A Christianist is not a Christian!

An acquaintance recently posited the notion that extremism resides within the church in North America. To this end, I believe we need to realign our semantic relationship as regards some of these aforementioned church-goers. Yes, we often hear about the christian right in the U.S. - especially the ones in the midwestern states. To wit, the intelligent design espousing, homosexual harrasing crowd; those sure-as-hellfire denizens of the homeland who need the added "security"; the oft-flaky demographic that even Cheney - allegedly - calls " the crazies."


Yes, you know them, you have seen them. The ones with the shiny eyes: the very ones who believe they have "dominion over [all] the fish in the sea and over [all] the fowl of the air" (and are therefore going to shoot every thing in sight.) The milieu who think that the world is only several thousand years old, and that dinosaurs and mastadons are a satanic conspiracy?


Yes, you say. The christians.


Wrong. Not christians at all. The fact that they give themselves this moniker is of no concern to me. As far as I am concerned, they are about as far from being like Jesus Christ, spiritually, as Rhode Island is from being near Alpha Centuri, geographically.


These people are CHRISTIANISTS. I am not sure who first coined the term (I did see it used in "Savage Love," though, so that's good enough a pedigree for me!!)


In the spirit of Voltaire, I believe pretty much everything is okay as far as free speech goes. I just do not like unhelpful descriptors. As jars of peanut butter and jam have content descriptions and nutritional information, so should religion or ideology.


A true Christian is someone who seeks to emulate Jesus the Christ by spreading love and tolerance about the hearts of human beings. A Christian seeks to use her art as a warrior of peace to assail the realpolitik and the heal the biosphere...


A Christian organization is not, therefore, one that will condone bigotry, pedagogy, misogyny, plunder or the absolute and unalterable obscenity of war.


At this juncture I must point out, I have been lucky insofar as I have been able to visit many powerfully peaceful Christian churches and Quaker meeting houses in my time on this planet.


Essentially Mahondas "Mahatma" Gandi said it the most succinctly when he proclaimed, quote, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."


If only he had the word christianist at his disposal! Sisters and brothers, we now have a new neologism at hand. I believe it needs to be used. Yet may it be used wisely.

Tipping Point

I believe a tipping point is a credible phenomenon. Indeed, there are things we may do to aid the process, that is to say, become a "tipper".
1. Refrain from despair - even though we are about to nudge against extinction. Do whatever you need to do - cry, pray, take SSRI's, whatever, but get well enough to be a "tipper".
2. Become an activist and dispell self-defeating behaviours. This involves great change. But take it from me, change can happen. Four years ago I was a chain-smoking, cynical, binge drinking, nihilist. Today, I am a reverential, kind, non-smoking, environmentally conscious man on a quasi-spiritual path. I still like the odd glass of cabernet now and again, and, to this end, I admit it: I am very, very human. Still, I am now heading in an okay-ish direction.
3. Al Gore is right in one sense.* Climate change is a moral issue. Do not let anyone say "Global warming is just a cyclical phenomenon, and therefore normal." In fact, what they are saying is analogous to: "I think it is okay to rape and brutalize women - it's dotted throughout our history, right?" Wrong. Gaia is my terrestial mother, and, as a beautiful and nurturing parent, she deserves a modicum of respect. It is a little late, but I will no longer let any common-garden ignoramus propose that we cast our gaze aside while she is being violated. If we are going to destroy this planet, we must at least acknowlege what we do. Look her in the eye, so to speak.
4. The next time some dubious ass uses the word 'sustainable' to describe their specific brand of snake oil, pull them up on it. Inquire, politely, "what do you mean by sustainability?" See if they know what they are talking about. It is in danger of becoming a buzzword. And, once something becomes a buzzword, I believe it it loses 60 percent of its power.
The answer is clear. The zeroes can suceed where the sixties didn't!
Anyone want do a bit of tipping?


* He is still a tool of empire nevertheless....

Inspiration for Change

A Fellow blogger has pointed out that trying to coerce people into becoming eco-conscious does not necessarily work. What, then, would work in the old inspiration department?

I surmise that when all of the Fraser Valley's turnips are rotting under 5 feet of water and the corner store is all out of Haagen Dazs and Benson and Hedges 100's - people may be then - and only then - "inspired" to change. But "change" and "regress to atavistic anger" may well be used interchangeably. (How are nicotine addicts going to react to disrupted supplies of their beloved drug I wonder?)

As activists, our momentum and loving-kindness may, hopefully, precipitate a tipping-point. But for the moment, the guys in the Hummers are off the radar for me. I pray they may take inspiration from my brothers and sisters who seek to protect our home and our sacred mother, Gaia. But don't hold your breath. I work in the film industry and I constantly witness the most profligate side of human nature.

Change will happen from without. It will likely be deadly (see turnip scenario, above.) Then, and only then, may Bubba get the message and seek to save Bubba Mama and Bubba Junior. But do not be surprised if he just decides to go it alone with a stock-pile of smokes and a trusty Glock 22c pistol.

But what else can we do?

Don't hate the Hummer Man. Compassion is the key. I really do not want what he has. I certainly DO want his grandchildren and mine to play, in tandem, on an un-poisoned planet. Eating un-poisoned food.

The Buddhist Metta meditation cycle may be helpful here. We must first give loving-kindness to ourselves; then we let it radiate outwardly, through friends and family. Eventually we get to other sentient beings and extra-terrestrials, Hummer Men, etc.

And, on the odd occasion, I have been known to get on my knees and pray.

"God," I say, "Please let your light shine into the hearts of ALL men and women and children. Please FILL their souls with your love. May they feel tenderness and respect towards themselves, their terrestial mother and ALL fellow beings (regardless of the species...)"

Why not try a similar entreaty to the universe tonight? It works best in the bath, with a bit of quiet and a scented candle.
I mean, if enough people prayed at the same time, who knows what would happen?

World Peace?

Evolutionary shift?

Peak Oil - The Spiritual Dimension

BEFORE
There will come a time. Trust me, it will happen. Eventually, you are going to venture out of your fear. And when you do, you know what? You are going to look our human predicament straight in the eye. Suddenly see. Understand.
The universe will nudge you, you can count on that.
As the pink contact lenses fall, you will see that the collapse of our civilisation is imminent. That Hubbert's theory of peak oil is not one that suits the conspiracy moniker. You marvel at the incandescent rainbow arching across the housing bubble - filmy and taught. You cannot help but gasp: "What if, the price on my house drops by 50 percent - like they say it' s going to? Why, in just two years, I could be broke! And then what am I going to do? Especially when the US dollar becomes worthless and no one has real jobs anymore?"
But it probably wont happen like that .
Hopefully, you may get your karmic "kick in the eye" (as the zen masters put it) tomorrow or the next day - or, indeed , the day after that. Next month and you are still probably good; the skytrains (Vancouver speak for subways) will still be running, and you'll be able to get your bar of Lindt chocolate from the corner store. But take my advice: don't take too long to get with the program. After peak we are going to need you. My survival (and that of my loved ones) may depend on us forging alliances and sharing food.
AFTER
So, anyway, congratulations - or is it comiserations - are now in order. You are now fully awake. You've done the research and faced up to the facts. You concur that things are about to get really "interesting." But, then you ask yourself, "What know? Suddenly I feel like crap. Like, really, mucho crapola..."
A year ago, when I woke up to the "perfect economic storm" that lay ahead, I felt that I had been smacked right in the old breadbasket. Winded. I had no idea any of this Peak Oil stuff was going on. Man-oh-man was I the proverbial mushroom, or what? Fed on sh** and kept in the dark. Yes, me! Me, of all people - the cynical art school drop out, with his mind full of Camus and Hermann Hesse!
Up to that point I thought I knew everything. Kinda, cocky in that English working class way. A lukewarm intellectual... Turns out I knew rather little. Or put it this way, my having a vague grasp on phenomenology or Derrida suddenly did not seem very useful. Not very practical. Consequently, my moods and blood pressure went up and down for a why as I strove to adjust to a new, emerging consciousness.
I have evened out over time.
I am glad to report that one can remain sane and live under that damoclean blade. But it is tough: every now and then you have to protect yourself. On the odd occasion, I figure I am going to have to go on "news fasts" as Dr. Andrew Weil calls them. When I am extra vulnerable, I may need to protect my soul from what is going on in Sadr City, Samarra, wherever....
In the last month I have started to feel my consciousness expand. I feel as though I am beginning to digest profound truths on a soul level. Things like: The best way to be anti-war is to be pro-peace. And, ultimately, I have come to realise this: when I go into reveries about how the Bush Administration and FEMA are going to be herding debtors into work camps, I will need to stop the projector. When I start hyperventillating over imagined sortie-raids over Tehran, I will need to place my hands together and feel the life-force in my palms. I will need to bring my consciousness back to the now, to my pre-peak oil existence. As I feel the cat nuzzling my ankle, I will concentrate. I will let in all the love I feel for my family - my wife and my sons, my deceased daughter. Then, hopefully, I will feel the love pulsing through the universe.
Sometimes I feel at peace. But, unfortunately, it still somehow feels a little too transient. The monkey mind is churning and I am learning how to turn down the volume. But I am learning. A little at a time. Learning and making postive steps.
And so will you.
And just in case if you need extra sanity when adjusting to a post peak oil consciousness, go to:

