Gaia Community: Earon's Blog

The Role of Overpopulation in Global Climate Change

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:14:50 GMT

Today is Blog Action Day, with a focus on Global Climate Change. There is so much to write about regarding Global Climate Change, which is already resulting in massive destruction to the ecosystems upon which we depend for food, water and other necessities. This time, however, I want to focus on the role of human overpopulation as a key factor in the human contribution to this global crisis.

A few days ago, I attended a panel discussion on Global Climate Change at the Society of Environmental Journalists (http://www.sej.org) conference in Madison, Wisconsin. I also attended a talk by Al Gore on the same topic, updating us about the fact that Global Climate Change is here, and having devastating impacts already. The panel on overpopulation included Prof. Paul Ehrlich, who has been writing about population for decades. It is unfortunate that so little attention is being paid to population issues in the media, apparently because it is such a sensitive topic - and virtually taboo because of the dogmas of particular religions.

Yet, human overpopulation is one of the key causes of the stresses we are placing upon our planetary resources that are leading to global climate change. We will not likely be able to control our destructive consumption and cycles of famine and war until overpopulation eases its constant pressure on planetary resources. To encourage population increases in this era is obviously irrational and in abrogation of the common sense any divine being would have conferred upon our species.

However, through lack of support for family planning and individual control over family size, many organizations around the world are actively sabotaging human efforts to live in balance with our natural world. Through direct social incentives and mandates to produce more children, these organizations promote cultural values found in ancient texts as if we are living thousands of years ago, when, indeed, the planet could easily absorb millions of additional humans. As a result, our species and our planet are further endangered and sound efforts to address global climate change and other global ecological crises such as mass extinctions are thwarted.

It does not matter why people and organizations choose to sabotage efforts to allow the human race to live in peace and prosperity on this planet. Some religious leaders look at today's situation and adapt to the world we live in today, honoring the wisdom of our ancient texts and choosing not to repeat the tragedies of which they repeatedly warn. Yet, others hold onto and re-create the ancient biblical conflicts and disasters, seemingly doomed to repeat the past rather than create a better future. I, for one, fail to see the morality in dooming our species to untold suffering. For the sake of our species, these actions and the attitudes that support them must change.

Tags: global climate change, environment, blog action day, religion, change, transformation, reason, society of environmental journalists

What do you like most about your life right now?

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:00:32 GMT

I'm just so grateful to be alive, that almost everything else pales by comparison, except the great gift of living with my life partner.

Tags: QaR, life, appreciation, wonderful

Who are we?

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:25:09 GMT

We are a wonderful species of primates who shouldn't be monkeying around with our planetary biosphere.

Tags: QaR, we, community, humanity, people, plural

What can you do right now to make a positive difference?

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:38:42 GMT

Smile and be kind to people!

Tags: QaR, life, positive, change, future

What does your highest self want for you today?

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:36:20 GMT

My highest self wants to be fed and sheltered in the company of other humans in peace and harmony. Our most basic needs are also our highest needs. Our problems manifest when we believe our highest needs to be greatness, wealth and power. Indeed, these may honoring our lowest self, not our highest!

Tags: QaR, self, message, highest self

Are we truly an observing species?

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:28:23 GMT

Yes, but not in terms of rational thought - more like "monkey see; monkey do."

Tags: QaR, duane elgin, humanity, awareness, consciousness, media

What is the life stage of humanity?

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:18:01 GMT

7 or 8 year-olds. We are smart enough to deal with complex patterns but not insightful enough to understand our own nature or to be conscious of our relationship with other species and the planet.

Tags: QaR, universe, living, humanity, stage, life, development

What message does your highest self have for the world?

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:06:11 GMT

We must fully understand that we are a species of primates before we will be able to live sustainably on this planet. The belief that we are gods or god's creations any more than other life forms distorts our ego and is at the core of pathological consumerism, nationalism and ideological and religious intolerance. We truly become special only when we believe, and act as if, we aren't!

Tags: QaR, self, highest self, world, wisdom

What does your body want to say to the world?

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:30:13 GMT

Hug each other much more!

