A personal muse.

Today’s Post was prompted by a recent email, here it is in full,

Dear Brian et al,

I know it’s really tough, but we have to figure out a way to take the message of the Steady State Economy  viral.

We HAVE to.

Every time I look at who has signed the petition at www.steadystate.org,  I am inspired, because the signers come from all over the world. But two or three a day?

Certainly, I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. I’ve tried on my own, and when I talk to folks one-on-one, they often enthusiastically sign, but they don’t “pay it forward.”>What can we do together to break through this wall of apathy?

Very best regards,

Carla Rautenberg
Cleveland, Ohio

I was one of the 8 addressees, for reasons that I am not really sure about.  But it doesn’t matter.  Here are my thoughts.

There is no doubt in my mind that the present course of mankind on this planet is not sustainable.  There is much on Learning from Dogs from my ‘pen’ and others that supports that view.  As Carla writes, when one speaks to others, the majority seem to share that view.

So what is it about change that is so difficult?  Well, I’m not competent to give a reliable answer to that but a web search on change delivers yards of material and even more quotations.  Just as a random example, here is a website that offers ‘The 45 Most Inspiring Quotes on Change.‘  But do you know what?  There’s only one which, to my mind, hits at the real heart of change.  It was this one,

“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” -Deepak Chopra

Last week I published a short story that ended,

The message from the night, as clear as the rays of this new day’s sun, the message to pass to all those he loved. If you don’t get lost, there’s a chance you may never be found.

‘Chaos’, ‘getting lost’ are expressions of, to use a relatively modern phrase, ‘tipping points’ !  It seems to me that real motivation to change can only come when one’s present world is falling apart in spades.

Then, and only then, those that offer clear ways forward will be held up as saviours.

So there’s my thought for the day!  And if any of you wonderful readers have further thoughts and contributions, please offer them as comments.  Big thank-you.