Be the Change...

I have decided to personally boycott corporations (as much as possible) in an effort to “be the change I wish to see in this world.”  Since moving to San Francisco to study philosophy and consciousness, I have been called on more than one occasion to learn about and understand the current issues we face on this planet, namely the environmental destruction.  I have been struggling with trying to figure out what I can do to make the most positive impact…and my thoughts have constantly been around awakening everyone else to the issue.   Although a noble task, I realized that’s not what I’m needed to do.  I’ve decided that I can wish for universal awakening until the day I die, but if I consider myself currently “awake” and haven’t made any changes in my own life, why should I expect anyone else to?  That being said, I’m no longer buying products first hand (except underwear…and razors…that would just be gross to buy used).  Everything else will be purchased used, or at second hand stores, or if I really need something new I will buy it from a local business (preferably a co-op).  I no longer own a car and am lucky enough to live in a city that doesn’t require heating or cooling of my apartment, so I’m only purchasing oil when I need a zip car. 

Maybe some of you are wondering why I’m being so intense about this…or why I’m doing this at all.  So, here are a few excerpts from a current book I’m reading: “Blessed Unrest,” by Paul Hawken.  This is just a light overview of the problems we currently face, but choose to ignore. 

“Most of the world’s economies and governments are under the control of corporations, which seem to be successfully tightening their grasp; at the same time the world itself is increasingly out of control.  The corporatization of the world means the loss of economic and cultural diversity.  Historian Arnold Toynbee cautioned that civilization is a movement, not a condition, and the rise of uniformity consistently marks its decline.”  -Paul Hawken 

“The United States has the worst social record of any developed country in the world, and it is worse than that of many developing countries.  By almost any measure of well-being, the United States brings up the rear:  It is number one in prison population (726 prison inmates per 100,000 people vs. 91 in France and 58 in Japan); first in teen pregnancies, drug use, child hunger, poverty, illiteracy, obesity, diabetes, use of antidepressants, income disparity, violence, firearms death, military spending, hazardous waste production, recorded rapes, and the poor quality of its schools. (The United States is the only country in the world besides Iraq where schools need metal detectors).”  -Paul Hawken

“If we measure western culture by how it has treated people of different ethnicity and race, it is anathema.  If we judge it by the treatment of its own people, including children, the elderly, and the poor, it is an embarrassment.  And if we try to calibrate American superiority by its treatment of the environment, the United States is one of the least intelligent civilizations in the history of the planet.”  

-Paul Hawken 

“The Earth is not dying—it is being killed.  And the people who are killing it have names and addresses.”  -U. Utah Phillips

“One’s tax, or one’s consumer dollar does not simply disappear into the coffers of a faraway government or a spectral corporation; it funds acts that may be immoral, and the funder must therefore acknowledge his/her role as an accomplice.” –Evan Carton

I believe there is a better way to live on this planet that is better for everyone and not just the rich and powerful few.  I don’t have all the answers as to how to make it better or even what should be done…but in the meantime I refuse to support disgustingly rich men and women get richer when I am struggling, my family and friends are struggling, people around the world are struggling.  The easiest way to change our world is to protest the institutions that are destroying it, i.e. the corporations.  There’s a saying in the consumer world that every day people vote, they vote with their dollars…so I vote for life, for sustainability, for equality, for the right of every individual on this planet to express life, liberty, and happiness in a clean environment.  This is why I am no longer buying first hand goods/products, or using a car for the majority of my transportation.  I believe we can demand a better way by not engaging in the current one. 

“Inspiration is not garnered from the recitation of what is flawed; it resides, rather, in humanity’s willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, re-imagine, and reconsider.”   -Paul Hawken

If any of you feel inspired to join me in this boycott, this protest, this “Great Turning” movement then let me know.  If you don’t wish to join me that is ok too, but I ask that you don’t buy me any first hand products/clothes/trinkets/etc even as gifts.  They will be donated to those less fortunate. 

Thanks for reading and thanks for your help.   

A Call to Action

Yesterday was the 40^th anniversary of earth day.  While there are many reasons to feel worried about the current state we’re in on this planet and the potential path we’re headed down, I’m instead inspired and grateful to be alive during such a critical point in time.  Much of this excitement and inspiration is due to hearing John and Ocean Robbins speak last night during the Earth Day Celebration at the Brower Center in Berkeley. 

John and Ocean challenged us all to consider what it means to be a partner instead of a competitor.  In the world today we seem to have embodied this idea of competition as part of our reality…part of who we are.  It’s always us versus them, or me versus you, when in reality there is no them or you.  We are all connected in one way or another and we all depend on each other in some way for survival.  Even “Survivorman” on the Discovery channel only braves the wilderness for a few days before returning back to society.  When you think about relationships as partnerships it takes the competition out of the equation.  Its no longer about me and my gain, its about us.  The questions start to shift from: What am I getting out of this?  To:  What role am I playing in this situation?  What can I bring to this partnership so that we grow? 

One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is:  What am I bringing to the partnership with myself?  Am I being judgmental, impatient, critical?  Am I lethargic and stagnant because life isn’t going the way I expected?  Or, am I nurturing, supportive, and honoring who I am?  Am I choosing to move forward in spite of what difficult situations are present?  I thought about the relationship I had with myself because if I’m not partnering with myself I’m not going to be very useful in engaging anyone else.  I recognized that I was more often than not a competitor. 

My battles range from getting myself to sit in meditation on a regular basis to finishing that paper, to exercising and eating healthy…and the list goes on.  One thing that Ocean said last night was, “if you see a problem that’s not a reason to despair, that’s a call to action.”  So instead of being crippled by the potentially overwhelming question “where do I even start?”  I was grateful and inspired by this awakening moment and used that energy to act.   

I decided to deal with an overdue credit card that I had been avoiding for weeks.  Every time I’d see their number come up on my cell phone it would evoke anger and anxiety.  “I’ll deal with it later,” was my motto.  But in continually putting it off, I developed a mind of fear and avoidance that just fueled more irrational and negative thoughts.  I started to think I would need to get another job; that I wouldn’t be able to afford the school retreat to Esalen in the fall; that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my life in San Francisco because of this debt. When I finally decided to make the call I wasn’t anxious or stressed.  I was finally ready to deal with the situation…I was finally ready to partner with it.  I gave them the information they needed along with my payment and once the conversation was over a huge weight was lifted. 

I was amazed by how easy it was to accomplish something once I accepted what was really there.  I think one of the most important things we can all do for ourselves and for the sake of this world is to be present and to really assess what’s going on.   What are we bringing to our partnership with reality?  Are we accepting and supporting the present moment or are we avoiding it and exacerbating it?

When we ask these questions in relation to our society and our planet, we’ll be present enough to hear what we already know deep within the souls of our being.  We can’t be in partnership with our society when some of our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet and others are homeless and hungry.  We can’t be in partnership with this planet and continue to mindlessly consume and waste and deplete our resources.  So, I for one am excited to meet this challenge and to find creative ways to partner with the current state of our world.