Is Saving the Earth A Walk in the Park? No, But It May Begin With One.
The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a few modest steps. If you are not a Medium member, please use this link.
“Is that all?”
Those are the words that are echoing through my head. I’m the founder of The Saners, a group of widely dispersed people who share a belief: that it’s insane to destroy the planet we all live on. We want to rescue our Earth from climate destruction. We also think that our civilization needs to replace some very bad values — like greed, and selfishness — with better ones — like generosity, and caring — so we can all live better and live sustainably on a continuing basis.
Our laws and institutions and cultures and leaders must embody those better values.
I think this viewpoint would be seen by many people as sensible, even necessary. I’m simply saying we should learn to live together and learn to protect our common home.
It’s not controversial.
Then why is it so hard? Why can’t we just get there? And how do we go about getting there?
Our Imagination Is Our Off Road Vehicle
We can’t get there from here. The roads that exist where we are now only lead to continued climate abuse and ongoing fossil fuel usage. The roads go to war. Those roads go to offices where we produce more toxins and poisons for the earth, the air, the water. We destroy our habitat on the way to and from the office — even before we begin the nonsense that is “work.”
Those roads lead to voting booths where we choose leaders who, however noble their motives, cannot stop destroying the planet, cannot end the cruelty of war, and cannot change the nonsensical waste of life we currently call “work.”
When we stop to think, IF we stop to think, we would see that none of this is necessary and all of this should be changed.
It’s not one system or one leader. It’s not their villains versus our heroes. WE ourselves have been propping up the destruction. And some of the lead villains are no more evil than you are.
We are simply on the wrong road, with the wrong institutions and the wrong values. Any one of us could be villains OR heroes, depending on what role we find ourselves in.
It’s time to go off the road, and to stop following the script. But we can’t simply improvise. We need a new script, a new story, a different kind of world to build.
And we need a plan to get there, a road map.
If We Travel In A Vehicle, We Must Start It Up
Whether we start our journey in an electrical vehicle or one with an internal combustion engine — and we are (sadly) starting in the latter — we must first TURN ON THE POWER.
I’ve been thinking about this issue. I’ve been reading. I’ve been trying things, some of which don’t work. This might make me look like an clumsy blunderer. Unfortunately, that’s just the reality of taking on such a big task.
And there aren’t really any complete roadmaps for our journey. There are simply the stories of those who have gone before. Some people reached their destinations and others were lost. We learn from both.
It’s complicated. Some people who didn’t get there seem to have done some things right: Occupy built a huge movement nearly overnight — but became rigid and undisciplined and focused on complaints without proposing solutions. The Satyagraha movement that freed India from British rule made some terrible mistakes — before succeeding in its spectacularly difficult and ambitious objective.
The rode we need to take has some sharp difficult turns, and we may not see all of them in advance.
Show Me the Road Map
The map isn’t detailed, but it’s well-worn. It has a record of helping people throughout history to reach their destinations. But it’s also very easy to get lost. As I see it, after some study, here’s the directions:
- BE SOLIDLY GROUNDED IN VALUES
We have a very good navigation tool: our values are our compass. We know that we want to built a sustainable and caring civilization. We know that we all live on the same Earth, that we are completely dependent on the biosphere, and that those who are destroying the planet are doing so out of ignorance, simply playing the roles that fate has put them in. We need to learn to NOT COOPERATE with our destruction. We need to help the destroyers understand that THEY DO NOT NEED TO DESTROY, and there own actions will also DESTROY THEMSELVES. We need to turn our opponents into friends because, in fact, we are trying to save EVERYONE.
Our guide will be love for Earth, love for Nature, love for Life. This is the most important rule, the essential guide. If we lose this, every other step is a waste of time.
2. KNOW YOUR DESTINATION
We are not out to defeat some enemy. We are trying to advance our species from a band of spoiled selfish children into a society of civilized and caring and responsible adults.
We need to show the way with our own behavior. When others throw tantrums, we need to keep our cool and be constructive. When others are angry or violent, we need to be loving and peaceable. When others tell lies, we must calmly tell the truth.
Under our current systems and cultures, we are stuck. We are encouraged, even forced, to pursue “more” indefinitely, which means more toxins and poisons and destruction leading inevitably to the climate collapse — which has already begun. And, we are required to literally waste most of our short precious lives going to “work” to perform these deadly and foolish and destructive activities.
We must defy the current systems and cultures. We must say no. We must offer and embody an alternative.
Like children, our opponents call us names when we refuse to do what they want. They call us lazy, or communists, or godless, or whatever. But we need to be the mature and responsible adults. We need to laugh off the childish insults and do what needs to be done.
We need to keep our eyes on the road, to consult our map, and to find the better world we seek. We need to escape the hostile wilderness that we were born into.
3. TRAVEL IN GROUPS
Nobody makes this journey alone. We each have a role, sometimes several roles. We need drivers, navigators. We need mechanics. We need somebody to provide fuel. We need specialists and we need generalists. We need people to do things. We need others to cheer us on.
