How To Save the World

Greetings human life forms! You are alive because your parents thought babies were cute. The longest living animal in the world is a giant tortoise named Jonathan, who is 186 years old. Most of us humans will putter out between 70 and 80 years. So, what do we do during the brief time we are here? Suntan on yachts? Watch Pee-wee Herman reruns? No, wait, I got it — we can try to make the world better. Why? Because it makes us feel better? No, actually because it's our responsibility.

Okay, I'm getting old and cranky and I sometimes forget to feed my fish. But I'm still able to discern between a closet and bathroom, so maybe there's hope for me. So, during my limited time here as an oxygen consumer, I'll pass on a few tips.

Toad the Toad's Tips for Saving Earth

Don't fret because as individuals there's only so much we CAN do to save the Earth. I realize that the vast majority of people on this planet are in basic survival mode, and won't have time to do the things below, and that's perfectly okay. But, if you are able to make a difference and want to put some special meaning in your life, try these simple tips:

1. Volunteer - Give your time and money to help other humans, animals, and the natural world. Follow your personal calling and do what's right in your heart. I consider financial gifts a form of volunteering as well.
2. Get Political- People give a barrel of excuses for not getting involved in the political process, but this is the most important thing we can do. We live in a republic where we elect people to represent us at the local, state, and national levels. It's only logical that we elect people that kinda think and feel like we do. But if you don't support or vote for these good people then the corporatists and religionists will shoo their usual puppets in, and we'll see the usual mess of politicians pursuing narrow religious agendas or changing public policy to benefit the wealthy. Find politicians who support the environment and work for the general good of all. And if someone ever says, "I don't like talking politics," that only shows me that the individual is weak. Politics affect every aspect of our life and to avoid it is a travesty.
3. Personal Behavior - We can save the Earth personally in two ways: Lifestyle changes and self growth. Lifestyle changes is the source of many future blog posts, but for now I'll just say that we should take care of ourselves, minimize our ecological footprint, and help others when we can.

I like how the Star Wars movies simplify everything into Dark Energy and Light Energy. Everything I listed above is Light Energy. On the flip side, when you harm yourself through addictions, when you live for your own comfort at the expense of others, and when you harm the environment, that's Dark Energy. 

Support an Organization

On the right of my blog I've listed l4 top sustainability organizations that pursue the main goals of my life: help people, help animals, help the natural world. Most of them are staff-driven and offer few volunteering opportunities but you can still support them with a monthly donation. I am a huge fan of the Sierra Club because it offers local volunteering opportunities, is politically involved, and has a large staff and foundation that works on national and global issues. Plus, the Club has an outings program where you can enjoy the outdoors.

Note that the people-helping organizations I've listed don't just give handouts. Rather, they give people the tools and knowledge for living sustainable lives. I define sustainability as having your basic needs met and living in a way that does not harm the environment. Indigenous people living in small villages are far closer to that goal than any American, so we have a lot of work to do.

Will We Really Save the World?

We have to be stronger, more diligent, and persistent than the forces of darkness that support the status quo and who push agendas that lead to immediate profit and pleasure at the expense of the long-term. I do love the organization Greenpeace because their name says it all — "green" and "peace." 

And, with that, my friends, I will slither back into my cave. Stay tuned next week for more of my mindless ranting and blithering, as I slowly descend into insanity. But, oh wait, I just saw plenty of mindless ranting with our U.S president this week and his Supreme Court nominee. So, maybe, just maybe, I'm not the one going insane after all.

Photo: Jeffrey Wegrzyn

Confessions of a Libtard

In 1997 I switched from being a conservative to a liberal. The War on Gays, War on the Environment, and the Right's obsession with religion swung me to the other side.

Embarrassingly, even after making the switch I still called myself a Republican for another five years — perhaps I liked the novelty of it and the attention I got. I even worked in the political campaigns of several GOP candidates. But as the political divide got wider I realized that there was no hope for the Party of Lincoln.

What Makes Me Liberal

I really don't think of myself as a liberal because I am just being me. I simply analyze every issue and make my own decisions. I don't accept any party platform or trendy issue without questioning. When I study a position I just usually fall on the side of the left.

The other thing that makes me a so-called liberal is that I question EVERYTHING. This comes from my days as a newspaper reporter. I remember someone once saying that Hollywood stars are usually liberal because they are exposed to many different ideas and people. The same can be said for journalists. And if you think we journalists have a liberal bias, it's true. We see a lot of crap firsthand that most people don't, and it changes us.

Hypocrisy

To me, the conservative agenda is full of hypocrisy and contradictions. You have right-wing Christians who want to cut off free school breakfasts for poor children. Christians support unbridled capitalism, which works on the principles of Darwinian evolution -- something that most conservatives don't believe in. Many evangelical Christians embrace guns, although Jesus was clearly nonviolent. Republican Christians have little interest in the environment and support candidates who, in turn, support the rape and plunder of the natural world, all the while calling themselves "pro-life." I could go on and on, but I will say that the Republican Party and evangelical Christians seem to be intertwined in some sort of a macabre and perverse marriage. The complete hypocrisy of such a relationship is mind-boggling.

So, when I get into debates the first thing I bring up is how the Right wants to cut programs for the poor but then provides tax breaks and incentives for Big Business and the military industrial complex. I find that repulsive.

True Liberalism

I don't mind being called a liberal because in Latin the word means "free," as in freethinking. A liberal is openminded and tolerant of change. I try to aspire to those goals even though I'm becoming a crotchety old man.

I think what makes most of liberals liberal is that we have a heightened sense of justice. When I see the ongoing attacks on immigrants, Muslims, gays, and women I get furious. To me, those who are doing the attacking are the majority culture, who are arrogant and hateful. They depict the very worst of America.

I like to see myself as Robin Hood, helping the downtrodden whenever and wherever I can. I have a special desire to protect the environment from the Robber Barons because the natural world can't defend itself. Animals and trees are at the complete mercy of greedy, short-sighted people who only care about making their rich asses richer.

Liberalism means tolerance, which includes accepting people with different political ideas. I've always had right wing friends and I welcome them with open arms. The right wingers provide a balance to the excesses of liberalism, and most of them are really good people. They just don't usually think outside the box, probably because they don't have that capacity. I accept and love them.

A Proud Libtard

I was given the name "Libtard" when I was defending Democratic candidates on social media. The idea is that we liberals are retarded. Well, that's okay because I am still astounded that anyone could vote for Donald Trump. I call these people "Trumpanzies," so, haha, we're even.

It amazes me that someone will take the time and energy to visit Democratic Facebook pages and start attacking. When righties launch personal attacks against honorable people like Michelle Nunn and Jason Carter, I defend them.

The political debates with right-wingers are always predictable and always go back to Hillary, Obama, and George Soros.  In their minds, this trio is responsible for all the evil in our country. I usually rebut with the 4,000 servicemen who needlessly died in Iraq, and things digress from there. Overall, left-right political debates are pointless.

The Future

I long for the day when our Congress becomes more nonpartisan and works for the common good. Supporting something the other side is doing should not be the kiss of death. We Libtards and Trumpanzies need to cross the aisle and work as a team, and never give up on compromise. Getting rid of gerrymandering would be a great help, since the system tends to send more extremist politicians to Washington.

I defended Jon Ossoff and now when people go after my beloved Beto O'Rourke, I will defend him too. I'm a bad ass liberal; I smoke weed and I'm covered with tattoos. Oh wait, neither of those things are true, but I want to be that overeducated commie left-winger that Ward and June Cleaver envision.

Photo: Javardh