Tags: QaR, body, message, communication, speaking, writing

Gaia Quotations for Change

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:39:44 GMT

Today, I was honored to find out that one of my quotations from Gaia.com was used in the brochure of a Duluth, Minnesota organization helping people who are being abused. The same quote was used in the online Times of India and several blogs. Others were used in the web profile of a peace activist and one was used in a nonprofit catalog supporting public television.

So, I want to thank Gaia.com for not merely helping us chatter among ourselves, but for empowering deeper content with wonderful tools necessary to help move our culture forward along the path of peace, justice and sustainability.

The ripples of Gaia.com do move outwards across the Internet, so let's consciously use this wonderful resource to become the change we seek - both internally and externally. The world can, indeed, change.

Where do your healing words turn up once you send them out in an electronic bottle 0n the Internet's sea of information? Here's where some of mine went:

(The brochure of a nonprofit in Duluth, MN fighting domestic abuse)
http://www.pavsa.org/Resources/documents/DisabilitiesSideOnecopy.pdf

India (An editorial on peace and tolerance in the Times of India)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3927095.cms?

New Zealand (Final paragraph of a Maori Party leader's speech)
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0809/S00681.htm

Tags: quote, quotations, gaia.com, hope, change, ripples, Earon

Black Man's Burden

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:06:48 GMT

How long has it taken to finally let African Americans feel that they are
a vital part of this nation which they helped build?
What a terrible burden to have to carry! Will it now be lifted?
This is an amazing journey for all of us.

As a white male, I could "pass" for being an "American"
in ways that people of color could not,
in ways that people with visible disabilities can not,
in ways that women still can not.
And when will their burdens be lifted?

How long has it taken for the United States
to finally figure out that racism and sexism are mental disorders?
Does sanity require a majority vote? Apparently, it does.
Does it simply emerge from our souls
and slowly grow until one day we know something
that our ancestors may not have been able to see?

Barack Obama isn't President because America came to its senses.
He was elected because America turned greedy and stupid,
and had nowhere else to turn
than to a people who had kept the faith,
who had witnessed the truth,
and, like the oppressed before them,
became a reservoir of strength and grace,
chosing compassion over violence, love over hate.

But this mixed-race scholar and organizer,
this brilliant and compassionate man,
has stepped up to carry an enormous burden
for all of us. He can not carry this burden alone,
nor is it right to ask him and his family to do so.

My ancestors never owned slaves,
and they were oppressed, themselves,
as many minority groups around the world.
But I can see as clearly as the noon sun
that Barack is my brother and Michelle is my sister.
They have come to help put our nation in order,
to serve us all, to carry a burden that belongs to all of us.

So, let us rededicate ourselves,
Let us inaugurate ourselves,
in this great vision and mission,
to once and for all lift the black man's burden
and the burdens of all those burdened by exclusion,
not just for their benefit, but for the benefit of all,
that they might have the strength to help carry ours.

Black men and women, and girls and boys,
and those who are brown, yellow and red,
and those who may have different abilities,
it is time to bind our partnership in this great land
with a very simple knowledge,
that prejudice and ignorance are self-defeating
mental defects - and that no one deserves to
carry the burdens of racism or sexism or other prejudices.

On this Inauguration Day, we find ourselves in the company of
greatness, not just the Obama's, but all of us.
Let's all pledge to be part of the solution to our many challenges,
and to rid this nation of prejudices - not just because they
can diminish others - but because they diminish all of us.

Tags: Black Man's Burden, African, African-American, race, prejudice, hope, peace, faith, racism, sexism. Obama

Earon responds to the question: What is your favorite theory?

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:01:17 GMT

My favorite theory is that humans are exponentially more intelligent than all other animal life on the earth. It is my favorite, because I think it is rather charming and cute - not because I think it is correct. My second-favorite theory is that there is an entity called God, that created earth and all the life on it. Again, it is charming and cute, but seemingly delusional. We humans can apparently talk ourselves into anything. And that's why I see theories as entertainment rather than truth.

Tags: QaR, theory, belief, explanation, world

Reflections on a Historic Moment at Grant Park in Chicago

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:54:06 GMT

100 0786

100 0793

My partner, Martha, and I were there at Grant Park last night. It was an amazing experience to be with so many people, like us, who had felt that we were alone for many years in this country. It was a crowd of immense size, but immense diversity, solidarity and compassion. Young and old, all economic backgrounds, and all of the different hues of the human race. We had been marginalized because of our mature, nuanced love for the ideals of America, beyond the shallow self-proclaimed "values" that glossed over the old standards of racism, exclusivity, intolerance, sexism and greed. The wheels had come off of America for us. And now, they are being restored.

