Our Need for Coherence

Recently, I saw a meme that got me thinking. It was a picture of someone surrounded by electronic devices, taking in all kinds of random information.

It made me wonder about our need for coherence. Part of losing our sanity is losing a worldview that makes sense to us. If life is just a bunch of random, meaningless stuff happening, what's the point? It seems like a disempowering and disheartening way to live.

Image courtesy of Pikwizard

When I think of the most wildly popular politicians on the international stage, Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn come to mind. Both are a branding nightmare. Not only are they both getting on in years, but apparently Bernie's grumpy and Jeremy's kind of weird. And those things make me love them all the more. They're just regular folks who have a coherent worldview that they have lived, which gives them credibility, and make their visions immediately understandable.

I think we have a deep need for a coherent outlook on life that is fair, constructive and that makes sense. Fake news and excessive marketing are an assault on this basic need. They pollute our understanding of the world.

Wanting a better future for those who come after us is a time honoured and noble aspiration that was once a part of most people's worldview. Where did it go? This isn't something we hear about much these days, even though it's the driving force for so many of us. Think the boomers don't care? Think again. Many have grandkids. Of course most of them care. They want their children and grandchildren to thrive, and a world that will allow them to.

One of my favourite attempts to create coherence is the Leap Manifesto. It's the result of divergent groups who are all working hard towards a better future who have hammered out some goals they can all agree upon. Having been part of many similar groups -- and sick of the distrust and infighting among them -- I love this.

Collectively, we have the wealth, the technology and the ability to create the kind of world we would want to leave to our kids and grandkids. But I think a lot of us -- especially the people who are running the show these days -- have an insufficiently broad and coherent worldview. People in power have a responsibility to those who elected them to provide a healthy society, a thriving environment and a stable economy. But they seem to be beholden to money interests, fossil fuel companies and massive corporations. People chasing profits have a way of missing the fundamentals.

In some ways, I feel sorrier for these people than for the rest of us who are struggling under them. Where is their humanity? How does it feel to be that greedy and uncaring? What do they tell their kids about the future?

Image courtesy of Unsplash

Our basic humanity is what makes life meaningful and enjoyable. Forget about the pursuit of happiness: what will make us feel good is caring relationships with others, and that means doing the right things. If your relationships are based on deal making, then they're not very substantial, and at some level we all know that.

A coherent worldview is one that is based on values like genuine caring and concern for the future, and it's something we can base our actions upon. If we care about having a livable future and value our water, air, and land, we'll work hard towards replacing fossil fuels with clean energy.

We can see people's level of commitment to these things in our communities by what they do, but we're not seeing that in a lot of our political representatives. When they're persuaded by corporate interests, they're selling themselves out as well as the people they represent.

So how do we create coherence in our lives?

Here are a few ways I filter information:

• I'm clear about my values, especially when it comes to a healthy society and planet, and a future for coming generations.
• Does something benefit the many and not just a few? 
• Is it kind and constructive?
• Is my news coming from a source I trust? Fake news muddies the waters.
• What does my gut tell me? If it leaves me with a pit in my stomach, there's probably something not quite right.
• What would the effect of an idea be a hundred years from now? Would the world be a better place because of it?

 I believe having a coherent worldview brings personal peace. Our values are our North Star, and coherence flows from them.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Thinking Like A Mountain

Recently, I've been rereading the old classic Thinking Like A Mountain by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming and Arne Naess.

Only in hindsight did I realize what a formative influence this book had on my worldview. For me, reading it was an environmental and philosophical coming of age. It presented a broad enough container to hold the depth and breadth of the plight of our home planet and its inhabitants, and the full range of emotions that accompany this awareness.

image courtesy of Pixabay

In some ways it reminds me of Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe in scope, although its subject matter deals with time, the state of our planet, and our complex inner landscapes.

The thinking it inspires is what's needed for the times we're living in. We have the solutions to our problems, but are experiencing a profound failure of imagination. We're trapped in the very mechanisms we've created that our eating away at our future.

This theoretical container came just in time for me. My heart is breaking with the knowledge of the new lows our societies have reached. I understand how people in Nazi Germany didn't want to believe its people were capable of the legendary horrors inflicted upon those they considered undesirable at the time. We want to believe in the decency of our public officials. How do we look clearly at the extent of the cruelty and corruption we're facing so that we can find effective ways of confronting it? Because we must confront it.

We need to work through our denial, grief and disbelief to get to a place where we can turn things around. We can do it. It means we'll have to empower ourselves and each other and work together in ways we never have before. The future is in our hands, and we can't drop the ball on this one.

