Milt's Work (Reframing/Transitioning/Getting Involved in Change)

Introduction

Since retiring from a professional career as a scientist and aerospace engineer, in the spirit of life-long learning and evolving consciousness, we selected a multifaceted journey consisting of:
  • Learning (about the Universe Story, evolution of Life and history of human creations),
  • Reframing (unsustainable concepts into sustainable paradigms),
  • Transitioning (to a more sustainable personal life style of mutual benefit),
  • Proposing Change (i.e. alternatives to current unsustainable behavior),  
  • Documenting (new insights and nuggets of wisdom found along the way), and
  • Getting Involved (in the democratic process, beneficially in the interdependent network of living systems)

Learning

Learning continues to provide a particularly interesting, exciting, rewarding, humbling and empowering adventure as we better understand our ever evolving Universe Story - a story told by those who came before - their legacy has become today's collective consciousness.  The path we are documenting here includes book learning and experiential learning as we search for bits of life's wisdom along the way.  

On this journey, we seem to have added several dozen books, etc. to our personal resource library -
  • that graciously share knowledge of how humans evolved within the interdependent network of Life.
  • that provide increased awareness of how our actions today are affecting the world around us, and how our consumptive behaviors are transforming our planet into a lesser place for future generations. 
  • that suggest how we can be of mutual benefit to others and all of Life.

Experientially, we continue to personally explore and observe the natural world on relished visits to our National Parks - protected places that preserve our deep time heritage. We even participated in occasional excursions with paleontology groups who respectfully search for buried ancient records that connect the dots of early life and add additional pages to the Universe Story.

Re-framing

“Re-framing” is a process involving some analysis, critical evaluation and re-examination of human behavior – as well as quiet personal reflection and ongoing contact with nature to stay grounded in the Real World. The process of "Re-framing" is inspired by George Lakoff, American linguist and author of several books includingThe Little Blue Book.

Here we apply knowledge contained in the Universe Story (e.g. vetted empirical observations of the Universe) as a gold standard for evaluating our current human behavior. If effect,"re-framing" compares the "Real World" of the Universe with the human-created “real world.” On this path we search for inconsistencies between the Real World and "real world."  We identify human actions that are considered acceptable in the human-created “real world” but are fundamentally unsustainable in the Real World. 
Concepts that have proven useful in ordering things (can) easily achieve such authority over us that we forget their earthly origins and accept them as unalterable givens… 

it is by no means an idle game…. analyzing long-held commonplace concepts and showing the circumstances on which their justification and usefulness depend,

…. (obsolete concepts are to be) removed if they cannot be properly legitimated, corrected …, or replaced if a new system can be established that we prefer.
                                                                                 ----  Albert Einstein, 1916. 

-

 

It is encouraging to learn from the Universe Story that with a little effort and by making different choices we can live sustainably and in right relations with others - with all life.

During the past year or so, we applied the process of "re-framing" to a range of traditional literature as illustrated in the list below.  

UNIVERSAL VALUES

 SOCIAL ORDER / HUMAN-CREATED ‘SYSTEMS’ / SOCIAL CONTRACTS

ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PROBLEM – Profit Motivated Thinking

SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM – Bring ‘real world’ into concert with the ’Real World’

TOPICS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION / ANALYSIS / RE-FRAMING

    • New Values / Morals / Ethics (for sustainable living)
    • Relationships (Creative plus Sustainable plus Pro-Collective Consciousness)
    • Sustainable Resource use
      • Borrowing / Returning the Commons (Transitioning from "Mine-ing" to "Our Owe-ing/Returning")
      • Zero Waste /Consumption
    • Harvesting Energy (Food vs Life Style)
    • Sustainable Food Production
      • Composting / "Teaming with microbes"
      • Permaculture
      • Community Supported Agriculture
      • Organic PLUS Sustainable Agriculture
    • Corporations (Integrating their power to co-exist inside membrane of social order)
    • Economics (Eliminating externalities, Measuring Meaningful Values not GNP)
    • Government (Democracy - eliminate legal bribery / conflict of interest -COI)
      • Accepting corporation/group contribution eliminates representative from voting on corp issues(COI)
    • Internet Neutrality / Global Communications (basic right)
    • Alternatives to Violence / Military
      • U.S. Department of Peace
      • Obsolescence of war
    • Sustainable Wellness /Health Care
      • Mental Illness – Hoarding of wealth, property, power, resources
    • Sustainable Space Exploration
    • Evolving Consciousness

     

Transitioning

Transitioning is a bit uncomfortable, but ultimately rewarding. It involves identifying and challenging those behaviors that are blatantly unsustainable / ecocidal. It requires actual changes in behavior – even defiance of norms.

