I am fascinated by the prospects of consciously participating in the evolution of my species and the transition from one age to another. I find myself a big picture thinker, so I need frameworks under which to operate and be motivated to make sacrifices so that my family and community can live more sustainably.
One resource that I have come upon is the Center for Ecozoic Studies, which publishes literature on the burgeoning Ecozoic Age, made popular by Greensboro ecologist and cultural historian Thomas Berry. He maintains that we are moving from the Cenozoic Age that began with the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago to the Ecozoic Age. Why is this new age so important? The health of the planet has been endangered because of human activity, according to Berry, and we need to move to an era where the well-being of the entire planet is our primary concern, not just the well-being of humans. Berry also says it is the responsibility of every human to participate in shepherding in this new era.
Of course, that task is supremely difficult. Herman Greene, founder of the Center for Ecozoic Studies wrote (starting page 92) that:
"What we are dealing with is something very different than any social cause we might have been involved in before, or that any human has every been involved in before. This doesn't, however, mean we can't learn from and apply our experience. It just means we can't predict this future -- the ecozoic future-- from the past, and we can't "solve" this problem of how to get to an ecological age the way we have solved past problems.... Our world is changing faster and faster and in general is moving in the direction of more stuff, more industry, more cities, and more human impact. It is kind of like there is a GREAT BIG FREIGHT TRAIN moving across the whole Earth. What are we to do to get out of the way? The answer is something like disassemble and reassemble the freight train before it hits us and change the crew... and we are the crew."
Which I took to mean that humans must simultaneously create a new way of life while living in the existing one (although some argue nothing less than an evolutionary leap is needed). What more, not everyone agrees that we are on a freight train or that we are in any way culpable for the problems we are facing. But all over the world, people are making changes, even in Greensboro. They see the current way as a dead end, our longstanding institutions as dysfunctional, our very symbols and verbal constructs as obsolete, and our business practices as in need of a change.
Yet, we've got to pay the bills. And we've got to maintain our sanity because this journey is daunting. Personally, that means going to work everyday while trying to build the connections and skills that will enable my family to meet its needs and stay relevant in the next age (and I'm not talking power lunches and green schemes). That means living simply, learning to garden, researching more and watching little television, making peace with the circumstances of my life, and taking the personal risk of seeming a little "out there" in my conversations in order to attract those of like mind. All the while realizing there are no guarantees.
What more could I do? And how are you straddling the ages?
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