These are the sanest of times, these are the craziest of times. So instead of wasting our time defending (or condemning) leaders, ideologies, and religions, let’s get practical and start placing firm limits on tendencies that are pushing us and our planet into a black hole. Here’s a beginning, inspired in part by Bill McKibbens’s book Deep Economy.
- Whereas the free market contributes to global warming by transporting food to us from the farthest ends of the earth, be it resolved that we will grow and/or purchase most of our food near our homes.
- Whereas income tax collection is unfair to the poor, be it resolved that we will barter and trade goods and services as often as possible in order to reduce the taxes from which we can’t afford to hire lawyers to free us.
- Whereas the free market encourages heartless competition in order to augment the GDP and whereas competition is damaging to human relationships, be it resolved that we reject competition and instead work together so that all our boats really do rise at once.
- Whereas most rich and famous celebrities in distant cities have nothing to say to our lives as we live them and whereas the practice of shipping celebrities around the world is often a huge waste of money and exacerbates global warming, be it resolved that we will go out of our way to support the musicians, theatres, and other artists and entertainers in your own neighborhoods.
- Whereas the free market presumes to provide every one of our human needs — from food, shelter, and clothing to love, sex, and self-actualization, be it resolved that we avoid processed food, pornography, status-seeking buying habits, and virtual reality.
- Whereas the free market has dedicated far too much time and money convincing us to purchase vehicles that pollute, be it resolved that we will avoid owning private vehicles as much as is possible, depending on public transport, bicycles, and our own feet, and doing as much as possible close to home.
- Whereas the bulk of consumer goods the marketplace urges us to buy bring no happiness and simply add to our burdens, be it resolved that we will purchase nothing unless it is absolutely necessary or sure to bring a generous helping of joy into our lives.
- Whereas technology is not an evil in itself but can in fact prove an effective tool in the construction of a just society, be it resolved that we take every opportunity to limit industry’s power to kill, injure, and pollute, and seek every means possible of using technology for the good of the planet.
- Whereas the free market strives mightily to persuade us to buy new by building obsolescence into machines and extolling the virtues of new models, be it resolved that we will maintain and utilize the best examples of bygone technology as opposed to buying new.
- Whereas spirituality, nature, and the arts have been enriching human lives for far longer than has technology, be it resolved that these goods be consciously nurtured, protected, and respected in the interests of a serene and peaceful humanity.
- Whereas the military-industrial complex has tended, if unchecked, to render human beings no more than cogs in a machine, be it resolved that we live in love, seeking every opportunity to laugh, celebrate, discuss, and share warmth and solidarity with everyone we meet.
