Every year I write an annual letter. This year I was initially inclined to write a diatribe about global warming and
other horrors and injustices. When it comes to addressing these problems we may
not have the will, but it isn’t for lack of ways. Through human cooperation we
have the greatest access to the ways that the world needs. So the bulk of my
wide world words this year are a story of my most personal part in the
cooperative project. (see here: http://communitiesa2.blogspot.com/2013/02/hei-wa-house.html
)
To conclude my comments on the
world, I want to toss out a hand full of facts and ideas that are rays of hope
for me, perhaps they will be for you too.
1) The world is ahead of schedule in meeting the 2015 millennial water goal http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17270014 ,
2) last
year saw only 222 cases of polio paralysis and so far this year none have been
recorded http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx
,
3) if you look at the statistics war
is getting less common http://gaiaonpolitics.blogspot.com/2012/04/end-of-war-book-review.html.
Any of these trends could reverse at any point, and there are certainly counter
trends that might be sited, nonetheless they carry hope.
4) Regarding non-violence
I think the most valuable work that is being done is training for non-violent
action and nonviolent speech, groups
like the Michigan Peace Team http://www.michiganpeaceteam.org/, and the Non- Violent Communication
Center http://www.cnvc.org/ are a source of inspiration and
hope for me.
5) Regarding the
environment, I think that our relationship to food is very important. Building
soil and the design science of permaculture show what is possible; I recently
came across a 5 minute video about reclaiming a salt desert in the Middle East.
"Greening the Desert", http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sohI6vnWZmk# , shows an incredible project.
