by Prateado | May 26, 2015 | divest, ecology, Uncategorized
Divest towards a livable future Stanford University. Norway. Who is next? This earth we inhabit has for 2 centuries had the great boon of coal to power its technological inventions to get us to where we are now. Colonialism 2.0 would never have been possible without it. Which is precisely why we need to get rid of it. Because those who mine coal, do so under duress, not because they enjoy being paid a pittance to destroy their local ecology. Divesting from fossil fuels is one of the most tangible ways to move the lever of power from subsidizing programs of power that benefit a minority at the expense of the majority and the earth. It’s sort of like that old bumpersticker: The same goes for fossil fuels. But, without being too Pollyannish about the future of divestment (which–may it continue until there is no more money in oil, fracking, and gas, and renewables carry the day (and night)), let us remember a flaw in their policy: The UN’s Sustainable Development policy in Rio, Brazil clearly stated in 1992: reduce, reuse, recycle. Hence the hanging question: where is the reduction in energy use on the horizon? With any energy ‘solution’ must come a German-style reduction policy, so that the states, citizens, and industries are using less resources, that appliances are increasingly (and obliged to be) efficient; that we learn to live more in cycles that resonate with the sun (thereby reducing the need of electricity), and find ourselves increasingly engaged in activities that do not require artificial power, and help steward and support those processes that autopoietically generate power....
by Prateado | May 26, 2015 | bullshit, intuition, Uncategorized
A recent Onion Article adroitly recognizes how we’re literally filling up our precious braincells with Bullshit. Like Harry Frankfurt’s classic, On Bullshit, we suffer from a malaise that comes from being bombarded with Bros, charlatans, and other people who are deluded into taking the unimportant to be important. One of my general rules is, if it is being advertised, it is bullshit. If it needs glitter and sauce to make it palatable, it stinks and isn’t edible. Discernment is one of the virtues of every religion. Following the hummingbird – is my mantra. Be tuned in enough to know when something feels right and when it doesn’t. This in turn requires cultivating intuition, which one gets from hanging around people who are trusting, supportive, and aren’t lying to you. The more people are insecure or are lying to you, the more poisoned, confused, and misdirected your intuition becomes. Don’t buy the bullshit. Extricate yourself from unhealthy situations. Even (and especially) if its socially awkward, requires a lot of courage, or breaks mores and norms. You can do it. For the betterment of your own soul, and ultimately, for all of creation. ...
by Prateado | May 22, 2015 | Austria, Berlin
Dear Universe, In successfully moving from Berlin to Vienna, I also have my website back up online (finally!) with the help of a couple good friends (thanks René and Itom!). It has been a while — partially, because I have been busy focusing on my academic life, and partly because I was just taking a break. With the major hurdles behind me (enshallah), now I can balance my life again, giving due attention to my health, movement, play, music, and my other spiritual practices. Not that my more bookish work isn’t spiritual–in fact, I sincerely strive to make a meditation out of all of my duties and bring joy and insight to those things I most wish to share in service to the world. But sometimes, as those college admissions people say, one has to become “well-lopsided” rather than well-rounded, at least for phases. And I have just been in such a phase, and the cocoon is gently opening. Liebe Grüße,...
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