Sunday, January 25, 2009

Turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes

Change can a scary thing, yet some manage to embrace it. The recent election of President Obama has brought on much anxiety, whether race-based or due to the potential of seeing the fragility of the house of cards that is our society.

The long tail of our lifestyle is observable with a little thinking about how we get stuff and where it goes when we are done with it; who creates, uses, disposes, and lives with the consequences of it all. There is no "away" to throw things, one person's garbage can is another person's drinking water. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1870485,00.html follows some of Americans e-waste. This is one of the many global issues that effect local lifestyles.

The holy grail of global communication, the internet, may not solve issues directly, but it can help us get along and empower us to seek sustainable alternatives to productive life. Yes, there will always be those seeking to take advantage of others for their own personal gain, but they can be exposed through communication. Those uncomfortable with communication may eventually be moved to contribute at least as much as they consume. Waiting for an edict from on high? The time for personal responsibility as arrived, as President Obama eluded to in his innauguration speech.

Depending on one tool alone won't build better lives. Amateur radio also has the capability to connect people around the world, but http://nonbovine-ruminations.blogspot.com/2009/01/arrl-still-relevant.html and http://ke9v.net/2009/01/rip-ham-radio-communicator/follow that line of thought. Still, people do use the medium to meet others and collaborate in many ways, whether elmerish technical advice, socializing, or even helping to understand the lives of others around the world. Politics aside, amateur radio operators can be seen as embasadors of goodwill.

Wishing ill will on others has a way of coming back to the sender. Agree to disagree, be civil, and lets just try to get along. Most of us common folk are feeling the effects of global economic problems, and we need to think and act differently than we have in the past. That requires change, some of it uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as what will probably transgress if we continue trying to feel better buying more stuff and sitting in front of the TV. Try something else! The rewards could be greater than we expect! Our progeny are depending on us!

1 comment:

Bark Eater Blog said...

Lots of change-related stuff on twitter today, including http://uroboros.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/some-thoughts-in-progress/ http://factorefarm.org/ and the Global Village Construction Set at http://openfarmtech.org/weblog/?p=458.

FreeVermont's comment "Is it just me, or did the future-positive power weirdo community just kick into high gear this week? All the twitter synergy drives it home." I wondered if it's a case of preaching to choir, gaining converts, both, or something else. "Change" sure seems to have been added to more conversations lately, but I wonder the depth and perspective it's being used in.