We've never had such powerful tools. With the internet we can share what works and what doesn't instantly. We can stay informed and keep each other up to date. We have alternatives to cruelty and destruction. We can turn off the TV, and put our energy into solutions instead of fear and anger. We can create the kind of future we'd want to live in. There are so many ways to seize our power. Lets do this!

image courtesy of Pixabay

Because We're Alive, We Are the Place of Power

Because we're alive, we are the place of power. Future generations are counting on us, as are our ancestors, many of whom dedicated themselves to making a better life for us. We're the ones able to act on their behalf because we are alive.

Taking the long view, we'll need all the love, smarts and resources we can muster to keep our souls from shrivelling and to do what's right. It's up to us to protect our planet, and to bring about a better future for all of us.

We need to cut through the fake news, refuse to be divided and not get suckered into the blame game. We're here to find and support each other as we stand up to politicians who've broken their promises, and to the billionaires who have tainted our politics, media and cultures.

photo courtesy of Kyle Cottrell

Let's face it: most of us are unacknowledged by our media. We're portrayed in all kinds of unflattering ways, but we see ourselves reflected in trends that aren't media driven: the popularity of Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn, the increased number of vegans, the popularity of 'buy local' campaigns and gardening, the tiny house movement, the thousands who take to the streets over injustices, and our love of community. 

We don't need validation by the media when we have each other. We need to reclaim our public spaces, tax dollars and voting rights, and correct the systems that have caused anguish for so many. Let's discuss the future, grieve together, share food and find new ways of expressing what we want so our many kindred spirits can find us and join in.

Branding doesn't work for us; we're learning, growing and evolving from the ground up. We welcome people from all races, nationalities, religions, genders, gender identifications, ages, classes and movements. All have insights and abilities to contribute, and all are worthy of respect and inclusion. Let's demonstrate the peaceful, wise and sensible way forward in all its many forms.

Let's stop those pipelines and end fracking, and get on with clean energy, proportional representation and decent standards of living for all. Let's protect our land, water and air together and stop exploiting each other. It's time to create a harmonious way of being with each other and with the magnificent planet that sustains us.

It's our duty as citizens – as human beings – to seize this critical historic moment and to work together in ways we never have before. If we're alive, our lives have meaning. It's our job to protect and restore our world. 

Future and past generations are counting on us. And we're going to have a wonderful time together while we envision and create the future we want.

photo courtesy of Kinga Cichewicz

Introducing a hero: William McDonough

"Waste equals food."

What if that statement guided all resource use decisions - biological and technical?

For Bill McDonough it does! Co-author of the book "Cradle to Cradle" and featured in the film "The Next Industrial Revolution", Bill McDonough is transforming the way things are manufactured.

From Wikipedia: William Andrews McDonough is an American architect, founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, co-founder of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC)with German chemist Michael Braungart as well as co-author of 'Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things also with Braungart.^[1] McDonough's career is focused on designing environmentally sustainable buildings and transforming industrial manufacturing processes.

I first heard Bill McDonough on the CBC Radio program, "Ideas" and my first reaction was suspicion. Here was a man who wasn't particularly in favour of recycling! He also works with Nike, Ford, Herman Miller and a number of other companies. If you believe that corporations are the root of all evil, the way many in the environmental movement do, these things sound a few alarm bells.

However, many of us drive cars and wear running shoes. Since they're a fact of life, doesn't it make sense to make their processes more green?

Anyways, after hearing the interview I got the book, "Cradle to Cradle" from the library and reading it made me into a convert.

I later watched the film "The Next Industrial Revolution" and Bill McDonough became one of my heroes. I ordered it from his website a number of years ago, and hope it's still available.

What he and his associates do is look at the systems and chemical components of the industrial manufacturing process and transforms them in ways that benefit our environment. When you think of the scale of the effects this has, it's huge! And necessary!

I hope you'll check out "Cradle to Cradle", and that you'll take a look at Bill McDonough's website: http://www.mcdonough.com/.

If you're in need of some hope and inspiration, here it is!

Reference books

Hello.

If you're also interested in straw bale houses, here are some books you may enjoy and that may help you:

There's no place like home

Our homes embody everything about us. When we visit someone in their home, it tells us so much about who they really are.

On this site, 'my straw bale dream', I'll share the home I envision, and all the dreams it contains.

I dream of a straw bale home, maybe on the shore of Kootenay Lake. Peaceful, surrounded by trees, off grid, designed with permaculture principles. Straw bale houses are well insulated and have large window sills for plants. They're made from a renewable resource: straw.

Mine will be furnished with antiques: those beautiful, sturdy postcards from the past that require no new resource extraction. They'll have exquisite antique fixtures. All materials used will be non-toxic. And I'll only make my home as large as it needs to be. Each room will be properly oriented to the sun, and the mood will harmonize with its function. The colours and layout will be chosen with care.

photo: findingfono.blogspot.com

It will be quiet, nurturing, a place of love and sustenance.

On this site, I'll share the images, resources and materials that inspire me most. My hope is that they'll inspire you too.