Dear Campaigners,
Economics is like a big elastic (rubber) band.
The "Possibilities Frontier" is expanded by force, whether pulling from the outside or inertial (centrifugal).
When not held out to it's fullest extent, by the countervailing demand forces against the bands, it collapses back.
We are entering this collapse now, and the question is, what shall be the demand that substitutes for the consumerism destroying the environment and people's life spirit.
John Maynard Keynes said, "you cannot push on a rope" of economic demand, and more so,
'you cannot push on a series of rubber bands'.
It is necessary to pull on the rubber bands.
What shall be the pull, the demand, which is critical to prevent the collapse of civilization.
Because to save the planet (One Planet) we need to stabilize the population, reduce over consumption, and protect the climate & species diversity while preventing their destruction.
Just to stabilize the population means, someone must die for every child to be born, even if that is not a specific person, it must be a 1:1 correlation. To extend life further for everyone risks everything, and to what purpose is that extension, "more consumption"?
If it is important to leave (livre) a legacy, write a book! to communicate with your descendants.
Protecting climate and species is a separate function from preventing their destruction: protecting is like watering, tilling and fencing, preventing is dealing with airplane emissions, GMO pollen contamination, others' pesticide use.
Reduce over consumption: here's the challenge,
because this is personal, visceral. The tighter the competition and the smaller the profit margin, the more production required to elicit a fixed sum, covering your fixed costs, or creating a gross profit, etc. More, MOre, MORE!
Longevity and ease are laudable, to a degree.
But, again, too what purpose? What is the purpose of this life we have been GIVEN?
More, MOre, MORE! How much more?
If each life is precious?, which it is, do we live it that way? taking every moment as precious?
I think of the Native thinking, of 7 generations,
of our relationship to spirit, to origin, ontologically, to telos. This isn't ethereal, this isn't vast or complicated, just cut out all plastic.
STOP PLASTIC. START CLEANING UP PLASTIC, ALL PLASTIC.
Again, no industrial waste water should EVER discharge, all industrial water should recycle.
PERIOD. FULL STOP.
Basin to basin water transfers?
Consumptive water use, we send 11Mgal/day of treated waste water to the Geysers, per day?
About ~130cfs. Every second.
Housing, communal & affordable. Green Roofs.
Everybody is so concerned, but not concerned enough to know, or learn, what's actually right,
and not concerned enough to turn it over to people who are also really concerned and know,
but just enough to be disruptive?
Ultimately, we must, BE THE CHANGE.
YHS Thomas
.jpeg)
