Let me start by saying I am not a prophet and do not pretend to be one. However, my recent nightmare is causing me to rethink this.
My father is a psychiatrist and my sister is a physician, though more public health oriented. The former likes to analyze dreams and the latter happened to be in one of mine the other night. It was not a pleasant one. Here’s the short version: my sister and I were pulling bodies from the beach after a man-made disaster (tsunami induced by the intentional sinking of a fuselage just off shore, I know, sounds like Lost, but that’s what happened) buried them in sand.
I said it was unpleasant. However, I got to thinking about it a day or two later. I didn’t tell my dad because I wasn’t interested in his dream analysis; I’ve come to an interpretation of my own. My sister in her profession and me here at 2nd Green Revolution are trying to save the world. She works through the auspices of medicine and preventive health. I am doing my best through this site, my research, and our nonprofit arm, Center for Sustainable Initiatives, to bring about a healthier future for people and the planet.
Here’s where the dream comes in. It often feels like both of us (and here I’m speaking for my sister, not on her behalf) are fighting against a system largely designed to be unsustainable, inefficient, and perhaps worst of all inhumane. I get the sense that the world is opposed to the work we’re trying to do. I know we aren’t alone in engaging in this work, but the “forces” counteracting us seem immense.
We need to change the system. It’s been said that the best (perhaps the only) way to do this is by working within it. If this is the case, it’ll take a lot of you helping each other. Demand more sustainable options, whether they’re at your local grocer, the big box store, your salon, or the county government. Private corporations and publicly traded companies need to understand this is important. If there are customers to satisfy, it can be done.
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