I do not know how someone can think of themselves as an American and yet be racist or sexist, or think that it is appropriate to hate people because they are gay, atheist, Hispanic, Muslim, highly educated, uneducated or any other demographic category. This is unfathomable to so many of us, but we realize that these threads were once dominant in this nation, despite the ideals of our democracy, despite the herculean efforts of our founders, despite the values of all major religions, and we respect the efforts of people to "tolerate" or "respect" others as steps toward embracing all Americans as valuable and equal. All that we ask is that people recognize that there is not just one "right" way to live, and that those who preach hate and intolerance are most certainly not on God's side.

So, hope begins anew. This is a time for celebration, indeed, but what I feel most is that sigh of relief, that sense of peace when we know that we've been lost in a strange land, but we find the right map, and we see where we are, and we know where we need to go. To many of us, for the first time in 8 years, America has refound its bearings.

Congratulations to America!

Tags: Obama, America, democracy, values, humanity, politics, elections, hope, justice, race

Three Weeks in China

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:32:49 GMT

I just returned from a trip to China, spending two days in Beijing and over two weeks in Qinghai Province in Western China, which is high (The major city, Xining, is at an elevation of 7,200 feet) on the Tibetan Plateau http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai. This province is heavily populated and influenced by Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim, Tu and Mongolian minority groups. It is a gateway to Tibet.

This was my first trip to the Peoples Republic of China and I'm still processing all of the sights, interactions and perspectives. I've seen the most technologically advanced cities ( Beijing is by far the largest city I've seen - and I live in Chicago and have been to New York and London) and yet poor rural areas in which grain is harvested by hand. Mud houses with satellite dishes. Shepherds with motorbikes. People with cell phones who may have never used a land line.

I attended the World Mountain Documentary Festival of Qinghai, China as a guest of the Qinghai Provincial government and television station and was deeply impressed by the sincerity, skill and culture of the Chinese people. Yet, I'm not sure what to write about.

Would you like to play a role in the evolution of this blog? If so, feel free to ask about any aspect of my trip!

Tags: China, Tibet, documentary, festival, buddhism, plateau

Book Keepers - A poem about personal libraries

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:07:32 GMT

Book Keepers

By Earon S. Davis

7/6/08

My library contains the breadth and depth of human thought,
at least to me, it does.
It contains books I’ve read, partially read, hope to read, and will never read,
but the thoughts are mine, even the books that have wandered off.
And they speak to me, a constant faint whisper on the shelves and in the small piles waiting for a home on the shelves, or in a box.
The whisper grows louder when I peruse their spines, touch their flesh, let their words flow into my temporal awareness.
Holding a book is a powerful feeling, a connection to the author and to countless other readers and book keepers throughout time and space.

A cybershelf has power, indeed, but one’s own physical book shelf is a miraculous extension of our own minds.
There are old books, some very old and/or obscure. And there are the books that followed me home from the book shop like stray dogs or cats, butterflies or apes.
There’s not much that is practical about a personal library,
except perhaps the role it plays in my own life support system,
my own connection with the peoples, cultures and ideas that squirm though my brain periodically,
In the form of words preserved in books,
books that I keep.

Tags: book, books, library, libraries, personal, culture, reading, literature, book keepers

Dance, Monkeys Dance!

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:18:15 GMT

I wanted to share with you a funny, thought-provoking little video on YouTube that helps present the idea behind my "Divine Primates" work. "Dance, Monkey Dance" is a video from Ernest Cline http://www.ernestcline.com .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a15KgyXBX24

What we are

This is not just a cute metaphor. Humans are primates. We are not perfectable creations of a divine being, but rather are close cousins to apes and obviously related to the other complex animal species on this planet. We are different in a way, because of our complex symbolic thinking, but we live our lives with precisely the same motivations as the other animals. We seek to meet our basic needs in ways that allows us to function in our social groupings in relative peace and security!

