This week's blog post is supposed to be about what my Utopia would look like. I've thought about this a LOT. This question is hard. Frustratingly hard. I don't really even know where to begin. How do you even begin to approach it? The word "utopia" means no-place in Greek, and it's for a good reason. I think there are so many things wrong with our current situation that a "perfect" world is unimaginable and beyond the consciousness of the average person, which I guess would include me.
The most important factor in determining my Utopia is determining what is wrong with our current world. I won't go to far into detail for the sake of time (and my sanity).
I think our biggest problem is the lack of equality in every facet of society. All over the world, the "little guy" is being taken advantage of by powerful entities, such as corporations and authoritarian governments. People are being disenfranchised and their rights are being taken away all the time (no I can't substantiate it, but we all know it's true). I guess that's what I would change if I became the supreme overlord of the world. I think hte best society would be a pluralistic one in which everyone would be equal.
What does that really mean? I couldn't begin to tell you.
There would be none of the complicated systems tying separate countries together. Communities would be tightly knit, and people would buy, sell, and barter locally. Most people today don't care very much for their fellow human beings. How could a corporation in the United States be able to make decisions that destroy the lives of people in distant lands? It's unconscionable. In my utopia, they couldn't drain the resources of a small, impoverished South American nation because A) those international ties would no longer exist and
B) the average citizen would be outraged and demand action.
People would respect each other and they would respect their environment. In the past, indigenous cultures revered Mother Earth. I think it's a concept worth reviving.
The only theme that is concurrent throughout this post is uncertainty. I have no idea what my perfect society would be like. I'm way to idealistic to propose a practical system, anyways.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
A Conservationist's Manifesto
Scott Russell Sanders titled his novel A Conservationist Manifesto. I am a conservationist, and I must emphatically insist no claim to this book.
Sanders opens the novel by divulging the current state of affairs. He tells us that the planet is heating up, the population is exploding, and we are expending increasing amounts of non-renewable resources. After painting a fairly grim picture, the author tells a story about either local or global communities that are trying to do good for the earth. He then relates his own personal anecdote about his home in Southern Indiana. You can repeat this cycle ad nauseam until you are either A) passed out on the couch with a light dusting of potato chip crumbs down your front, or B) passed out on the couch in only your underwear with a potent glass of whiskey in your hand. This book is unique in that it is not only boring, but is also frustrating.
Sanders has (mostly) all the right ideas, but his writing style is contrived and irritating. The language is incredibly flowery. He goes on for pages talking about Mother Nature in all of her bare, incredible majesty. That's right, someone's got the hots for Momma Nature. There are lists upon lists upon lists upon lists... I could go on, but I think for the sake of my own sanity, I won't. Yes, these lists are tiring to read. After finishing reading these sixty some pages, I can't help but wonder, "If I'M annoyed by this guy and I'M a conservationist who agrees with most of this guy's ideas, what are average Americans who don't really care for the environment going to think?"
I know I've been pretty abusive of Sanders thus far, but to be fair, he does have a noble agenda. He warns his readers of the increasingly dire environmental situation. He tells us we must alter our lifestyles in order to mitigate the damage already done. He gives us some not so simple solutions. For example, one could use less resources by joining a farming co-op, or perhaps take public transportation or ride a bike. Heck, if you really wanted to you could build a house out in the woods using fallen timber and make a livelihood of handcrafting little clay jars and selling them at the farmer's market. These are all solutions, but they are not practical for the average American. Sanders has a noble vision of what America should be, but will never become.
As I read this book, I can't help but think of Sanders as one of these guys:
I feel for these people. They have a higher level of consciousness, and they (REALLY REALLY) care about the earth and the trees. Unfortunately, they will only either make people laugh (as evidenced in the comments section of this video on YouTube), or they will scare people away. Neither of these outcomes is conducive to starting a Green Movement in which people begin to demand sustainable lifestyle alternatives.
Sanders does have an objective, but he will never achieve it. Americans like big cars, big houses, and Big Macs. They consume energy and resources like it's their job. If Sanders wishes to affect change in the American lifestyle, he must get on the same level as Americans. As the globe approaches peak oil production, humans and especially Americans will face extreme growing, or rather morphing, changes. Sanders really understands this. He knows that we need to act now and make some drastic changes. Hopefully in future sections of the novel he will put forth a plan that is sustainable AND practical.
Sanders opens the novel by divulging the current state of affairs. He tells us that the planet is heating up, the population is exploding, and we are expending increasing amounts of non-renewable resources. After painting a fairly grim picture, the author tells a story about either local or global communities that are trying to do good for the earth. He then relates his own personal anecdote about his home in Southern Indiana. You can repeat this cycle ad nauseam until you are either A) passed out on the couch with a light dusting of potato chip crumbs down your front, or B) passed out on the couch in only your underwear with a potent glass of whiskey in your hand. This book is unique in that it is not only boring, but is also frustrating.
Sanders has (mostly) all the right ideas, but his writing style is contrived and irritating. The language is incredibly flowery. He goes on for pages talking about Mother Nature in all of her bare, incredible majesty. That's right, someone's got the hots for Momma Nature. There are lists upon lists upon lists upon lists... I could go on, but I think for the sake of my own sanity, I won't. Yes, these lists are tiring to read. After finishing reading these sixty some pages, I can't help but wonder, "If I'M annoyed by this guy and I'M a conservationist who agrees with most of this guy's ideas, what are average Americans who don't really care for the environment going to think?"
I know I've been pretty abusive of Sanders thus far, but to be fair, he does have a noble agenda. He warns his readers of the increasingly dire environmental situation. He tells us we must alter our lifestyles in order to mitigate the damage already done. He gives us some not so simple solutions. For example, one could use less resources by joining a farming co-op, or perhaps take public transportation or ride a bike. Heck, if you really wanted to you could build a house out in the woods using fallen timber and make a livelihood of handcrafting little clay jars and selling them at the farmer's market. These are all solutions, but they are not practical for the average American. Sanders has a noble vision of what America should be, but will never become.
As I read this book, I can't help but think of Sanders as one of these guys:
I feel for these people. They have a higher level of consciousness, and they (REALLY REALLY) care about the earth and the trees. Unfortunately, they will only either make people laugh (as evidenced in the comments section of this video on YouTube), or they will scare people away. Neither of these outcomes is conducive to starting a Green Movement in which people begin to demand sustainable lifestyle alternatives.
Sanders does have an objective, but he will never achieve it. Americans like big cars, big houses, and Big Macs. They consume energy and resources like it's their job. If Sanders wishes to affect change in the American lifestyle, he must get on the same level as Americans. As the globe approaches peak oil production, humans and especially Americans will face extreme growing, or rather morphing, changes. Sanders really understands this. He knows that we need to act now and make some drastic changes. Hopefully in future sections of the novel he will put forth a plan that is sustainable AND practical.
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