On August 20th, “World Overshoot Day” passed by, relatively unnoticed – some editorials here and there, some “honorable mentions” on the TV-news – but mostly regarded and treated as a curiosity… and now it is yesterday’s news, quickly forgotten…
Dear diary:
Yesterday some chum on TV said something about Overshoot, but I’m skeptic – I think he lied. – I mean, The planet is still here, right…
Today it’s “business-as-usual” again – This morning I have been advocating for increased growth and more consumerism with my government buddies for a while, then writing a check so that the regime in Sudan can buy weapons for their genocide, signing new contracts to allow oil-companies to exploit in the pristine parts of the Yasuni National Park in the Amazon, also found some time to burn down some rain-forest in Indonesia to make way for more palm-oil plantations. During my lunch break at K-street I lobbyed so that the Keystone pipeline eventually can be built – on the way home I dropped off my fracking-rig at the public land close to someone’s backyard, picked up some gigantic steaks flown in from a CAFO in South-America and bought yet another cheap, colorful T-shirt originating from Bangladesh to help keep consumerism going – Just so that nobody should blame me for not doing my part to keep the wheels rolling…
Indifference rules…
What makes so many people and corporations (governments also for that matter) totally indifferent about our planet?
When did “lack of accountability” become a positive attribute…
And even worse – why do these people and corporations get so much admiration from other people and corporations… Who is really the worst – the perpetrator or the obeisance?
I wish I had some answers…
…and don’t try again with the argument that “Society” is to blame – Once, at a crowded football arena, I looked around to see if I could find “Society”… You know what? Everybody looked just like you and me – Where the heck is this “alien entity” everybody is talking about and blaming for this and that …
Sometimes I wonder if this Society-blame-game in fact creates the “lack of accountability”.
It’s a little bit like a car from a company “car-pool” – everybody else has forgotten to fuel it, to wash it, to clean it and to change tires, furthermore everybody else is to blame that the bumper is dented and the paint is scratched – that’s everybody else but me…
Most corporations and governments that I know of are based on people, although some of them might have one or two computers and machines to assist. Most corporations that I know of are governed by people and most are, one way or the other, owned by people. There are people on the factory-floors, in the stores, in the offices, driving the trucks and in the board-rooms and most of the stuff produced and services provided is eventually consumed by people.
We must stop the “blame-game” – it is about Me and You and the decisions We make!
It is about People, Integrity and to take responsibility and be accountable for Ones actions.
Let’s face it – Society is not going to change prior to us – WE ARE THE SOCIETY!
What are the obstacles, could it be…
Egoism – “Because I’m worth it…”
One of the truly fantastic properties that separate humans from other species is our ability to cooperate, to create and develop a “society” dedicated to promote mankind
– at least it used to be…
Somewhere along the line we screwed up…
It is incredible that human ethics and moral have been “marginalized” to such extent, and that so many today instead seem to “worship” Egoism and Greed…
Einstein expressed the connection between Ego and knowledge in an easy to understand mathematic formula. One problem with the formula is that Egoism flourishes on lack of knowledge to the point where egoism gets “self-supporting” – resulting in arrogance and despise of knowledge… (Catch-22)
“What’s in it for me?” – seems to be the first question people always ask themselves.
“Me, Myself and I” – are the people that “are entitled” to always come first, no matter what.
“More is always better” – enough is not an alternative.
“Everything is OK” – if I can get away with it…
…if you are a corporation it seems to work equally well for a legal entity and in plural…
With the current egoistic standpoint from people and corporations we are never going to succeed in saving our society and the planet – not much point in being sustainable “all by yourself” – this have to change!
Following Einstein’s mathematic formula – getting away from our Egoistic culture is very much about increasing Knowledge!!
We need to mobilize all educational and informational entities available for this task, and we need to do it urgently and with maximum impact.
We need to establish new role-models that act in favor for our Society not against it, role-models that can be Admired because they put value in helping our society, paying taxes, taking care of our ecology – instead of cheating on us all to enrich themselves.
It has already started, just look at some of the movements picking up speed around the world. Organizations such as 350.org, “Global Power Shift”, the divestment-movement, Environmental organizations and various “parent-organizations” such as the Swedish “Föräldravrålet”, joint arrangements like the Norweigan “Klimavalg2013” and many, many more are pushing hard to put sustainability on every agenda.
But there is need for many, many more… in all sectors and in every corner of the world
Stop the indifference – find a way that you, your family, your friends and maybe also your company can contribute.
Stop admiring – People and Corporations that act and pursue a greedy and egoistic “agenda” – look behind the glossy facade…
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”― Elie Wiesel
Stop hesitating – start now, bring the discussion to every aspect of your daily life. Widen your circles, step outside your “comfort zone”, give a speech, write a letter to your newspaper, open a discussion at your PTA-meeting, join forces with other parents, bring it to the conference table – We are the society, its only us that can change it…