24K Views

I think that a celebration is in order. I just checked my views and blogger says I have hit 24 thousand views with my work. Back in the days when I went door to door raising awareness and money for Citizens for a Better Environment, it took over a year to talk with that many people. I had to go out from 4-9pm, in all kinds of weather and meet strangers to talk to about ecological issues, pending legislation and ways for them to get involved in creating a more sane and safe world. Now, with technology, I can do the same thing, world-wide, reaching out to people,in an effort to do many of the same things. Although I have made a personal commitment to writing seven posts per month, I am able to have far more reach and talk much more openly about issues that I feel are pressing here, in this type of forum, than I ever would have been allowed to do at the non-profit that employed me. The fact that one way of educating and informing was limited to to a finite area of coverage and the other is available worldwide to anyone with a computer and internet access was daunting at first, but I think that there are possibilities, using this forum that simply did not exist with meeting people face to face.

I would love to have more personal contact with my readers, but perhaps that is too much to ask for. I often write about the difference between wants and needs, and since seeing my readers face to face is just a want, I am willing to sacrifice it for what we really need, collectively, as a people. Sometimes I forget that what I have to say might be as important in Zimbabwe or Ireland, Russia or China as it is here in the good old U.S. of A., but as I look at the statistics of who is reading and where they live, I am always amazed at the relevance my work seems to hold in every corner of the globe.

I recently wrote that I have seen far too many analysts and commentators, who take social trends very seriously, wringing their hands about how there are no longer "protest songs" being recorded. This is only funny to me because I see the exact opposite being true. Sometimes I think that these folks must only be listening to X-tian pop radio, or American talk radio. They certainly don't listen to the same music as I do. For one, here in Wisconsin, every week day at noon, a gathering forms in our State Capitol, under the great dome, or on Fridays in nice weather outside the building, to sing both old and new protest songs in support of the millions of people who have had their lives made worse by our illustrious Governor Walker. Every day, protest songs are sung, every day, artwork is being made that responds to the crushing of civilization by the monied class, every day, poetry and prose are written to call us out of the corporate welfare inspired stupor that many democracies have fallen under.

You readers must see this in other areas of your lives. I assure you that I am never alone in my standing up for our humanity, not unique in continuing to stay true to the ideas of peace, love and understanding. I know for a fact that I am not alone in asking for true peace and security based on people, profits and the planet. There are more and more gardeners every day, more and more organic farmers, more and more teachers as well as more and more artists who cannot abide the slow whittling away at our basic rights, to have a life free of oppression, whatever form it takes.

I have spoken to far more than 100,000 people in person while working for Citizens for a Better Environment and over 10 million during my Great Lakes Bicycle trip about voluntary simplicity, sustainable lifestyles and small changes that we can make in our lives to protect the air, water and soil from contamination, buy in many ways, this blog allows me to go into both greater detail and a very different perspective than showing up on someone's porch to ask for money, or coming to them through the media outlets that are dominated by corporate lies. Radio and tee vee are completely instant and forgettable in their ephemeral nature and even the news papers are just material to be recycled a few days or weeks later. Although my words, written here, are but tiny yes-no (on-off)impulses conveyed through billions of switches, My readers can call up, or share these writings as often as they wish, spread them as far and wide as they wish and as long as the worldwide web exists, so will these words, so in some ways, this mode of communication is better than all the other ones combined.

You are the important difference as well. Somehow, you found my words, continue to read them and occasionally give me excellent feedback. I only wish that my words will move something deep inside you to take action, physically get involved, or if nothing else feel inspired to act more compassionately and thoughtfully with regard to the planet, her creatures (including people)as you go about making your way through the cycles of give and take that we understand to be "commerce". Each one of us has the power to inspire change, inform our fellow human beings about the changes that we are working toward and to make the lives of others better by our very words and deeds. If my words have inspired a single action, my work has paid off.