 

As an apprentice of Sustainable Living one searches for behavior that is consistent with a tomorrow where humans live in mutual benefit with each other and all Life on the Planet. Insights gleaned from the Universe Story are applied to everyday living in an attempt to transition to a way of life that is less consumptive - a life style that uses biomimicry principles:

  • Transition back to inexhaustible sources of Energy. Rather than extracting one-time-only ancient hydrocarbons from the Earth and then burning /consuming these finite resources so they are no longer available for future generations, we humans can(must) learn to live like the 2 million other forms of life on our planet that use current or recent (not ancient) Sunlight as a primary energy source. The Sun's energy is inexhaustible.
  • Transition away from "consumption." Borrow what you need/Return all that you Borrow - just like library books. Rather than extracting resources and never replacing them, we can/must learn to "Borrow" resources from Earth and when we are finished using these resources, we "Return" them (every atom) for use by future generations. We stop "Mine-ing / Consuming" and transition to "Our Owe-ing /Returning." (Elements below atomic number 82 have stable isotopes that don't seem to wear out. For practical purposes, they can be recycled and reused forever - if humans don't use them and lose them)

From where we are today, transitioning to sustainable living is not difficult, but it is a complex journey. So we divided it into about 15 "phases" or steps. As we slowly find our way along this path, we have used a blog to document some of our footsteps - see www.NowForOurTurn.org/CosmicReflections.

 

Energy - Home Blogs 
CRES SUSTAINABLE LIVING HOME TOUR 2012 (Completed)
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: PHASE I – OUR NEW SOLAR SYSTEM Part 1: (Completed)
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: PHASE I – SUN FARMING – ONE MONTH LATER Part 2: (Completed)
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: PHASE II – GEOTHERMAL HEATING AND COOLING (Completed)
Energy - Transportation Blogs
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION: PHASE III, HOW PLUG-IN HYBRID CARS REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL      ENERGY – SOME REAL DATA – PART 1 (Completed)
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION: PHASE III, HOW PLUG-IN HYBRID CARS REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL      ENERGY – SOME REAL DATA – PART 2 (Completed)
IS IT GETTING EASIER TO BE GREEN? (Completed)

This "Transitioning" information was also published in a small book, "Living Without Fire- just the Sun & Earth," June 2014.
LWOF


Energy - Food Production Blogs
SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION (Agriculture/Permaculture/Ecoculture): PHASE IV (In Progress)
Other - Human Created Systems - interrelationships
SUSTAINABLE HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS: PHASE V (Investigating)
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC SYSTEMS /FINANCIAL INVESTMENT: PHASE VI (Investigating)
SUSTAINABLE GOVERNMENT/POLITICAL SYSTEM: PHASE VII (Involved)
SUSTAINABLE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS: PHASE VIII (Investigating)
SUSTAINABLE LEGAL/ JUSTICE/ LAW ENFORCEMENT SYSTEMS: PHASE IX
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS: PHASE X
SUSTAINABLE TRADE SYSTEMS: PHASE XI
SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL DEFENSE SYSTEMS: PHASE XII
SUSTAINABLE PEACEBUILDING SYSTEMS: PHASE XIII(Initiated)
SUSTAINABLE RELIGIOUS / SPIRITUAL SYSTEMS: PHASE XIV (In Progress - See Gail's Work )
SUSTAINABLE MORAL / ETHICAL SYSTEMS: PHASE XV (In Progress)

Proposing Change

It has become apparent that current human behavior is unsustainable - particularly by those of us who are the privileged members of so called 'developed' nations.   A change in our behavior is required now, for the sake of our children, our grandchildren and all future generations (human and non-human).   My generation is not leaving the planet better than we found it – but we could. So proposing change (if unable to implement change) is the least my generation can do.

 
The root cause of unsustainable human behavior is not something that evolved naturally.  The source of our destructive "–idal" (suicidal, homicidal, genocidal, ecocidal) behavior is not encoded in the DNA of our species, but rather is our response to a paradigm we ourselves have created. That's the good news - if we create the paradigm, we can change it when needed.   We have found the enemy and it is not us, it is not even the way we think and process information, but it is what we think about (and choose not to think about). 

We Americans, like nearly 200 other groups (sovereign countries) of humans around the world, have created a regional "real world" that defines our unique culture and influences what we think about.

