Monday, February 4, 2013

snip-its of hope from my annual letter



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.

No comments: