A life of excellence

WHY BOTHER? BY GUY McPHERSON, GUEST AUTHOR

Guy McPherson

Blazing Kat Productions,

19 November, 2013

The odds seem overwhelming. Those very few of us who take action on behalf the living planet are marginalized, disparaged, and ignored. There’s considerable money in planetary destruction, but neither fame nor fortune in seeking an alternative path. Why not take the easy route?

Occasionally I ponder my own misguided path and contemplate holing up here in Fort Llatikcuf, New Mexico (hat tip to desert anarchist Edward Abbey). It would be easy to spend my days visiting with neighbors and walking in the wilderness. It would be pleasant to turn away from the omnicide and marinate in nature’s bounty. These activities surely would provide sharp contrast to the messages offering to sue me or kill me (follow-up has fallen surprisingly short in both cases). Why not throw in the towel, end the bickering with people who refuse to see the costs of the dominant culture, and live in quiet contentment?

Good question, to which my answers are feeble and incomplete.
We need witnesses to the carnage. We need to document the crimes against humanity as well as the crimes against nature. We need to illustrate alternatives, and then live them.

We need warriors if the living planet is to survive industrial civilization. As Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson points out, 10 million years are required to re-green the planet after a major extinction event. I’m no longer fighting for the long-term existence of humans, as I’ve concluded our run on this orb is nearly complete – http://guymcpherson.com/2013/01/climate-change-summary-and-update/. Rather, I’m fighting on behalf the species we’ve not yet driven to extinction. I’m fighting to increase the odds that Earth will be vibrantly green 10 million years from now.

Won’t you join me?

If you will not join me in the fight for a living planet, perhaps you’ll join me in my other quest. Even those afflicted by the arrogance of human might find it compelling. It is, after all, rooted in human decency.

Our time is short, and that’s always been the case. Even people who live to see the century mark are left with memories, and those memories are comprised of moments. With grace and luck, the good moments overshadow the bad moments, and one’s end-of-life reflection is characterized by gratitude and serenity.

Considering the relatively short time we spend in the physical realm, and observing how those in hospice act, I’m inspired to act with decency toward my fellow humans (and other organisms). Along the way, I encourage various pursuits in light of our finite existence, notably including a life of excellence filled with love.

The pursuit of excellence takes many forms. I am inspired by the approach of Socrates to a far greater extent than the usual, money-grubbing approach. Socrates humbly and repeatedly asked a handful of questions in his pursuit of excellence (http://goodmenproject.com/social-justice-2/social-justice-climate-change-is-a-social-justice-issue/ ) . Eventually, the simple questions became too uncomfortable and Socrates was killed. In contrast, the usual approach involves ignoring importance questions in the pursuit of fiat currency. If the latter pursuit leads to the untimely death of humans and other organisms — and it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which it doesn’t — we invoke phrases such as “collateral damage” and “dying with the most toys” to explain our murderous behavior.

Defining and pursuing excellence is difficult, but love is even more slippery. This culture encourages us to love and acquire material possessions, often at great cost. Although we know money and happiness are poorly and often negatively correlated, cultural insanity drives us to accumulate and consume as if these were the routes to joyful lives. Too difficult to measure and monitor, love is cast aside.

Find what you love. Pursue it. Protect it. If you love children, protect them against the myriad harms of industrial civilization. If you love the myriad organisms and ecological processes that allow for human life, do the same.

Biographical sketch:

Guy McPherson is professor emeritus of natural resources and the environment at the University of Arizona, where he taught and conducted research for 20 years. He’s written well over 100 articles, over 10 books, and has focused for many years on conservation of biological diversity. He lives in an off-grid, straw-bale house where he practices durable living via organic gardening, raising small animals for eggs and milk, and working with members of his rural community. Learn more at Nature Bats Last (guymcpherson.com) or email Guy at guy.r.mcpherson@gmail.com. (145)