It's clever, but it's one guy right, for the most part? But his carbon footprint must be devastatingly HUGE with all that air travel! Even if you believe offsetting is a way forward, to offset all that air travel he'd have to never use electricity for the next 50 years, never use public or private transport unless it's a bicycle, and never ever buy imported foodstuffs again! x
Spicy is right about the carbon footprint. But there is a value to this work that is not there in the hundreds of thousands of treks to Disneyland or to Hawaiian beaches many of us routinely engage in. I'd rather see travel that does not give back to the earth and to humans cut first, before we wipe out projects like this one.
I have a friend who likes to quote James Sage: "a thing is right when it promotes the integrity, stability,and beauty of [the biotic] community>"
I think this video, after accounting for the carbon cost, probably does, and so is right and good. It's important not to forget the impact that immeasurables, like beauty, laughter, and the promotion of community, also have on the ecosystem. Only through promoting community values will we humans manage to live in peace.
And wars have a horrific environmental cost. People need laughter and friendship to prevent them, too.
Cat is right in many respects about the emotional and spiritual value to something like this, I don't disagree--but I still hold that the carbon footprint of what is, to most people viewing it, a fun stunt, is inexcusable. And at what point does the emotional and spiritual momentary lift become too expensive to justify? That's a question worth asking.
The James Sage quote is key. In what respect does lots of air travel promote that biotic community's integrity, beauty, and stability in the context of increasing flooding and other climate change responses by the planet? In what way does a video like this make recompense to or comfort the peoples of New Orleans, or the entire nation of Bangladesh when it finds itself underwater later this century?
YouTube contains many spiritual, comedic and other clips that don't have the same footprint as this one.
I'm no killjoy--I believe it better to promote community, laughter, togetherness, and so on, by means which engage people, whether spiritual or no, with the basic idea that profligacy in air travel, whether for business or personal purposes, for serious or humorous intent, is simply unacceptable to me and many others.
Compare the work of activist groups such as Plane Stupid in the UK, which includes humorous stunts and focuses on the need for change requiring new thinking and not by any means a sackcloth-and-ashes approach, with this video. I don't think there's any way in which the video can be said to be doing anything near as positive as groups like that one, and while it is undoubtedly on one level spirit-raising and smile-inducing, for me, the background carbon-orgy that was involved in producing it far outweighs the positive.
You cannot separate intent from consequence. It is precisely that which has brought us to our current crisis. It is no good a mother saying her intent was good in feeding her child, if the food she feeds it has been produced by genetically modifying organisms, burning carbon through unnecessary food miles involved in getting the food from A to B, or results in the poor in Africa not getting food for themselves.
Nature sets no store by our excuses, or our accommodations.
We cannot, on one hand, attack giant corporations for their wilful destruction of the environment and, on the other, accept such simply because they aim to lighten hearts and make us grin, or, for a moment, make us think spiritual thoughts of a particular kind - because that only works when one does not consider what was involved in the stunt.
I know that in the US air travel is far more widely used routinely by people than it is in European countries, even though most Americans don't ever set foot outside their own nation, as Anne rightly pointed out. But still, the carbon and other pollutants involved in air travel are enormous, and I think there are better ways to engage people, to make them happy, to make them think, that don't involve massive pollution.
So I'm not sorry to disagree with others here, not one bit - I simply cannot take on the happy-happy factor from something this irresponsible, no matter how hard it tries to invoke my smile. It fails to lift my heart - it does quite the opposite, in fact.
I get my spiritual highs from things that do good for longer than three minutes, and however long they take, don't involve great hikes in pollution to make them possible. I certainly don't want to convey a joyless or holier-than-thou attitude that, truly, does not exist. I simply find this video breaches the walls of my eco-sensibilities, as it were, and make no apologies for putting the planet first ahead of my own tickle bone being engaged by a stunt.