No matter how long you spend at a university or in an upscale urban or suburban neighborhood, there will still be pick up trucks with gun racks and bars where people go to get drunk and strip clubs and fundamentalists acting as if they were licensed to enforce "God's Will" upon everyone else on earth. There will still be religious leaders who have sex with children and there will still be business people who lie, cheat and steal. Greed and fear are part of human nature just as generosity and hope. We are inconsistent and quirky and will never become "vulcans" or "robots" or "angels."

So, what do we do with this information about humans being primates? Do we give up all of our spiritual metaphors and aspirations? No. In fact, we learn to take better care of ourselves, to see through the greed and fear-based cultural constructs that create a culture where fear, depression and feelings of meaninglessness and futility are endemic. We learn that there is no such thing as a "free market" or "victorious war" or "bombing our enemies into the stone age."

What we do, is we slow down. We stop buying so much stuff. We recognize that buying more stuff and having lots of waste and money isn't going to give our lives more meaning. We take action to protect our security, but we don't bully and abuse other nations or other species just for the sport of it. We come to understand that killing and maiming and terrorizing other people encourages them to return the favor as soon as they are able.

Does this mean our economy will collapse? Things are changing either way. Our current way of looking at the world is grossly dynfunction and unsustainable. It is already "hitting the fan." Our greed and arrogance have caused us to fail to prepare for natural disasters and economic cycles. "Free market" delusions leave us open to real estate and mortgage crises that make many people wealthy at the risk of creating a depression. Primates should not be trusted to run an economy until we understand how to control our inevitable excesses - until we understand that we are primates.

When we learn to live more within our means, we become more grateful for being alive, and respectful of other people because, after all, we're quite a wonderful species. But we get carried away with things and we have to remind ourselves to behave in ways that help society function - rather than creating huge problems all the time. We become good neighbors because that is how things work well and everyone stays happy. We don't become good neighbors because we are afraid of going to Hell, but because we finally figure out that our consumerist culture, which is destroying our planet, IS hell!

There are paths to a better life, a sustainable life. To travel these paths, we will have to give up some of the things to which we are addicted. We will have to spend less time as workaholics and more time as partners and parents and friends and neighbors. We will need to consume far less gasoline and other nonrenewal energy and other resources. We won't all follow the same path, but we will each seek better ways to live. We will experiment and will learn to depend upon each other in new ways.

And we will build a future of meaning and compassion and partnership. It will not be perfect, but it does not need to be perfect. After all, we're primates - not gods.

Peace,

Earon

Tags: hope, stress, primates, monkeys, energy, sustainable, sustainability, future, sanity, spirituality

Networking for Book Lovers

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 05:13:14 GMT

My first experience with posting my favorite books online in a library database was the Zaadz/Gaia "Books" function, which allows members to post their favorite books, write reviews, communicate with others who have similar interests, etc. What a good experience that was. In fact, I have found that posting the lists of books we've read may tell more about who we are - than the stuff we write in our profiles.

I guess I'm not alone, because there are other websites that are dedicated to networking about the books we are drawn to. You might check out http://www.goodreads.com and http://www.librarything.com. I'll always have a special place in my heart for the Zaadz/Gaia library, but there's also a place for these specialized websites. Those of you who are authors can be designated as such on these other websites, which have additional ways to help spread the word about your books, and to connect with other authors.

And, if you stop by these websites, be sure to look me up.

Peace,

Earon

Tags: book, books, library, libraries, librarything, goodreads, authors, writers

Faith Comes, In Daily Life

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:53:31 GMT

Faith Comes, In Daily Life

by Earon S. Davis

Faith comes, in daily life,
from the embrace of a loved one,
the sound of laughter,
a song sung for no reason,
a spectacular sunset,
or an ordinary sunset shared with a beloved.

Faith comes, in daily life,
from a deep breath,
a hot shower or a crisp dip in the pool.
It comes from a mediocre meal when you are famished,
A comfortable seat at the end of a long day,
or from the bus, cab or car that finally arrives to pick you up.

Faith comes, in daily life,
from the outstretched arms of a friend,
the sharing of an idea with lofty intentions,
the rain which ends a drought, a simple rainbow,
a soaring hawk, a grateful smile,
or the touch that helps us feel like we belong.

Faith comes, in daily life,
when we notice we've woken up
and have a new day of life.
It comes from all around us, including religion,
but does not come from a god or a church or a book.
It comes from life, from our human nature,
our connection with the people,
other beings and the world around us.

