Dealing with grief over climate change.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Dealing with grief over climate change.

This becomes an issue when only a Goberment has the resources to require limits to company's polluting . Yes we each can do our part,but we do not come close to putting TONS of green house gasses every day...I also saw where they now confirm that fracking is causing earthquakes,and there is the matter of the HUGE mass of methane floating over the middle of the US.

Yes - there are some things that private citizens can not do. When this happens, people need to use FORCE. Force the government to do what they should by refusing to vote for those who don't, even if it means voting for a third or fourth party candidate.

When the same idiots doing the same idiotic things get elected over and over again, it is NOT the fault of the government. It is the fault of the idiotic voters. It is clear from the voting that people (the majority) do not want to stop greenhouse gasses, or fix the shit that come down from the second floor of the two story outhouse.

Democracy does not get good government. It gets the government that (the majority of) people ask for. When they ask for poop in a package, they get poop in a package.

If people would ask, for once, for high quality leadership, they will surprise themselves by getting it.

[anunitu]

Re: Dealing with grief over climate change.

I do agree that people seem to be way to easily swayed by the fast talking BS artists that end up being in the Government...And I am wondering about the freaking DEA getting caught partying on the Cartels dime

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/0...rt-116413.html

I really wish this was not real,but it seems we have a problem with all kinds of government groups...secret service included...When you see these kinds of reports,it kinda makes you understand the reasons some people are doing the militia thing,or the whole bomb shelter to survive movement..and why people get into the end of the world scene.

We Humans are our own worst enemies . Almost makes me glad I am so old,and may not be around for when the bottom falls out of the whole party....

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Dealing with grief over climate change.

I do agree that people seem to be way to easily swayed by the fast talking BS artists that end up being in the Government...And I am wondering about the freaking DEA getting caught partying on the Cartels dime

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/0...rt-116413.html

I really wish this was not real,but it seems we have a problem with all kinds of government groups...secret service included...When you see these kinds of reports,it kinda makes you understand the reasons some people are doing the militia thing,or the whole bomb shelter to survive movement..and why people get into the end of the world scene.

We Humans are our own worst enemies . Almost makes me glad I am so old,and may not be around for when the bottom falls out of the whole party....

I agree.

[Azvanna]

Re: Dealing with grief over climate change.

I am also live carefully. I don't reject much out of hand, but I do take only what I need, and some of what I want. I never take things just because others think I should. It tends to make me look like a kook to lot of people, but it seems like an honest way to live - at least to me.

This reminds me a lot of nbdy's definition of gluttony. It was something along the lines of living in such a way as to be unworthy of what you consume. But far more eloquent!

- - - Updated - - -

Kids aren't all bad... My son last week (my rambunctious, not at all socially conscious, video-game addict, 6 year old) asked me if he thought there would be any polar bears when he grew up. I told him, maybe in a zoo. We've been watching polar bear documentaries on and off since, so he "knows what to tell his children, about how polar bears lived when polar bears didn't all live in jail". Meanwhile, Chickadee has been working on being a vegetarian for the past few months because she is concerned about fisheries.

We go out of our way to refuse disposable plastics and refuse or reuse single-use plastics--that means powdered laundry soap, bar soaps, glass containers in the kitchen, byo produce and grocery bags, say no to straws at restaurants (sometimes we aren't fast enough on this one), etc. The only disposable products we really consistently use (that is purchased for its purpose) is toilet paper--we ditched paper towels, napkins, and kleenex years ago. My kids don't get balloons. Since we live in an apartment, we take out the trash daily and use biodegradable trash bags (which admittedly have their issues) for big cleaning projects (when stuff isn't donatable), paper grocery bags for dry trash, and plastic grocery bags for wet trash--while we bring out own bags, we usually buy more than what fits in them (often because we use them for other stuff too...like storing the tennis gear, swimsuits, beach stuff, etc) and I never have all of them when I go shopping or to the market.

Without making this a *where to buy stuff* page...this is where we get plastic-free scrub brushes. Basically, as stuff has worn out or broken or been lost, we've replaced it with *not plastic*. Our dishes are all totally breakable fiestaware or stainless steel (for the kids, rather than plastic). Our glasses are all glass, and mostly jars with lost lids. Hubby uses a reusable coffee filter, and I use an infuser for most of my tea. Hubby and I both use an electric razor, rather than disposables, and we have LED lights now, rather than incandescent or CFLs.

Yes - there are some things that private citizens can not do. When this happens, people need to use FORCE. Force the government to do what they should by refusing to vote for those who don't, even if it means voting for a third or fourth party candidate.

When the same idiots doing the same idiotic things get elected over and over again, it is NOT the fault of the government. It is the fault of the idiotic voters. It is clear from the voting that people (the majority) do not want to stop greenhouse gasses, or fix the shit that come down from the second floor of the two story outhouse.

Democracy does not get good government. It gets the government that (the majority of) people ask for. When they ask for poop in a package, they get poop in a package.

If people would ask, for once, for high quality leadership, they will surprise themselves by getting it.

I'm a little bit disillusioned about Australia's democratic system. It's two party preferred so come time for Federal elections, it's always going to be either Red or Blue. As for our local elections, who you vote for may not be the person in the seat. It comes down to preferences and how organised those are.

[nbdy]

Re: Dealing with grief over climate change.

It saddens me that so many cannot be responsible for their actions and consumption without some type of government enforcement. I don't know how much of the problem in the US can be attributed to our infatuation with the myth of the individual and how much is fall-out from the culture of consumerism that is almost like a national religion. Between the two, we don't work very hard at building social consciousness which leaves us weak-willed in the face of society-wide problems, and we have learned to rely on others to market the solutions to life's problems -- munch all you want, we'll make more. I try not to get disheartened.

[Azvanna]

Re: Dealing with grief over climate change.

I'm really sorry about my badly edited post above! I didn't even realise I posted it. I meant to say about Thalassa's post where she mentioned about Polar Bears existing only in zoos, it's that kind of thing that makes me grieve.

...and we have learned to rely on others to market the solutions to life's problems -- munch all you want, we'll make more. I try not to get disheartened.

This was exactly my problem to begin with. Also, nbdy, do you remember how you defined gluttony? I need to write it down!