Of course, a response like mine can put people on the defensive if their own response was very different. I don't want to do that. Have your smile, have your warm feeling, whatever... I only ask that people, particularly in our witchy Pagan communities, start asking how they themselves can address the escalating crisis of humanity's making. x
Thank you so much for your observations. It is quite interesting to see how this piece has touched you.
Nevertheless, I would encourage you to not assume that you know the motivations and/or commitments of the folks who were inspired by this clip in different ways.
For instance, I have certainly noticed my carbon foot prints as I fly and drive around the world. My husband and I, and other members of our clan-hearth, have chosen to fly less and to drive gas efficient cars not only because of the rising costs involved, but also because we didn't want to continue to add to our carbon debt. I am also committed to actually living in beauty, balance and delight in the place in which I dwell. I am a gardener who is in deep relationship with the green-bloods and Mystery. I am not a devotee of commodified spirituality. I stay current with and incorporate into my life sustainable ways of living. My relationship with the botanical realms and the Mysterious Ones have been a great influence in my day to day choices for many years.
I think it is wise to notice what is going on around us. I think it is a good thing to notice how much time, money and energy goes into all that we do. That is simply practicing the ways of the Hedge Witch/Rider. I think it is a very good thing to share information with the community. I also think it is a good thing to share our opinions with each other. I also feel that it is best if we practice all of these arts with out expectation. But, I suspect that it is not our job to assume that we know what each others' intensions are without first getting to know one another. Sadly, I have found that electronic communications are often quite lacking in such matters.
Just proves once again that white people can't dance,and shouldn't try to teach others their way of dancing, especially Australians! The results are not pretty.
15 comments:
salsa? tango? fox trot?
Let's Dance the Whole Night Long, Baby!
It's clever, but it's one guy right, for the most part? But his carbon footprint must be devastatingly HUGE with all that air travel! Even if you believe offsetting is a way forward, to offset all that air travel he'd have to never use electricity for the next 50 years, never use public or private transport unless it's a bicycle, and never ever buy imported foodstuffs again! x
This just gladdens my heart! Thank you.
This actually made me cry.Damn.
Love,
Terri in Joburg
Wow, an American who travels outside the country. That in itself is inspiring!
The revolution will be televised - on Youtube! I love youtube.
glad he and I dance under the same moon....suspend judgment...just enjoy....
Hi,Deborah,
Thanks for posting this.
Spicy is right about the carbon footprint. But there is a value to this work that is not there in the hundreds of thousands of treks to Disneyland or to Hawaiian beaches many of us routinely engage in. I'd rather see travel that does not give back to the earth and to humans cut first, before we wipe out projects like this one.
I have a friend who likes to quote James Sage: "a thing is right when it promotes the integrity, stability,and beauty of [the biotic] community>"
I think this video, after accounting for the carbon cost, probably does, and so is right and good. It's important not to forget the impact that immeasurables, like beauty, laughter, and the promotion of community, also have on the ecosystem. Only through promoting community values will we humans manage to live in peace.
And wars have a horrific environmental cost. People need laughter and friendship to prevent them, too.
Again, deborah, thanks so much for posting this.
You just made my night!
Thank you!
that made my friday, thanx.
Dandy. Now the hubby is staring at me and wondering why I'm grinning like a Cheshire Cat AND tearing up.
Oh well. Well worth it. Sometimes we all need to let go and dance with the world around us. Lovely. Thank you.
Cat is right in many respects about the emotional and spiritual value to something like this, I don't disagree--but I still hold that the carbon footprint of what is, to most people viewing it, a fun stunt, is inexcusable. And at what point does the emotional and spiritual momentary lift become too expensive to justify? That's a question worth asking.
The James Sage quote is key. In what respect does lots of air travel promote that biotic community's integrity, beauty, and stability in the context of increasing flooding and other climate change responses by the planet? In what way does a video like this make recompense to or comfort the peoples of New Orleans, or the entire nation of Bangladesh when it finds itself underwater later this century?
