I wonder if the metaphor of "wiring" tends to mask an important part of human development: cooperation within groups. For 95% of human history the wiring installed centered on just that. "Civilization" begins to alter the wiring, and capitalism extends the alteration of the wiring system to center on individual, as opposed to inter-individual, wants and desires. Replace "rewiring" with political praxis and we are again centered on cooperation within groups working to fulfill inter-individual (group) wants and desires. The political praxis (or original wiring) of 95% of human history was essentially an integral ecology, which Pope Francis, among others, is calling us to return to. We, as the ultimate invasive species, may have placed too many of our own produced obstacles in the way of achieving an integral ecology, but the more we de-commodify nature and de-individuate ourselves, the better. Thanks again for a thought provoking meditation. Cletis
Beautifuly said , Cletis. For sure our brains were wired for millenium for interconnectiivity to both humans and the natural world. And Yea to Pope Francis. But how how do we rewire, change our polical praxis, de-commodify nature lickety split!! There is even now a lot of agreement that we should do all that..do you see it happening around you in real life practices??
That's a good issue to explore at the state and national level, as well as at the neighborhood level. A general impression I have is, yes, social activism, which I count as political praxis/rewiring, is increasing. Your organization, FreeportCAN, is an excellent example. Third Act and Climate Reality Project are two national efforts at de-commodifying nature and de-individuating ourselves. But, lickety split?, not going to happen. We've created something in capitalism that is almost an autonomous force, which transforms the society, socializes its members, faster than 'rewiring' individuals and small groups can turn the systems in another direction. Can another 'great awakening' happen?
Most of us have so much to learn. In my case I had awakened considering new ways to get others to help think through old problems. I was wondering about the differences in Confederate medical care from Union medical care, who was more likely to use a hatchet instead of a scalpel and how effective they were in following the Hippocratic oath. I prefer the simple Brittanica explanation, "In the oath, the physician pledges to prescribe only beneficial treatments, according to his abilities and judgment; to refrain from causing harm or hurt; and to live an exemplary personal and professional life."
Your message hit me at a particularly opportune moment as I consider that version of the oath lets me consider more than just humans..
Today Bill McKibben asks us to think about civil disobedience in the coming year as plans are completed to make the USA the world leader in exporting liquid natural gas. Yesterday standing in front of LL Bean, the Church of the Outdoors, the worshipers were clearly uncomfortable with our presence. No one stopped to question why we were asking LL Bean to do the right thing. One woman snarled, " I love my gas car and your Tesla is dangerous". So much rewiring to be done and so little time left.
I struggled with how to start real exchanges with people instead of just protesting in ways that counter-productively alienated people. What I enjoyed most in my decade of protests (up to a few over 200,000 and to 400,000 people, was meeting such diverse groups of young enthusiasts to half-century veterans of thousands of protests.
The most effective way I found was to copy the sign of an Anthropologist who joined our Freedom Friday Corner protest through the year after Trump's election. We put the following on a business card:
Who You Voted For
is not as important as
What You Stand For
We had links to:
Run for Office org, which back in 2016 listed every office we could run for from President to dog catcher, which was also every office we could vote for so we could meet or follow every one currently in the office or applying to run. It was as non-partisan as you could get unlike ALEC which I think my old party funder wanted some of us to join "to fight dirtier than Democrats"
It seems supplanted by Democratic version, "Run For Something," which I found much more tolerable than ALEC, but not particularly useful in getting independent minded people in any party or no party into active participation.
Vote Smart org (votesmart org with the dot added) which I used in great efforts to know more about candidates or elected officials friends or people we would see at the weekly events knew little reliable information about. I stuck with the candidates "Offices and Officials," justfacts.votesmart org/officials, (Bio, Votes, Positions, Ratings, Speeches, Funding) but see they have Special Interest Groups, listing 69 at the national level and 19 for Maine. (see justfacts.votesmart org/interest-groups)
I'm discovering I can't seem to get to the interesting additional links unless I add one of the backslash items like interest-group, which then lets me choose from a blue banner that lists; Officials, Legislation (that brings up /bills), Public Statements, Committees, and Vetoes in what seems to be variations through the years on how they cover current interests far easier than when I had to work my way through every individual candidate at times when there was no such convenient tailoring of areas of interest for what I wanted to dig out. Seems they adapt but it isn't always easy to see how.
Long story short, the What You Stand For cards let us start useful conversations in finding understanding of each others true feelings and areas we could work together on with the most neutral and comprehensive sources we could recommend.
