Now Is Time For Non-Violent
Earth RevolutionBy Glen Barry
25 September, 2007
Earth Meanders BlogNow is time for non-violent Earth Revolution.That begins by stopping ancient forest logging, ending burning of coal and reducing aviation.
There are times in human history where obligations to truth, humanity and being take precedent over personal safety, consumption and comfort. Now is one such moment. The time has come for non-violent, direct societal and personal revolutionary action to save the Earth.
For the Earth, humanity and our sister species to survive and flourish; awareness raising and reformist greenwashing must give way to wide scale civil disobedience adequate to peacefully bring about sufficient social change to save the Earth and all being. This meander calls for all bright green environmentalists to emphasize aggressive ecological truth telling, non-violent direct action and a life of rich voluntary simplicity.
These are not new ideas. The world is rife with small groups strategically placing their minds and bodies between faltering ecosystems and predatory Earth destroyers -- sitting in trees, occupying and shutting down coal plants, aggressively and truthfully petitioning and confronting governments, and taking other meaningful and effective direct actions. These must be built upon and intensified to actually end Earth destroying activities with long and damaging histories.
I propose that an initial revolutionary strategy to save the Earth, and maintain ecological patterns and processes required for all life, should focus upon protecting and restoring ancient natural ecosystems, ending the use of coal, and stopping the growth in aviation. These actions are needed as a minimum urgent response to avoid cataclysmic global ecological collapse.
Tactics at this point should be based upon non-violent direct mass action. More specifically, the Earth revolution must initially seek with all haste to stop all ancient forest logging, prevent the construction of new coal plants that emit into the atmosphere, and close down the private jet business. This is not to suggest that there are not other shifts in policy required to live sustainably within the biosphere’s constraints, or that these alone are sufficient. However, use of coal and loss of forests are the two greatest historical causes of climate change and ecological decline, and aviation the fastest growing.
As you peacefully battle for the Earth, prepare yourselves and loved ones for the difficult times of ecological collapse and desired regeneration ahead. Even as you commit your being physically to defending Gaia, buy a remote piece of land to love and be one with. Educate yourself and begin to practice homesteading, permaculture, animal husbandry, composting, organic gardening, ecological restoration, agrarian democracy and more.
Oh Goracle, lead us into action. Oh Titanic play actor, demonstrate sacrifice. I am speaking truthfully to you in a manner that these well informed leaders ensconced in climate changing luxury will not: to the streets in disciplined direct action, as you live well and simply, sacrificing for the Earth!
As the pendulum naturally swings and the climate and forest destruction apologists temporarily regain the upper hand, now is the time to re-intensify our efforts. Tremendous inroads have been made by Mr. Gore, Greenpeace and other establishment reformists; yet the momentum has stalled because they are unwilling to fully speak and personally act upon inconvenient truths. There are too many of us, consuming too much, that will need to sacrifice and dramatically change our ways of living if there is to be a future Earth for our children.
This personal essayist has previously considered and rejected revolutionary violence at this time in the struggle for Earth being. Upon reflection, I do not believe that such an approach would now be effective and indeed may be counter-productive. Mass non-violent action must first be given a real chance. Should this fail, other options may later be necessary.
Our era lacks meaning beyond oneself, close family and friends, and our immediate experiences and consumption. I believe this is why we see such high levels of personal and Earth destructive activities. How much stuff is enough? Virtuous global citizens that truly understand and incorporate into their life the urgency of the global ecological crisis are called upon to make sacrifices including living more simply and risking their physical selves to resist ecocide.
Let the media remain impartial in the face of planetary death. Let the politicians putz and whine as they feed themselves from the fossil fuel industry’s trough. Given the failure of existing institutions and leaders to sufficiently respond to the ginormous global ecological crisis, let’s you and I and our brothers and sisters join together to do what must be done to stop the Earth destroying growth machine and return to oneness with the Earth’s land, air, water and sea. I implore you to be the change required for planetary survival.
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