so that i don't have to circle the drain. as a political blogger who blogged and supported for all i was worth, i feel a bit let down. we have a new congress but i am not optimistic on much movement towards change. traditionally, congress is where good ideas go to die- they get committied and hacked to death so that the original intent is lost and somehow the corporates come out on top anyway. as for mr. obama, i will reserve judgment until after he gets going. i am not optimistic on that front either- but i didn't expect to be as he is not a progressive. sigh. so much for change we can believe in.
the world and this country is still hurtling towards man made disaster and i don't see anyone interested in pulling us back from the brink- at least not anyone in a position to do so- so, i have decided to do what i always do when things look bleak- hunker down and protect me and my loved ones. my focus has shifted from the desperation of keeping the government out of neo con hands to more practical matters. the reality is- as angry as i am about gaza and iraq and louisiana and washington- there isn't going to be any real kind of change.
change takes time. people fight it for all we are worth and it is labor intensive and expensive- in money and relationships. so, not optimistic that our change isn't simply 'not bush'- and that's really ok. i can deal with that. i can only change the things i can- and to that end- my focus this year will be sustainable self sufficiency. it is a big challenge but with the hardships that will lie ahead for america and the world- it's fairly small in comparison. so, i imagine my posts will be more self sufficiency based than lofty platitudes- although i can be cajoled :)
i am currently in the process of ordering heirloom vegetable seeds and/or organic. what i can't get heirloom i will take organic- as long as they aren't genetically modified. i am looking at seed savers exchange and johnny's seeds- and they are not small catalogs! my thought is that if more people turned their suburban lawns into veggie and flower gardens- we wouldn't have to worry about starving. if more folks put some thought into water catchment through cisterns or rain barrels- we could save our drinking water for drinking. if all of us changed a few light bulbs, or researched home solar and wind power- we could help stop using coal- and save folks from acid rain and apparently, coal sludge slides.
what i have found as i have talked to different folks about this plan- it's too much work. baking my own bread is too much work for some folks. putting a couple of tomato plants in a pot of dirt on a patio- too much work. i am flabbergasted. too much work as compared to... watching cable? i realize that there are folks who are not interested in changing their lives and i realize that there are some who have changed far more about their way of life than me. but to sit and do nothing and continue on as if we should be- mind boggles me. at the very least, reuse the stuff you already have.
looking at the world left to us after the last 40 or so years, there was a time i felt bitter. now, is not the time. being proactive is better than reactive- reactive leads to conflict and war and violence. if we start building communities now that are more sustainable and more self sufficient, we don't have as much to worry about from our neighbors who may not have been so forward looking. if we want peace in our country- we have to make it. fed people don't riot, starving ones do. just a thought. namaste