This was wholly wonderful K. You are wholly wonderful. You embody what I call in my morning liturgy, "The Great Hall, the great Hall of practice". Never ceasing to learn, to strive toward that light we are all at a deep level reaching toward. The path to it, through the winged and leaved, ocean, sky and woods? Why, yes!
Here on the other side of this ancient land, the young sky river overhead, the rainwater dripping into my catchment basin- the juncos are here too, hopping and pecking. I love them so. They will remain after you and I are gone. But none of us ever leave the Great Hall, depart the bright field you describe so eloquently or cease the task of rewiring. That is the joy of it, the immortality. The resting chair.
Oh I love to think of juncos in your yard, pecknig away at the grass. Do you have grass? Oh the Great Hall. Such a comfort to contemplate the resting chair in the Great Hall. Meanwhile, no time to rest!! Thank you again for your kindness and your wisdom.
Yes, our old Victorian has a large backyard in a densely packed, close to the downtown historic district neighborhood with fast disappearing yards. Younger owners are ripping out the grass and putting in large decks with parasols and Jacuzzis, We're the oldest couple in the neighborhood and have resisted the flow of progress. We have an old Victorian, an even older cherry tree, old camellias that have become near trees. An apple tree. Many, many roses including an ancient one that may pre-date the house, bushes, viburnam, jasmines, grape vines, ferns, hostas... Because we have such a wealth of vegetation and various bowers, winding paths- a unique semi-wild yard in a neighborhood of wood decks- we have birds, many species and we love them all, not least our lovely Juncos! We have what we call Juncos Jamborees where we have at least five in the yard at the same time. And there's Junco Jumbles where there are ten or more. Lastly there are Junco Brumbles where those ten or more get excited and are wildly flying about chasing each other. Did you know that on hot summer days, after using our old pedestal stone bird baths, they will often fly down to dusty bird size "wallows" in the dry grass where they will fold their legs and just wiggle dry with their wings outstretched!? Maybe for as much as ten minutes!? Find that behavior in a bird field guide! Yes we love our Juncos. And maybe they appreciate us back. One of them, "Baby Fluff" a newly fledged infant who used to hide in an old broken terra cotta pot when her parents were off foraging, she once fluttered up and landed on my left shoulder under the east Camellia. I remember her little claws holding on. She stayed up there for at least two minutes! It felt like a rare blessing. I've received a number of such from our birds. If one loves something long enough and unselfishly, it loves you back.
You've set your own sights high- to love the entire natural world. What assuredly comes from that?
Junco Jamborees and Junco Jumbles and Junco Brumbles!! And the junco wiggle! And then there is Baby Fluff who trusted you so she sat on your shouder. Beautiful images. "if one loves something enough and unselfishly, it loves you back.' OHHH OHHH. Your yard sounds divine, like a ittle passage in the waiting room of the Great Hall.
Thanks so much! Baby Fluff grew rapidly as do all her kind and became Young Fluff. We knew it was her because some birth defect or natal injury made one wing shorter than the other when folded. One day in late autumn she disappeared and we hoped nothing bad had happened.🙁. But we've left the broken pot lying on its side under the apple tree in case she returns next spring and her own little chicks need a place to hide when she's out foraging for them. The Great Hall like Heaven is in the heart.
Wonderful piece, Kathleen! Yes, it will take rewiring! But I did buy an electric mower (electric leaf blower was a free add-on) the day before Thanksgiving and the Town of Freeport has already reimbursed me! Now I want to find neighbors to share it with!
Of course it's not that we shouldn't buy electric mowers, etc. It's just that we can;t stop there and I know well that you have not stopped there and are doiing so much more and understand this need for deeper transformation.
About 15 years ago I watched the documentary "Earthlings" at my college aged daughter's request. That was the start of a brain "re-wiring" for me as I learned about the way we treat animals, especially farmed animals. Multiple books, articles and films since have cemented the wires in a place where I no longer eat animals and do my best to help them. As the UN's Livestock's Long Shadow report states, animal agriculture contributes more to climate change and global warming than all forms of transportation, world wide. I try to encourage others, especially environmentally conscious folks, to be open to this avenue of reducing harm to our Earth. It costs nothing and may have benefits for personal health as well and Mother Nature's.
Kathleen, Your writing and concern are wonderful. I grew up in Maine (my brother lives in Freeport), and the ensuing love of nature took me to a career in USEPA. However, working in environmental protection led me to be less hopeful. www.fightingpollutionbook.com will tell you why I have come to the conclusion that humanity is too foolish and will not stop killing the climate until our seaports are drowned by the rising waters. But don't let me discourage you.
