The problem is that I take more than my fair share; and, I am not really sure what is fair for me to take and what is fair to give.
One way that I know this is because my ecological footprint is 9.88 acres. This means that if everyone on earth lived like me, we would need 2.1 planets, instead of the 1 that we have. (Note: June 3, 2007: 1.7 planets; October 10, 2007: 1.6 planets; June 24, 2008: 1.5 planets).
But this is not the problem. It is the symptom of the choices that I make that affect not only myself, but my world and its environments and its people and its governance.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Sam McGrath // Dec 19, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I find the idea of our choices being the problem difficult. This is not because I disagree, but because in order to make other choices I need to find solutions. Then in a way I have to ’sell’ these alternative choices to those around me. Finding the solutions is empowering, explaining why is sometimes difficult. Perhaps for me it is an issue of buliding the skills and language necessary to engage with others around me in a way that does not single me out in a negative way. I would like to know if you have similar problems at times.
Cheers
2 admin // Dec 19, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Sam, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I too find choices to be problematic, especially since much of my decision making will be made in some degree of ignorance. I guess I just try to learn stuff and try to practise some stuff, which then helps subsequent decisions, regardless of whether it may have been ’successful’. I agree that developing skills is important, and try to emphasise this when sharing with others; learning new skills is fun, and if the fun aspects can be emphasised then i find that there is little need to explain much or to convince anyone. I have been surprised by the level of local interest in some aspects of what I am doing, and am convinced that it is simply a matter of people being a bit curious to discover “what’s so exciting” that Bryan dedicates so much time and energy to it. Having said this, I am also aware of the hypocrisy associated with what I do and for this reason I think it is essential to be realistic about the small scale of what it is that I am “achieving”, and of the large scale of what it is that I am not “achieving”.
Bryan
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