peakoilblues.com

(essentially, a therapist's take on the emotional reactions to peak oil.) A handy resource - and one that I wish I had in my early "Omigod!" moments.

Let's get this love thing shaking! Time really is running out.

Neil

Buy the Bags!

I was in the Brentwood Save On Foods today. At the checkout I asked the clerk how many people use their amazing quality (yet inexpensive and sturdy) recycleable shopping bags. "Actually, not many people use them," was the reply. I was shocked. Truly. "Once in a while I see people with them," she continued, rather too matter-of-factly. So I decided to wait around a while. Indeed, I watched streams of people loading provisions into plastic. And not one of the bright green bio-degradable bags were to be seen. Okay, here comes the lecture: Wake up folks! The bags are only about $1.49 and they will last you for years. Sure, they do not say "Prada" along the side, but so what? Next time you are in Save On Foods buy a few and keep them in the back of the car. Be in a state of environmental readiness. Buy some and give them away, to your friends, just for the heck of it. Look at it this way: the "Vancouver Sun" has now dropped the 'allleged' when speaking of global warming; and if CanWest Global is waking up to reality, then we really are in deep do-do. So, I reiterate - buy the bags already! What's more, get Eckhart Tolle's new book. Realize: we do not need more "stuff." The Wii's, HDTV's, iPod's - whatever. Drop the bling and the inferiority complexes. We are in serious crisis.Think of the children. Think of your son. Your daughter. Your granddaughter. Your favourite nephew, even. The small ones you love so dearly. Now imagine them forty years from now, dying slowly of hunger, or of thirst, or murdered, even, at the hands of bellicose migrants fleeing the rising waters. Now imagine: YOU may be able to alter the course of their future. And yes, a buck and a half is all it costs.

A Good Read

This evening, I came across an excellent essay online (which, thankfully, assuaged a little of the existential terror I have been feeling of late.) When faced with the prospect of peak oil and the inevitable economic collapse, the mantra "Omigod, omigod, what am I going to do?" eddies, electrically, around my brain. This article by Dmitry Orlov, holds aloft the demise of the Soviet communist system as a comparison model for the upcoming US/global depression. Through his experience and insight, we get a sense of what the barrenness will look like, actually feel like : the dispossessed - loitering, like crows; the babushkas selling moonshine; yes, even the alpha-types who, as if from nowhere, form private security companies, foisting barely-negotiable "protection...."

Anyway, check it out if you can.

Dmitry Orlov's Essay

A time I wanted to give up!

I am under no illusion as to what we are up against as a species. A couple of weeks ago, the American Natural Gas company, Kinder Morgan, decided to obliterate the wildlife trail opposite my house. They sent an e-mail to the the Maintenance Committee of our Co-op. Get this - "vegetation maintenance" they called it. A brief, innocuous missive that made it sound like they were merely lopping the heads off of the dandelions!
It was double-speak for we are gonna clear-cut the fuck out of your neighbourhood.
To ramp up the pace of this prose, a protest group was duly formed, to stall the chopping and grinding. Et voilà, so our hillside is silent for now. The heavy equipment has disappeared. But then so has the majority of the cottonwood and the maple trees...
Last week I was talking to a neighbour. He claps me on the shoulder and says, "It is good what they have done the other side of the road, isn't it?"
"Eh?" I am dumbfounded.
"That they have chopped the trees down. Got rid of the forest. My teenage daughter likes it. She says she feels safer when she is standing at the bus stop. Not so shadowy. Like, there are no bushes that people can hide in. You know, like rapists, weirdoes...."
Make no mistake. This is what we are up against. We decimate a forest so we can expel the phantasmagoric images misplaced in a youngsters' mind. All the local fauna is shell-shocked - the squirrels, raccoons, and owls - but it is okay because a 15 year old feels safer (in a overly benign neighbourhood.)