I wonder if the metaphor of "wiring" tends to mask an important part of human development: cooperation within groups. For 95% of human history the wiring installed centered on just that. "Civilization" begins to alter the wiring, and capitalism extends the alteration of the wiring system to center on individual, as opposed to inter-individual, wants and desires. Replace "rewiring" with political praxis and we are again centered on cooperation within groups working to fulfill inter-individual (group) wants and desires. The political praxis (or original wiring) of 95% of human history was essentially an integral ecology, which Pope Francis, among others, is calling us to return to. We, as the ultimate invasive species, may have placed too many of our own produced obstacles in the way of achieving an integral ecology, but the more we de-commodify nature and de-individuate ourselves, the better. Thanks again for a thought provoking meditation. Cletis
Beautifuly said , Cletis. For sure our brains were wired for millenium for interconnectiivity to both humans and the natural world. And Yea to Pope Francis. But how how do we rewire, change our polical praxis, de-commodify nature lickety split!! There is even now a lot of agreement that we should do all that..do you see it happening around you in real life practices??
That's a good issue to explore at the state and national level, as well as at the neighborhood level. A general impression I have is, yes, social activism, which I count as political praxis/rewiring, is increasing. Your organization, FreeportCAN, is an excellent example. Third Act and Climate Reality Project are two national efforts at de-commodifying nature and de-individuating ourselves. But, lickety split?, not going to happen. We've created something in capitalism that is almost an autonomous force, which transforms the society, socializes its members, faster than 'rewiring' individuals and small groups can turn the systems in another direction. Can another 'great awakening' happen?
Most of us have so much to learn. In my case I had awakened considering new ways to get others to help think through old problems. I was wondering about the differences in Confederate medical care from Union medical care, who was more likely to use a hatchet instead of a scalpel and how effective they were in following the Hippocratic oath. I prefer the simple Brittanica explanation, "In the oath, the physician pledges to prescribe only beneficial treatments, according to his abilities and judgment; to refrain from causing harm or hurt; and to live an exemplary personal and professional life."
Your message hit me at a particularly opportune moment as I consider that version of the oath lets me consider more than just humans..
Today Bill McKibben asks us to think about civil disobedience in the coming year as plans are completed to make the USA the world leader in exporting liquid natural gas. Yesterday standing in front of LL Bean, the Church of the Outdoors, the worshipers were clearly uncomfortable with our presence. No one stopped to question why we were asking LL Bean to do the right thing. One woman snarled, " I love my gas car and your Tesla is dangerous". So much rewiring to be done and so little time left.
I struggled with how to start real exchanges with people instead of just protesting in ways that counter-productively alienated people. What I enjoyed most in my decade of protests (up to a few over 200,000 and to 400,000 people, was meeting such diverse groups of young enthusiasts to half-century veterans of thousands of protests.
The most effective way I found was to copy the sign of an Anthropologist who joined our Freedom Friday Corner protest through the year after Trump's election. We put the following on a business card:
Who You Voted For
is not as important as
What You Stand For
We had links to:
Run for Office org, which back in 2016 listed every office we could run for from President to dog catcher, which was also every office we could vote for so we could meet or follow every one currently in the office or applying to run. It was as non-partisan as you could get unlike ALEC which I think my old party funder wanted some of us to join "to fight dirtier than Democrats"
It seems supplanted by Democratic version, "Run For Something," which I found much more tolerable than ALEC, but not particularly useful in getting independent minded people in any party or no party into active participation.
Vote Smart org (votesmart org with the dot added) which I used in great efforts to know more about candidates or elected officials friends or people we would see at the weekly events knew little reliable information about. I stuck with the candidates "Offices and Officials," justfacts.votesmart org/officials, (Bio, Votes, Positions, Ratings, Speeches, Funding) but see they have Special Interest Groups, listing 69 at the national level and 19 for Maine. (see justfacts.votesmart org/interest-groups)
I'm discovering I can't seem to get to the interesting additional links unless I add one of the backslash items like interest-group, which then lets me choose from a blue banner that lists; Officials, Legislation (that brings up /bills), Public Statements, Committees, and Vetoes in what seems to be variations through the years on how they cover current interests far easier than when I had to work my way through every individual candidate at times when there was no such convenient tailoring of areas of interest for what I wanted to dig out. Seems they adapt but it isn't always easy to see how.
Long story short, the What You Stand For cards let us start useful conversations in finding understanding of each others true feelings and areas we could work together on with the most neutral and comprehensive sources we could recommend.
Have you read The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson? It is an interesting thought noodle on our near future.
Great to hear from you Will!! Ha! A thought-noodle. For sure! Great book!!
