I am starting this month’s column with a very depressing quote from author and theologian Brian McLaren Our global civilization as currently structured is unstable and unsustainable. Ecologically, our civilization sucks out too many of the Earth’s resources for the Earth to replenish, and it pumps out too much waste for the Earth to detoxify. Economically, our civilization’s financial systems are complex, interconnected, fragile, and deeply dependent on continual economic growth.
Without continual economic growth, financial systems will stumble toward collapse. But with economic growth, we intensify and hasten ecological collapse. In addition, our global economic systems distribute more and more money and power to those who already have it, creating a small network of elites who live in luxury and share great political power, while billions live in or near poverty with little political power.
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As we face increasing ecological and economic instability, social unrest and conflict will also increase...
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Welcome to reality . As people who care about life and the health of our planet, this truth is very depressing. What can we do? Are we helpless? To some extent, the answer to that question is “yes”.
In the big picture, maybe we are helpless; but in the small picture, in our little neighborhood, we are not. I know this to be true and I’ll start with the backstory. In 1980 my husband Allen’s father died of cancer at the age of 58, most likely caused by a.
