Dialogues on Sustainability, Leadership and Resilience

Sacred texts

Today's achievement of passing 500 members is indeed something to be celebrated. I, too, am a great admirer of Vaclav Havel both as a playright and essayist. The lines you quote come from a speech made in 1994, and the conclusion of his speech is the following declaration: Transcendence [is] the only real alternative to extinction. It's not a faith-based conclusion (certainly not in Abrahamic sense). He does not, nota bene, say Salvation is the only alternative to extinction.

Personally, I haven't got there yet; I'm still busy de-encrusting myself of anything gnostic, and trying to wear the cloak of rationality with comfort. Maybe I will get nearer to where Havel was in 1994, if I live long enough.

Sadly, on this same day that I received your 500 member email, the New York Times reported that Newt Gingrich is the man most likely to win Iowa. I know this is not a politcal forum, but it does seem to me that the something [that] is on the way out, that is crumbling, decaying, and exhausting itself, is not yet ready to accept that it is on the way out, and is a monster that in its death throes will thrash around and do a great deal of damage.

And in the meantime, over on a different channel, the soap opera of the rape of Africa is having another re-run, albeit with a fresh cast.

If this post sounds improperly pessimistic for this forum, maybe it's because I spent yesterday evening listening to some of Harold Pinter's most uncompromising, Orwellian imaginings on the New World Order: Mountain Language and One for the Road. Oh, and I've just become a grandfather.

Pinter and Havel. Now there are some sacred texts for us all to consider.

The Havel link:http://www.worldtrans.org/whole/havelspeech.html

Harold Pinter Plays: Four ISBN:9780571232239

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Comment by Christer Soderberg on December 7, 2011 at 6:18pm: Elliot!

I can identify with much of what you write, and just today I was shown an article with another worthy quote:

"...no doctor would counsel withholding a diagnosis from a patient because it might upset them. If we're in this much trouble, surely we must begin by telling the truth about it." You can read the whole article here (The Brutal Logic of Climate Change, by David Roberts).

It's time we stand up to the challenge and address the issues; and they're not all nice . . . there will be thrashing no doubt, indeed there already is! I find comfort however in the many initiatives being born and increased transcendence in this transition. It's tricky, balancing the heart (spirit), mind, and body. Open World Café (and most recently www.openworldvillages.com) aims to contribute by helping connect the dots and spreading awareness of the many transcendental and beautiful initiatives well on their way to offering alternatives to this present system in collapse.

I attended a talk by Tim Jackson (anti growth guru, you probably know him personally) about a year ago, he ended by saying that our most valuable asset will be our social capital; we need to build these networks to provide support and tangible help to each other, and that is in my opinion our biggest challenge, everything else is small stuff (again, my opinion).

And the proof is in the pudding! As my mother would say; - you're a grandfather! Congratulations!!! That is very good news indeed! Imagine what an exciting world that is theirs; and we can help make it a more Open World !

:-)

Hope we can meet up again soon!

Best,

Christer