YouTube contains many spiritual, comedic and other clips that don't have the same footprint as this one.
I'm no killjoy--I believe it better to promote community, laughter, togetherness, and so on, by means which engage people, whether spiritual or no, with the basic idea that profligacy in air travel, whether for business or personal purposes, for serious or humorous intent, is simply unacceptable to me and many others.
Compare the work of activist groups such as Plane Stupid in the UK, which includes humorous stunts and focuses on the need for change requiring new thinking and not by any means a sackcloth-and-ashes approach, with this video. I don't think there's any way in which the video can be said to be doing anything near as positive as groups like that one, and while it is undoubtedly on one level spirit-raising and smile-inducing, for me, the background carbon-orgy that was involved in producing it far outweighs the positive.
You cannot separate intent from consequence. It is precisely that which has brought us to our current crisis. It is no good a mother saying her intent was good in feeding her child, if the food she feeds it has been produced by genetically modifying organisms, burning carbon through unnecessary food miles involved in getting the food from A to B, or results in the poor in Africa not getting food for themselves.
Nature sets no store by our excuses, or our accommodations.
We cannot, on one hand, attack giant corporations for their wilful destruction of the environment and, on the other, accept such simply because they aim to lighten hearts and make us grin, or, for a moment, make us think spiritual thoughts of a particular kind - because that only works when one does not consider what was involved in the stunt.
I know that in the US air travel is far more widely used routinely by people than it is in European countries, even though most Americans don't ever set foot outside their own nation, as Anne rightly pointed out. But still, the carbon and other pollutants involved in air travel are enormous, and I think there are better ways to engage people, to make them happy, to make them think, that don't involve massive pollution.
So I'm not sorry to disagree with others here, not one bit - I simply cannot take on the happy-happy factor from something this irresponsible, no matter how hard it tries to invoke my smile. It fails to lift my heart - it does quite the opposite, in fact.
I get my spiritual highs from things that do good for longer than three minutes, and however long they take, don't involve great hikes in pollution to make them possible. I certainly don't want to convey a joyless or holier-than-thou attitude that, truly, does not exist. I simply find this video breaches the walls of my eco-sensibilities, as it were, and make no apologies for putting the planet first ahead of my own tickle bone being engaged by a stunt.
Of course, a response like mine can put people on the defensive if their own response was very different. I don't want to do that. Have your smile, have your warm feeling, whatever... I only ask that people, particularly in our witchy Pagan communities, start asking how they themselves can address the escalating crisis of humanity's making. x
Hello Spicy,
Thank you so much for your observations. It is quite interesting to see how this piece has touched you.
Nevertheless, I would encourage you to not assume that you know the motivations and/or commitments of the folks who were inspired by this clip in different ways.
For instance, I have certainly noticed my carbon foot prints as I fly and drive around the world. My husband and I, and other members of our clan-hearth, have chosen to fly less and to drive gas efficient cars not only because of the rising costs involved, but also because we didn't want to continue to add to our carbon debt. I am also committed to actually living in beauty, balance and delight in the place in which I dwell. I am a gardener who is in deep relationship with the green-bloods and Mystery. I am not a devotee of commodified spirituality. I stay current with and incorporate into my life sustainable ways of living. My relationship with the botanical realms and the Mysterious Ones have been a great influence in my day to day choices for many years.
I think it is wise to notice what is going on around us. I think it is a good thing to notice how much time, money and energy goes into all that we do. That is simply practicing the ways of the Hedge Witch/Rider. I think it is a very good thing to share information with the community. I also think it is a good thing to share our opinions with each other. I also feel that it is best if we practice all of these arts with out expectation. But, I suspect that it is not our job to assume that we know what each others' intensions are without first getting to know one another. Sadly, I have found that electronic communications are often quite lacking in such matters.
Thank you again for an interesting post.
Bless the Bees!
Just proves once again that white people can't dance,and shouldn't try to teach others their way of dancing, especially Australians!
The results are not pretty.
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