meaning in the 60's are starting to have a whole new meaning now. Our time is winding down and we get to move past petty arguments, we get to become the people we are meant to be. If you consider yourself a thoughtful, caring individual then perhaps it is a good point to start living that.
To me the idea of just going on as I have been and then dying is the most horrible thing that could happen. I am in a somewhat privileged position in that I have sold my house and now have a little money to exist on. In addition to selling the house I have sold all the tools that I used in my former business. This is a decision that I did not take lightly as I now have no means to continue to make money. Money, however, is becoming much less important. What is important is talking to trees and listening to trees, building a tribe, taking care of the land and the people I love and doing that for as long as possible. Even if you are not in a position to drop everything I would like to suggest that you begin the process of divesting yourselves of unneeded baggage.
If you believe that we are in trouble than it is time to start internalizing that, start to really accept our collective fate instead of just reading articles about it. This is not to disparage the people who do read articles and try to raise awareness of the issue. There will come a time, though, in the not too distant future, when the articles will no longer be there to read, there will come a time, in the not too distant future, when there will be only the people you have surrounded yourself with. They will become the most important part of your life. The facebook friends will be gone, the bloggers will be gone, the you-tube channels will be gone and unless you take steps to surround yourself with real live people you will be alone.
If you think about that I hope that you will start this process. The real live people are going to be all you have. Nature, or what is left of it, is going to be all you have. You are going to have to make some hard decisions, decisions that will alienate a significant number of the friends and partners who are in your life. You can do this now or maybe wait and see. My vote is now.
I almost screamed at a friend of mine the other day who believes we are on the way out but continues to think that he needs to continue doing what he is doing. He could stop right now but he won't. He is kind of like someone who sort of believes in god. He may not buy it fully but he wants to hedge his bets so instead of embracing a life of meaning he just plods along thinking he can just get his taxes paid or his credit cards paid down or a little more money in the bank. I can not talk to him any more because his acceptance is still intellectual.
I am listening to Bob Dylan and I think on some level he knew, even way back then. Songs that had meaning in the 60's are starting to have a whole new meaning now. Our time is winding down and we get to move past petty arguments, we get to become the people we are meant to be. If you consider yourself a thoughtful, caring individual then perhaps it is a good point to start living that.