We have created a specific political /economic /legal /agricultural /educational /communicational /religious / ethical system intended to establish a civil society.

Unfortunately these well intentioned human-created "real world" systems may be in conflict with the Real World.  Let there be no doubt - in the event of a conflict between the human-created "real world" and the Real World, the Real World always wins.  

  By focusing on areas of our human-created political /economic /legal /agricultural /educational /communicational /religious / ethical system that are inconsistent with the Universe Story (i.e. the Real World), we can identify and propose changes that will influence us to make sustainable choices.


Example 1: Putting a Price on Carbon - Carbon Fee-Dividend.

A grass roots initiative, Citizens Climate Lobby, is advocating a change/correction in the U.S. economic system - a Pigovian correction (that internalizes externalities) in the form of a market-based revenue-neutral carbon fee-dividend program. See presentation to local Congressional Representative

 

Example 2: Creating a New Ethic - Ecomorality.

A personal initiative to change our way of living by updating our ethics. We focus on fundamental requirements for living sustainably. We approach these changes from a general perspective – one that is intended to be broad enough that it can apply to any culture because the basis of these updated ethics is Real World of a finitie planet and finite resources as we observe it today - where all cultures live.  

Nature seems to love diversity. As we look around, we have now documented nearly 2 million distinct living species in our interdependent network of life on planet Earth. (And that is only a fraction of what actually exists today.)   So there is no reason to suggest that we humans can’t thrive while maintaining 200 cultures (countries). In fact, biomimicry tells us that diversity works to our advantage because different perspectives contribute to adaptability in our ever changing Universe.    

So we are proposing some general changes to the human-created “real worlds” – not specific changes to any specific legislation or article, but top level, general changes.  Changes in what we might consider to be in the realm of ethics or morality. We do make the assumption that our ethics are intended to enhance life and the well-being of life on Earth.   From these general guidelines or principles, specialists can then formulate specific changes to the economic, political, legal, etc systems of their specific culture.


Because this is a complex undertaking, we have set up a separate site for this project – a site that will facilitate a collaborative effort for those who are interested and want to be a part of the development team. We limit access to our Wiki site. We limit the scope of this effort to information pertaining to sustainable living and evolving consciousness but expand the scope to include all Life (human and non-human).  

 

This project was inspired by Ursula Goodenough, professor of biology, Washington University in St. Louis, MO who introduced this frame - she called it Eco-morality – Ethics of Sustainability.

"And now we are called to recognize our deep affiliation with, as well as dependence on, all the creatures and habitats of the planet. This realization has been translated as an invocation to be stewards, to take responsibility for reversing the many alarming trajectories the planet is taking. But “stewardship” puts us back into the mind frame of humans-as-other, hence I better resonate with the invocation that we be participants in establishing right relations with our fellow beings and our earthly habitat."

[Ref: Chapter 30:  Ecomorality:  Toward Ethics of Sustainability, by Ursula Goodenough;  from “A Pivotal Moment:  Population, Justice & the Environmental Challenge,”   edited by Laurie Mazer. ]

We simply propose to extend the scope a bit and call it Eco-morality – the Ethics of Sustainable Living and Evolving Collective Consciousness. For more details, click the link below to see the WikiEcoEthics Project:


Eco-morality:Ethics of Sustainable Living and Evolving Collective Consciousness

 

Documenting / Blogging / Communicating (Web Sites, Workshops,…)

This part of the path is where we assume the role of a simple scribe documenting life experiences and observations that seem worth remembering for future generations – stories to tell grandchildren. We have initiated several web sites, several blogs, helped put together workshops, participated in public hearings (EIS for solar sites in the southwest, Keystone XL pipeline EIS), signed numerous petitions, published articles for BoomNC Magazine on sustainable living, and "re-framed" a number of relevant documents described above in the hope of adding another drop into the ocean of collective consciousness.

 

The latest workshop was held on 15 August 2015, "Responding to Climate Change: A Personal Planning Workshop." See www.responding2climatechange.org

Getting Involved (In Sustainable Living)

The Universe Story includes the observation that all living systems require an external source of energy to maintain their viability. Human-created "social" systems are no exception. Energy is required to create the social system and energy is required to operate that system. When interest wanes and the source of energy diminishes, so too does the vitality of the system.

 

"Getting Involved" simple suggests that as we are able, a portion of our personal energy by used to support / promote / operate /feed some sustainable human-created system. By adding our personal energy to a social system we serve to maintain its viability and intended purpose.

 

How?

