To be Liberated

A world, A place, a point in time, a community where people made decisions based on something other than money. What would it be like? We see bits of this dream, collective businesses, co-ops, nonprofits, local currencies... But still, the majority of the decisions we make still end in green, at least in our heads.

Growing up in the hardworking, thrifty Midwest, I was immersed in a culture that counted pennies and where success was measured by "how much's." How much disposable income you had to buy things corporations shoved down your throat. How much security you had as far as being able to retire at a reasonable age and pay for your kids' educations. How much influence you had in your community, based on your success, which was based on how much money you managed to accumulate...

Marriage, a family, cars and other gas powered recreational vehicles, yearly vacations, 9-5 working hours, future retirement plans, strip malls, corporations, college funds.... this was the life I learned to live, that I was taught to look forward to. Health, culture and creativity were all afterthoughts... What about the trees? What about non-packaged food? What about third world countries, or at least Europe? What about art? What about sustainability? What the hell?

Like a diet. We only take the time to care about our health after we are already fat. After the bad life patterns are already created. At that point we go on this pathetic diet and are successful for a while, but then we go back, back to our old unhealthy way of life. Is that how it is going to be our whole lives? With everything that is truly important? Moments of motivation are not enough. Life changes are necessary.

We are choosing money over health, money over culture, money over old growth forests, money over natural beauty, money over originality, money over community, money over time.

I don't want my forest saving efforts to be like the stereotypical American diet: unproductive and irregular. I don't want to just recycle paper, cans, and plastic. I want to recycle building materials, clothes, and I want to compost. I don't want my sustainability efforts to end when I turn off the lights when I leave the house, I want to use less water and bike rather than drive. And I don't want to diet. I want to change my life.