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--></style><title>Re: [Greenbuilding] Martha
Stewart</title></head><body>
<div>Sorry for the long post butŠ I find myself struck by so many
aspects of this conversation that I simply cannot keep silent.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>When I see references to Star Trek, I am reminded of my
assessment of the Star Trek mythology. The philosophy seemed to change
a bit with the various shows, but only a little. It suggested that, in
the future, humans had been able to solve all the problems plaguing
their tenure on Earth and then, using new technology, venture out into
space (presumably wiser than other species of life intelligent enough
to either have taken over their own planets and/or to also have
developed the means of space travel).</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>A number of things come to mind when I think of the Star Trek
philosophy (voiced, to some degree, by Gennaro). One is that, in order
for it to truly work, the amount of resources poured into getting some
humans to other planets will have assured the loss of many more
species of life on Earth (after all, where will the steel, aluminum,
plastic and energy come from?).</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The second thing is this (and forgive me for the twists and turns
here):</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>In an episode of Star Trek Enterprise (for non-watchers, this was
the most recent TV iteration, the prequel to the original, taking
place just after the development of the warp drive), I observed
Captain Archer, talking among a small group that included a Vulcan,
say something to this effect: "on<i> Vulcan</i> you've been able
to control your emotions. But on<i> the earth</i>, we don't do things
that way." That is, when he referred to someone<i> else's</i>
planet, he named that planet using its proper name, without an article
(as we still do with Mars, Venus, Jupiter, etc.). But, when referring
to Earth, his<i> own</i> planet, he stated "it" as "the
earth".</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I believe this to be an incredibly important difference and, I
have noticed, it has now become the convention. Civilized humans have
come to refer to the planet on (in) which we live as "the
earth", in effect, expiring 'her'. It seems that our culture now
considers our planet to be nothing more than a lump of dirt, even
though we continue to refer to<i> other</i> planets with their proper
- and capitalized - names. Indeed, in Gennaro's post below, he
refers to "earth" (small "e").</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Why? It seems we have cut out the personal, spiritual sense we
once had of our Mother as a living being. In my opinion, this was
done<i> intentionally</i>, for expedience. After all, if Earth is a
living being (like Io, Mercury or Vulcan), how could we mine her and
remove her vital skin (forests)? Only by objectifying her can we do
these things and feel okay - much as men objectified women and were
thus able to 'own' them as wives (whereby they could not, by law, be
raped). We did the same with animals. Thousand of years ago - and
still today, among foraging peoples - we considered other animals to
be part of autonomous<i> nations</i>. But at some point, we came to
see them as<i> property</i>. Only then were were able to capture them
and corral them and hobble them, whip them and cut off their genitals,
so we could keep them around as our future food.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I have come to understand that the notion of 'humans' leaving
Earth for other planets is not only the epitome of the truly tragic
(for all life) mythology of civilized humans, but also a grand
delusion. If, when one looks around, one is not seeing a planet in
crisis, where humans are about to succumb to the wave of extinction
that we have, ourselves created, I believe one is deluded. If one is
seeing this as okay, thinking that other planets are the relief valve,
then, I believe, one is also part of the problem.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The other thing that comes up for me around this is that
civilized humans forget that non-civilized humans existed and, indeed,
worked quite well, thank you very much, on this planet for a million
years before the 'invention' of Civilization just a short 12,000 years
ago. It is only Civilization that has led us to the precipice of Mass
Extinction and the extinction of humans along with it.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>For me, the notion of colonizing other planets is very, very
scary because, if Civilized humans do that, I believe it is simply
INEVITABLE that we will destroy any planet on which we land. This, I
believe, is simply the nature of Civilization. Civilized humans are
the last thing I would wish upon our Milky Way.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Ethiopian proverb: "no matter how far you've traveled down
the wrong roadŠ turn back".</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I believe what is needed is for civilized humans to re-embrace a
way of seeing ourselves that is humble and abides Earth as the
ultimate governor. That would, I think, mean that we have moved back
towards seeing ourselves as a strand in the web, rather than the<i>
owners</i> of this 'property' that's been "given" to
us.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I'll end with this: Bill states below the chances of other
"life forms" crossing our path during our short existence as
being "extremely low". My experience is quite different.
From the time I was a child, I have grown to at first find
fascinating, then admire, and then<i> love</i> the thousands upon
thousands of other life forms that have crossed my path during my
short (but fluorescent) time I have spent walking upon, swimming in
and eating Mother Earth. I find "myself" surrounded by, and
indeed,<i> made up of</i>, other life forms. So, perhaps, herein lies
the problem. Most of us walk around never seeing them, never touching
them, never really eating them - never (or so we think)<i> depending
on them</i>. And thus, I often hear people express that 'we're alone
here'. Wow.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>We are not alone. We are one species among what may be more than
a<i> billion</i> unique life forms, surrounded by trillions of
autonomous individual beings, all part of something grand. We call her
Earth.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The "final frontier" is the space between our
ears.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>tim keating</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 3:32 AM +0000 2/12/11, bill.allen@verizon.net wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>I too find it hard to believe that earth
hosts the only life in the vast universe. However, considering
the infinity of time involved, the chances of other life forms
crossing our path during our short existence are extremely low.<br>
<br>
So, I believe we are stuck with just us, on earth, so we better take
the best care of it we can.<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Gennaro Brooks-Church <info@ecobrooklyn.com><br>
Sender: greenbuilding-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org<br>
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:29:10<br>
To: Green Building<greenbuilding@lists.bioenergylists.org><br>
Reply-to: Green Building
<greenbuilding@lists.bioenergylists.org><br>
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Martha Stewart<br>
<br>
Ron I'm not sure how vital us humans are to earth.<br>
Maybe somebody can remind me but from what I remember us humans
have<br>
been on the earth for about 1% of it's life. And who knows how long
we<br>
last.<br>
<br>
In time the human infestation of earth may be remembered as a
short<br>
lived irritant in earths long life.<br>
<br>
And just to mix things up a little, I think it is the epitome of<br>
arrogance to think humans are the only space travelers in this
vast<br>
universe.<br>
My bets are that we are a designated nature preserve very much
like<br>
certain cavemen tribes are in places like the Andaman islands or<br>
Borneo. The aliens are keeping us isolated so we are not tainted
by<br>
the issues of modern society (their modern society).<br>
<br>
Gennaro Brooks-Church<br>
<br>
Cell: 1 347 244 3016 USA<br>
www.EcoBrooklyn.com<br>
22 2nd St; Brooklyn, NY 11231<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 8:13 PM, Ron Cascio <roncascio@verizon.net>
wrote:<br>
> Greenwashing taken to the limits of space.<br>
><br>
> Dream on.<br>
><br>
> We already have a home, and we have evolved as a vital part of
it.<br>
><br>
> Ron<br>
><br>
><br>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lynelle
Hamilton"<br>
> <lynelle@lahamilton.com><br>
> To: "Green Building"
<greenbuilding@lists.bioenergylists.org><br>
> Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 6:38 PM<br>
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Martha Stewart<br>
><br>
><br>
> With polished silver tea service on board, I'm certain....<br>
><br>
> Lynelle<br>
><br>
> On 11/02/2011 5:59 PM, Jason Holstine wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> Everyone on this thread is more prescient than I
imagined...given<br>
>> today's announcement that Martha Stewart is teaming with
Sir Richard<br>
>> Branson on a new Space Rocket/Housing Pod-sounds like an RV
for space<br>
>> travel.<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> On 2/11/11 1:53 PM, "Benjamin Pratt"
<benjamin.g.pratt@gmail.com> wrote:</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>>><br>
>> I don't have an issue with dreaming
optimistically about the future. I<br>
>> do have a problem with spending incredible
amounts of resources and<br>
>> money exploring the universe when it could
be put to much better<br>
>> use--toward research on the environment
solutions to save our planet,<br>
>> for example.<br>
>> Ben<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> b e n j a m i n p r a t t<br>
>><br>
>> professor art+design<br>
>> the university of wisconsin stout<br>
>><br>
>>
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><br>
> --<br>
> Effective immediately, please use the following e-mail address to
reach<br>
> me: lynelle@lahamilton.com<br>
><br>
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<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
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