  • Joining groups
  • Being Politically Active/Offering Solutions / Lobbying / Making Presentations to Government Representatives
  • Demonstrating /Marching
  • Attending and Commenting at Public Hearings
  • Petitioning / Writing Letters (LTE) / Identifying Issues
  • Implementing Changes
  • Volunteering ...

Example: What we can learn from the Universe Story - particularly the last 3.5 billion years of evolving life, is that for a living system to remain viable, it requires a continuous source of incoming energy.    Political activism is required in a Democracy to provide that external source of energy. Like any living system, it also requires energy for constant vigilance - to accommodate a changing world - to protect against predators. 

Democracy is constantly being attacked by predators (internal and external) and must be defended diligently. It is not just a defense of our freedom but also of our responsibility – our opportunity to contribute to the whole Some citizens are constantly trying to shirk their responsibilities to the whole – dissolve their opportunity to expend personal energy for the good of the many – for the good of the greater system.    Taxes to them are punitive – not repayment for a privilege previously delivered.

The Universe Story, teaches us we did not get here on our own - but rather as the result of our ancestors 3.5 billion years of persistent adaptation to an ever changing environment. We are the beneficiaries of their sweat, blood and tears and ability to adapt to the ever growing complexity of their surroundings.

Contrary to Randian rants "I built it," the Universe Story clearly tells that WE collectively built it - where the tiny pronoun WE is used to denote Father Sun, Mother Earth and all the living systems in our interdependent network of Life. Where WE includes the legacy of our deep time ancestry
Getting Involved - adding one's energy to help "operate" today's human-created systems is a privilege and a responsibility.

Getting involved in sustainable living is not easy because one's personal path may not fit in with the “two party” system currently in power here in the U.S.A.  

 

Example: This writer is an “unaffiliated / independent” voter whose values are in part conservative (protector of endangered values, traditions, and living systems) as well as liberal (advocate for sustainable change), as well as green (as proxy voters for the living systems / life forms unable to speak), as libertarian (advocate for individual freedom with conjoining responsibility), socialist (as an advocate of individual behavior that contributes to the greater good of all life).   Since there is no “All of the Above Plus More" political party (i.e. a party that is an advocate of sustainable living, evolving consciousness, global collaboration and mutual benefit), this writer remains unaffiliated but involved. 

During the past several years, personal involvement ranged from financial support, to signing petitions, to attending meetings, to participating in marches and demonstrations, to presentations and letters to congressional representatives, to modeling and analyzing proposed constructive changes to our human-created systems; to attending workshops, conferences & public hearings; to providing/facilitating workshops. Everyone's involvement is different because it is based on personal values. For example, this writers Involvement included memberships in (or contributions to) a number of groups focused on specific aspects of life such as:
Education / Evolving Consciousness
Capital University
Ohio  State University Foundation
University of Denver
 
Communication / Non-profit Media
Colorado Public Radio (CPR)
DemocracyNow
Free Speech TV  (FSTV)
Link TV  (KCETLink)
Nevada Public Radio (KNPR)
Rocky Mountain PBS (TV 6)
 
Religion / Spirituality / Ethics
First Universalist Church, Denver
Unitarian Universalist Association
Deeper Meaning
 
Peacebuilding / Nonviolence
Peace Action.org
The Conflict Center
U.S. Department of Peace (Campaign)
 
Wellness /Healthcare
National MS Society
South Denver Cardiology Association
 
Inexhaustible Energy
American Solar Energy Society
Colorado Renewable  Energy Society
Vote Solar
 
Social Justice
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Habitat for Humanity International
Occupy  LV /Denver / Wall Street
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
UNICEF - United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund 
 
Environmental Justice / Sustainable Living
350.0rg
Americans for Responsible Solutions
Arbor Day Foundation
Audubon Society
Citizens Climate Lobby
Conservation  Colorado 
Defenders of Wildlife
Earth Justice
Environmental Defense Fund
Food & Water Watch
Greenpeace
Highline Canal Preservation
National Parks Conservation Association
National Resources Defense Council
National Wildlife Foundation
Sierra Club
The Nature Conservancy
The Wilderness Society
Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)
World Wildlife Fund

 

Each of us has our own unique life experiences, interests, values and potential areas to "Get Involved." We invite you to join the group of humanity Paul Hawkin calls the "Blessed Unrest" - the millions of people around the world who are concerned about injustices and are funneling a bit of their energy into various "causes" intended to create a more civil society - and at least one that is sustainable with a growing consciousness.

 

"Never doubt that a small committed group of citizens can change the world.
Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."
........ Margaret Mead