Renewable Energy

Renewable energy...while most of us think of this phrase in terms of the environment only, it is a phrase I've been dogging around in my skull for some time now. I think that WE as human beings, and by extension, WE as minute particles in the global scheme of things need to address on an emotional, spiritual and ethical level.

If you're looking to get started, take a look at Al Gore's diatribe in "Inconvenient Truth" to see just HOW we as human beings, on a personal, a community, an urban, a national, an international and on a global level are affecting one another with our choices.

THIS is a man who's living his Divine Potential; this is a man affecting human Beings ONE Being at a time...sending the message that WE are responsible, in each consumer choice we make in our lives (whether we consider them significant or not) and that where we are making decisions moment to moment, hour to hour, day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year about how we live and more importantly how WE utilize our capacity to DO something about how we affect our world is exactly that...it's a decision and it should be an informed, conscious one.

Worse than this is, by virtue of our NON-decision and NON-action, we are still making a choice...the choice to leave things as they are.

Apparently this is not ok.

Mr. Gore addresses specifically our contributions to Global Warming, our Environment and our World. It's a seriously good few hours of your time and worth your thoughts and personal energy. And it may make you want to think about what you drive, how you drive, what you heat your home with, whether or not you vote, what party you'll want to vote for, what you eat, how you cook it, how you grow it, how you consume...yes, how you consume. How WE consume.

We are, by nature, consumers.

Look at WalMart...they know we are and rely on us. Walking through THOSE front doors, under the big blue and white sign is also a choice. Apparently there's a really good flick out about THAT too, and will change your mind about shopping mindlessly there. I haven't seen it, but I've already made that decision for myself...I was recently persuaded by a highly intelligent, sensitive and sentient 17 year old young lady.

Even if you ARE from Parry Sound, there IS a choice.

And so it is with all aspects of our lives...there are choices. Those choices don't just affect us personally, they affect - WE affect - each other, each person, each community & each nation microscosmically and macrocosmically; small scale - big scale. EACH of us is connected to one another, and also to each sentient, energy producing/consuming entity in the world. Seriously,...and it's not that difficult to fathom...each of us are made of cells, cells conduct energy and are central communicators in all facets of our physical, emotional and even spiritual functioning...so it's not THAT huge a leap to understand that our energy consumption and creation affects ALL of us, as individuals and as a global sort of consciousness, on some level. We use energy, but we also create it.

Not all human Beings are aware of this. This reckoning comes with great responsibility...HOW to best share this kind of energy?

I offer that we do so...lovingly, openly & willingly. Consciously. However, consciously implies there is thought, there is intent and there will be actions and reactions.

Consider Newton's Third Law:

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."

[I borrowed the following explanation from an online science site: http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/GBSSCI/PHYS/CLASS/newtlaws/u2l4a.html]

The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. Forces always come in pairs - equal and opposite action-reaction force pairs.

A variety of action-reaction force pairs are evident in nature. Consider the propulsion of a fish through the water. A fish uses its fins to push water backwards. But a push on the water will only serve to accelerate the water. In turn, the water reacts by pushing the fish forwards, propelling the fish through the water. The size of the force on the water equals the size of the force on the fish; the direction of the force on the water (backwards) is opposite the direction of the force on the fish (forwards). For every action, there is an equal (in size) and opposite (in direction) reaction force. Action-reaction force pairs make it possible for fish to swim.

Action-reaction force pairs make it possible for us to love & forgive one another also. Make it possible for us to DO just about anything actually, make it possible for us to choose not to destroy our planet with CO2 emissions (be like my dad...create a bio-diesel car, or...ride your bike, walk, carpool, buy better electrical equipment, spend $40,000 on wind or solar power instead of a new car or ATV/Snowmobile)...for every choice we make, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Today, if I choose to be angry because my needs are being neglected...the equal reaction may be my partner equally pissed off at me for being snappy about it, and the opposite reaction may be me experiencing some kind of (guilty) pleasure at having shared my discontent (and thus creating the equal reaction of...pissing him off.) He then gets on with his day and is snappy with kids, who then go to school all disgruntled and unpleasant as well and they snap at their friends at school, who are then in turn kind of crusty when they get home and go on to annoy their parent, who then gets testy with the other parent and before you know it...as we are all connected to one another, and we all react to one another...we're all crusty and testy. Maybe even angry.

I'm not saying we can't be angry or testy from time to time...but I do think we need to be aware of how our actions affect one another past a snappy comment & on a more global level.

Imagine how great the world would be if we were busy spreading the love this way? I won't break into a John Lennon song here, but him and Yoko had some seriously great ideas in this regard. And, I am once again back to my old friend Leo Buscaglia..."Love is,...gently leading you back to yourself"...imagine the world if we were all consciously participating in this endeavour?

How catching is a smile. Someone offers you one, immediately we are drawn in and smile back...we smile at someone else...and so, we share. It's deeper than that actually. That smile triggers a whole slew of parasympathetic responses in the body that then go on to create 'feel good' signals in the brain and body, and we find we are affected on a cellular level. A smile is not just a smile. Warmth is not just warmth. Love is not just love. We have the potential to affect every single person on this earth.

Al Gore asks you to consider how your small daily actions & consumption affect our world, our personal and global environments and one another.

I ask you to consider how your small daily actions; how your emotional, ethical & spiritual energy ouput affects our world, our personal and global environments and one another.

The choice is ours.