It made me think, what would my so-called new planetary ethics be? I would like to propose the following: Climate, peace, ethnic cleansing, sustainable fuel sources, habitat preservation, human rights, black lives matter, hunger, infectious disease (pandemic), oceans, pollution, population, mindfulness. Some are borrowed from Ms. Goodenough; some have been added by me. I am struggling with some of these items, in that some bring up a negative emotion while others may engender more neutral or positive feelings. However, they are my key words of items we as society or planet need to focus on by fixing the negatives or enforcing the more positive items. Moreover, the order I put them in is random except maybe the last word: Mindfulness.
I realize, who the hell am I that I have the audacity to even think, propose, or write about a list like this and dare to call for a new planetary ethics? Oh well, this is my blog, and as a regular reader you know I have strong opinions, at times. These are my new planetary ethics. If you want to propose your own, tell me yours in the comment section below. However, these are some of the credos I would want to preach and live by.
Climate, sustainable fuel sources, oceans, pollution, population are all somewhat related. As you my regular reader will know, I have been on a climate change soap box for a long time. I have written a lot about the legacy we are leaving future generations, out children and grandchildren. While a lot of conservatives worry about money and the economic future, they do not appear to care if anyone survives to spend that money. Fuel relates to air pollution and that appears to be the driver to a lot of the environmental issues. Oceans don’t only address sea level rise, but also warmer ocean temperatures which allows less oxygen to dissolve in it, but it also addresses ocean acidification from increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere.
Peace and ethnic cleansings should be clear to you all. The war in Ukraine and the so called claim of Naziism. Putin’s need to cleanse that country. Let’s not talk about what China is doing to its Muslin population in the west. Hey, we are not much better in the white supremacy circles in this country. That is where Black-Lives-Matters comes in and all human rights. Naturally, hunger needs to be included as well.
Now where does population fits in? As I mentioned in a post, while I am not a Malthusian freak, I do believe that the earth has a carrying capacity. What I mean with this is that it can only support a limited number of people. What that will be or is, I have no idea. We are probably there already. I am for population control. Not mandatory, but birth control should be available to all and should be taught in school, so that everyone can make a sensible decision of their own. This includes a woman’s right to choose. Too many rats in a cage makes for wars and pandemics, the other word on my list.
Finally, the last word. The word I throw around a lot: Mindfulness. As regular readers and followers of my Instagram account know, I am a huge proponent of forest bathing or spending mindful time in the woods. I personally think that the interpersonal, health and mental health issues for a lot of people can be taken care of when we spend more time in nature. The world would be a better place. In addition, we would appreciate what is being done to the environment, our senses would calm down and we would become more peaceful. Can you just imagine Putin walking through the woods instead of sitting at one end of a very long table ordering to kill more Ukrainians?
So here you have it. My (not so new, somewhat borrowed) world ethics. I’ll be trying to live by them. Let me know yours, please!
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| We had a nice walk in Yorktown this weekend. Spring had started and we enjoyed the spring flowers and the budding green. |
