A Word of Explanation

A couple of days ago, I embedded The Story of Stuff video into my post.  I would usually offer a few words (or 1,000) to accompany the post, but I didn't this time.  Partly because I was anxious to finish binding 6 more copies of The Golden Key for customers on our book website.

I got thinking about Earth Day on Friday because Google reminded me that there was such a thing.  I suppose if I still did Facebook, I would have been reminded much more.  But social media aside, the concept of Earth Day kind of annoyed me a little, but perhaps not for the reason you may think.

As I pondered this idea of Earth Day, I suddenly felt like it was only a pretense.  Only a sham.  It's just our culture going through the motions as we continue to destroy the thing that means more to us than anything else could possibly mean to us--The planet that supports us.  Our Home.  Our Mother.  Our beloved planet Earth.  If she loses her ability to sustain life, then we die.  I don't understand why this is not obvious to everyone.  I've been aware of the fragile balance of our environment since I was 9 or 10 years old.  How is it possible that the adults making the decisions to continue the destructive practices we have engaged in for too long would not be aware of something that is blatantly obvious to a child.  The answer to that question is that they are aware, but they have lost touch with their ability to care about consequences.

That describes a sociopath.  Sociopaths are identified as narcissistic with a huge sense of entitlement.  They are lying and manipulative, lacking in empathy or remorse.  They are charming and superficial, and live to please themselves, while disregarding laws, rules and the rights of others.

Those are the people who murder without remorse.  Those are the people who destroy without feeling.  Our society punishes 99% of the population with jail time and sometimes even by execution when they have been found guilty of engaging in those practices.

But the privileged few are allowed to go their way murdering and destroying, with no accountability for their actions.  They are also the ones running things on planet Earth.  They make the laws for the rest of us to abide by, but they--the 1%--are above the law.

Those are the things that cycled through my thoughts as I considered the social media flurry around this particular day, we call Earth Day.

As if we need a day to notice the planet.

But apparently, we do.  And I wondered how many people were profiting from Earth Day.  If I sound disgusted, it's only because I am.

But now something is giving me hope for the first time since the overtures of awareness rippled through with the Occupy Wall Street movement.  In this election cycle we are seeing something I've never seen before as a voter.  We are seeing people --both conservatives and progressives, mind you-- supporting the candidates that are outside of the norm.

And I love that!

To break out of that old routine that isn't serving us anymore.  Now that's progress.

So why did I post The Story of Stuff here?  Because the very first time I saw it, maybe six years ago now, I realized that this was a really good way to get that message out to people.  Here was a whole community of people all actively doing something to deconstruct the old ways of thinking by educating people.

I also wanted to stop censuring myself on my own blog.  I am passionate about resisting the status quo for the sake of the planet.  I think that The Story of Stuff is a good introductory video to hold a conversation around.  It's profound, non threatening/non triggering, and eye opening.

I hope you enjoyed it, and if you missed it, I hope you'll watch it.