Thursday, December 29, 2005

what are yur plans for the new year....

Is it the same old, or are we all going to work towards a better future, a sustainable future? I have been thinking, analyzing and inspecting my decisions and considering how I can best use my talents to help our society as a whole. To help us get over our additions and insecurtities so that we can truely survive as a soceity. Respectful and aware of our footprint, and our legacy. I dont mean to sound apocolyptic or crazy as I sometimes feel I may come across, I just truely believe through what I have read and the documentaries that I have watched recently that we are running real close to peak oil and that we as a society are waking up to the idea, but we think something else will come along to take the place of oil. That this industrial revolution that took place will continue forever, we will progress forward always consuming, endlessly. Well that is not the case, and things could drastically change, we need to be less dependent on oil, and petroleum products, we must train ourselves to think differently. The fact that this is the case or at least I see it as a real possibility, scares the shit out of me. My fear is what has been motivating me as of late, I would like to land softly or as least not nosedive in to this thing if we are going to crash I would like the landing to be as smooth as possible, and I think that if we all start doing our part now, we can make this landing easier to take and not so catosrophic. Mind you I have to stay vigilant, and it is not easy,there are complete days devoted to arguing back and forth with myself. Is it really worth it? Yes, and maybe NO. If we just crash and burn and the entire planet chokes or burns itself to death, then no, our efforts will have been fruitless, that is the synic the non believer in me. My Darth Vader side. We must not go to the dark side and think that what we do doesnt matter because we are all doomed anyway so fuck it, lets party like no tommarrow, trash the earth and when the end comes celebrate. But I would like to believe that we as humans have control and underneath it all we are lost right now with all the distractions of keeping up with the jones, with all the time it takes to just get around, we are only growing so we should figure out some way to be at peace with it all. Again I believe that we as a society, we as a country, a nation, and as individuals have control over and make decisions to get to where we are, our sucess or failure is up to us at the end of the day. Sure it is easier to blame that big world, or someone else. We as a nation and a people have lost the idea of personal responsiblity, it is always someone elses fault. Is it McDonalds fault we are fat and getting fatter as a nation? Is it Starbucks fault if we burn our lips with hot coffee? Is it the alcohol companies fault that a person is an alcoholic? Is it the bartenders fault that you drank too much and decided to drive? Where does this end? What happened to I decided to drink therefore it is my fault. What happened to taking responsiblity for your actions? I in no way mean to imply that all of us think this way, we as a nation tend to be less and less responsiblity for our actions. There is light, there are people working to get us less dependent on the middle east, they are taking responsiblity for our nation, for us a people, refusing to stand by and let us go down the toilet with out a fight. I know enough is enough and you are watching me struggle with all these issues and I in no way want to be seen as holyier than thou, I will be the first to admit I am just begining my journey towards change, I struggle with all these issues daily, I am looking to spark others in to helping me, joining me. I am looking for inspiration and partners on the journey, to keep me progressing, to ask me questions,to give me inspiration and a friendly nudge. So I again would like to challange us all to try things differenlty for the new year. Let me know what you are thinking. I am compiling my list of resolutions, send me yours and I will post them. thanks. keep those pedals spining.

2 comments:

Al Maviva said...

People don't do well at thinking ahead, generally, but they tend to respond pretty smartly to environmental stimuli that force changes in behavior. When such a stimulus occurs, then you see a change in behavior. Even the most dismally brutal police states have had trouble forcing people to permanently change their ways. It's been called "spontaneous organization" but you can think about it as a massive response to market forces. When oil gets too expensive, starts cutting into how people enjoy their top priorities, whatever that may be, they'll change. I have little confidence that they'll alter their behavior sooner. More's the pity, because that means the change will likely come in a radical form, and that's a bummer, because life without fast motorcycles and monster trucks just may not be worth living... And yes, I bike commute, I wish more people did, but it's a reaction to a stimulus in *my* life, my pants were screaming at me every time I had to fasten the top button; and now I wish more people commuted on bikes because it's a healthier choice, I find I'm always in a good mood when I ride, and the ride itself is a fun way to steal a couple hours each day to get out on my fixie - and I'm sure many people would find the same sublime pleasure.

FixieDave said...

Go for a ride... I agree that people in our culture need to change there priotries... But ranting and raving doesn't change people.... To steal from a nike ad, Just do it!

Anyhow Gandi said, Be the change you want to see.
My plans for the new year...
Keep making whiskey, Keep riding my bicycle, get into the woods more, make more freinds.

Just my .02 from a fixie riding, meat and twinkie eating, go with the flow Coloradoian