I feel I must start with an honest appraisal of where we are as a species: we are hurtling off the rails of a completely unsustainable global economic system (i.e.industrial capitalism). Humanity is faced with the very real possibility of extinction - not only of ourselves, but of a significant portion of life on the planet - through climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion and pollution.
As far as I can tell, there are no effective responses to the situation as it currently stands. A large number of individuals propose 'solutions' that do not truly address the real causes of the impending crises and will do nothing to prevent or reverse carbon emissions, ocean acidification, etc. Some promote faith in various religions (Apocalyptic Christianity, Techno-Utopianism, the Free Market, or some combination thereof). Other groups advocate for the creation of 'lifeboat communities' to weather the coming storms, and still others for a violent insurrection to overthrow civilization as we know it (somehow this last group never seems to get around to actually revolting).
But by far the most popular response by individuals, governments, corporations, and other entities is to simply ignore the situation, to pretend that infinite growth is both possible and desirable on a finite planet (instead of "cancerous madness", to quote Edward Abbey) and that first world consumerism is the pinnacle of human culture.
Those who are aware of these problems seem incapable of offering up anything but a snide, pseudo-intellectual irony that does not mask their powerlessness or excuse their apathy.
Thus, it's a lonely, dispiriting landscape at the dawn of the 21st century. Everyone seems caught up in a fantasy world - myself included.
Faced with this, I feel the only thing I can do is to attempt to break with all of this - to begin with a basic, awareness of my own raw experience and to reflect on it with honesty. From this beginning, perhaps it will become possible to formulate an authentic response to the destruction of our world. To do this, I feel I must begin again from the beginning - from the very roots of my conscious and unconscious experience...