We need YOU.
4. BEGIN SIMPLY AND BEGIN NOW
Although, unfortunately, we are racing against time, we cannot afford to be reckless. The road is hazardous and we will always face the danger of a possible crash. We must be careful. Too much is at stake.
But we must get going. We are starting late. Find a friend. Make a commitment. And get started.
5. MAINTAIN FOCUS
The number of excuses to justify inaction, or to vilify climate rescuers is unlimited. Although a few of the same ones are repeated endlessly. We can think of this as evil, but it is really just inertia.
People largely do things and behave as they are expected to. They fulfill their perceived functions.
But, because you and WE care about life, about kindness, about the ecosphere and about the well-being of everyone, we cannot afford to be distracted. Our values AND focus are required for success.
We will continue to follow the road map, to make progress, to continue moving towards our destination. We take the initiative. We act. If, instead, we get diverted by merely reacting to those who are committed to fossil fuels, or fooled into inaction, we will lose. We must be too determined and too smart to fall for that.
6. TAKE DETOURS WHEN NECESSARY BUT ALWAYS HEAD FOR THE FINISH LINE
Unexpected events will happen. Sometimes, a giant branch will have fallen and block the road ahead. We may need to go around it. Or to break it down into smaller pieces with a saw.
We need to use some common sense, and some imagination to get around the various obstructions in our way. That’s fine. That’s even necessary. But don’t be diverted for too long.
7. EVEN WHEN YOU GET THERE, YOU ARE NOT DONE BECAUSE YOU MUST PROTECT THE NEW WORLD WE’VE REACHED AND BUILT
The deadliest moment is the moment of victory. When India is free, when the American South is integrated, and when the climate has been stabilized, the crisis may be over. But it’s at that moment when we are most likely to let down our guard. It’s most likely, at that moment of victory, that a counter movement appears, often stronger than ever. It’s at that moment when defeat is snatched from the jaws of victory.
This is when our values and our dogged commitment to them, matters most. Because when we are committed to life, and cooperation, and caring about each other — that’s when any attempt to return to destructive systems and behaviors fizzles. Because nobody wants that and THEY HAVE BECOME USED TO the new ways, the better ways, the way of civilized and mature and responsible human beings.
What Happened to the Park?
So, lets return to our walk in the park. Because this is the idea I wanted to introduce. Something that I want to try. A way to bring people together, to build a feeling of community, to bring our shared values out in into the open. This is that first step to saving the world. That small first step. The step that seems insignificant, that makes you ask, “Is that all?”
I am going to introduce this idea myself into my neighborhood. I’ll be putting signs in my small neighborhood park. I’ll be asking my neighbors to meet, to take a walk together. To start in the park, early evenings, on Fridays and/or Saturdays. To get to know each other better. To become a genuine community.
[redacted name of neighborhood] NEIGHBORS! NEIGHBORHOOD STROLL FOR THE EARTH Fridays and Saturdays, 8pm
Meet in [redacted] Park at 8pm on Friday and Saturday nights
Get your solid green Earth sticker and put it on your shirt or your arm! (NOTE: the green sticker is like the green circle which is part of The Saners logo)
Take a walk with your dog, or family, or friends. Or strangers! Think about the Earth and everyone that you care about. While you walk, you are not damaging the Earth. While you walk, you are actually living and experiencing life — not distracted by media, by noise, by nonsense. We recommend NO headphones.
We want to share this experience, raise awareness that we are neighbors, and that we all live on this same planet. Caring about and protecting the Earth begins with these literal steps.
Let’s make walking and caring a habit.
Invite others to join. And we can soon take further steps, to make modest but steady improvements to our world.
But for now, keep it simple.
Walks in the neighborhood start 8pm on Friday and/or Saturday nights — whatever works for you!
WeAreSaners.org
This is a small opening move. We want many, many communities to copy us. We see this as a first step. Some people will join The Saners movement, and form local independent chapters — guided by common values and objectives. Eventually, we will model the kind of world we want. We will inspire and help people to withdraw their support from the systems, rules and institutions that are destroying our Earth. Workers will refuse to mine coal, refuse to refine oil, refuse to drive trucks or operate freight trains that transport fossil fuels. People will walk off the job, meet together, meet in parks and walk together. As neighbors and friends. People with common interests who share a home planet.
We will take in those who refuse to help destroy the planet. We will care for them, treat them as family. It will become difficult for those who are destroying the biosphere to continue their destruction. They will find it impossible to justify it even to themselves. In any case, without enough people to do the work, further destruction will be impossible.
This is how we save the Earth. This is how we end the current childish and irresponsible failed “civilization” and build a truly worthwhile society. Starting with one neighborhood at a time. And a walk — together — in the park.
Please, please STEAL THIS IDEA!
Please follow me on Medium. See the website WeAreSaners.org and consider signing up for the email list at WeAreSaners.org/join. We also have a podcast at 5 Minutes to Save the Earth.