This was wholly wonderful K. You are wholly wonderful. You embody what I call in my morning liturgy, "The Great Hall, the great Hall of practice". Never ceasing to learn, to strive toward that light we are all at a deep level reaching toward. The path to it, through the winged and leaved, ocean, sky and woods? Why, yes!
Here on the other side of this ancient land, the young sky river overhead, the rainwater dripping into my catchment basin- the juncos are here too, hopping and pecking. I love them so. They will remain after you and I are gone. But none of us ever leave the Great Hall, depart the bright field you describe so eloquently or cease the task of rewiring. That is the joy of it, the immortality. The resting chair.
Oh I love to think of juncos in your yard, pecknig away at the grass. Do you have grass? Oh the Great Hall. Such a comfort to contemplate the resting chair in the Great Hall. Meanwhile, no time to rest!! Thank you again for your kindness and your wisdom.
Yes, our old Victorian has a large backyard in a densely packed, close to the downtown historic district neighborhood with fast disappearing yards. Younger owners are ripping out the grass and putting in large decks with parasols and Jacuzzis, We're the oldest couple in the neighborhood and have resisted the flow of progress. We have an old Victorian, an even older cherry tree, old camellias that have become near trees. An apple tree. Many, many roses including an ancient one that may pre-date the house, bushes, viburnam, jasmines, grape vines, ferns, hostas... Because we have such a wealth of vegetation and various bowers, winding paths- a unique semi-wild yard in a neighborhood of wood decks- we have birds, many species and we love them all, not least our lovely Juncos! We have what we call Juncos Jamborees where we have at least five in the yard at the same time. And there's Junco Jumbles where there are ten or more. Lastly there are Junco Brumbles where those ten or more get excited and are wildly flying about chasing each other. Did you know that on hot summer days, after using our old pedestal stone bird baths, they will often fly down to dusty bird size "wallows" in the dry grass where they will fold their legs and just wiggle dry with their wings outstretched!? Maybe for as much as ten minutes!? Find that behavior in a bird field guide! Yes we love our Juncos. And maybe they appreciate us back. One of them, "Baby Fluff" a newly fledged infant who used to hide in an old broken terra cotta pot when her parents were off foraging, she once fluttered up and landed on my left shoulder under the east Camellia. I remember her little claws holding on. She stayed up there for at least two minutes! It felt like a rare blessing. I've received a number of such from our birds. If one loves something long enough and unselfishly, it loves you back.
You've set your own sights high- to love the entire natural world. What assuredly comes from that?
Junco Jamborees and Junco Jumbles and Junco Brumbles!! And the junco wiggle! And then there is Baby Fluff who trusted you so she sat on your shouder. Beautiful images. "if one loves something enough and unselfishly, it loves you back.' OHHH OHHH. Your yard sounds divine, like a ittle passage in the waiting room of the Great Hall.
Thanks so much! Baby Fluff grew rapidly as do all her kind and became Young Fluff. We knew it was her because some birth defect or natal injury made one wing shorter than the other when folded. One day in late autumn she disappeared and we hoped nothing bad had happened.🙁. But we've left the broken pot lying on its side under the apple tree in case she returns next spring and her own little chicks need a place to hide when she's out foraging for them. The Great Hall like Heaven is in the heart.
Wonderful piece, Kathleen! Yes, it will take rewiring! But I did buy an electric mower (electric leaf blower was a free add-on) the day before Thanksgiving and the Town of Freeport has already reimbursed me! Now I want to find neighbors to share it with!
Of course it's not that we shouldn't buy electric mowers, etc. It's just that we can;t stop there and I know well that you have not stopped there and are doiing so much more and understand this need for deeper transformation.
About 15 years ago I watched the documentary "Earthlings" at my college aged daughter's request. That was the start of a brain "re-wiring" for me as I learned about the way we treat animals, especially farmed animals. Multiple books, articles and films since have cemented the wires in a place where I no longer eat animals and do my best to help them. As the UN's Livestock's Long Shadow report states, animal agriculture contributes more to climate change and global warming than all forms of transportation, world wide. I try to encourage others, especially environmentally conscious folks, to be open to this avenue of reducing harm to our Earth. It costs nothing and may have benefits for personal health as well and Mother Nature's.
Kathleen, Your writing and concern are wonderful. I grew up in Maine (my brother lives in Freeport), and the ensuing love of nature took me to a career in USEPA. However, working in environmental protection led me to be less hopeful. www.fightingpollutionbook.com will tell you why I have come to the conclusion that humanity is too foolish and will not stop killing the climate until our seaports are drowned by the rising waters. But don't let me discourage you.
Richard Emory