Faith comes, in daily life,
and can not be stored or hoarded,
not in a book, even if memorized chapter and verse,
but must be renewed daily,
with the fresh air of open hearts and minds.

If you wish to see how faith comes, in daily life,
open your heart and mind to the beauty of life,
and sit quietly, patiently
to experience what it is to be fully alive, fully human.
When the heart is open, faith comes,
and inside faith is the greatest courage of all,
the faith to live and to love.

Tags: faith, courage, religion, love, peace, heart, hope

Contemplating Political Activity

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:24:40 GMT

There is a strong focus in this community on feel-good insights that leave our hearts soaring in a tranquil space, and much of this does resonate with me. I love the poetic soul in flight, but also value its grounding in the real world. Living a life of sercice and mindfulness requires some vision and idealism, but life is still a dance between the various facets of our nature and the world around us. We are primitive animals with amazing imaginations and, at times, computer-like precision. Yet, we are so challenged in modulating our inquiries and bringing attention towards vital problems on a grand scale.

We appear incapable of living sustainably on this planet, and yet spend so much time trying to convince ourselves that everything can be okay, that we might fail to implement the efforts required for that reality to manifest. We seek balance, but our inertia steers us towards complacency and mediocrity. We are amazing creatures, but we make the mistake of taking our divinity too seriously - a danger for any race of gods.

Those of us living in America are so complacent, it amazes me. We are stealing the resources of the developing world every second, as we feel badly about that, but we do little about it - because that might require a change in our lifestyles, perhaps. We tolerate an incompetent in the White house and are content to allow him in office for 8 years, when he should have been impeached after starting an inappropriate, unnecessary war. We are so patient in waiting for the political pendulum to swing back, but without a solid understanding of how the entire course of the pendulum may have changed. We think that it is our kindness and compassion that are causing dissatisfaction with the current administration - and yet it is our fear of conflict and our complacency which have allowed it to wreak havoc.

Marriane Williamson's quote about how we most fear our power and our success is profound wisdom which we recognize. However, we sit here in our fear, unwilling to get involved with the political struggles going on - so afraid of our power that we can barely get ourselves to vote - let alone live lives of the courage we admire in Gandhi. We want to "become the change we seek" by meditating and feeling tranquil in the face of our rampant consumerist stampeeds, pleased that we purchase less cheap plastic crap than our neighbors, or a more energy efficient vehicle. Change takes more than that. It takes the courage of Gandhi - not just flowing robes and high-sounding speech - but a flexing of our political muscles. We dare not stand up with our power and demand a government that is responsible and competent and doesn't manipulate its citizens and deliver us to the corporate gods of consumerism and neo-colonialism.

There are leaders who are seeking to create change and shift the momentum of America from its multinational-corporate-military-industrial-fundamentalist complex towards an economy in which the average person can have dignity and a productive job. I'm going to be spending more time as a citizen of this nation and, more importantly, this planet. Please find ways in your own lives, in your own communities, to stand up for our values and manifest our visions through involvement and living in our power - rather than relying upon the law of attraction to somehow turn demented old men like Cheney and Rumsfeld into giggling schoolgirls. Sometimes, the "secret " is being an informed electorate and claiming our power - not falling prey to manipulative marketing schemes with pie-in-the-sky materialistic promises that make us docile and unwilling to stand up for our values.

Is this wisdom? Or foolishness? I don't know. What do you think? I'm not advocating extremism or violence, but some shifting of the balance over to political action and organizing. Sometimes, wisdom means standing up for your values - not sitting out elections and being passive - even if the latter is the most comfortable and easy path.

Peace,

Earon

Tags: politics, elections, democracy, values, voting, obama, clinton, spirituality, future, courage, Gandhi

Blogging for Obama

http://divineprimate.gaia.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:00:03 GMT

Yes We Can Obama Song by will.i.am

I admire Hillary Clinton and have deep respect for her intelligence, courage and her years of service to this nation. But Barack Obama has the intangibles on his side in this primary. He has the vision we can all share - a vision of a new system where party politics don't matter - where America is one and where the world is one. He invites us to become the change we seek - not just to beat up on Republicans - for being so greedy and putting an incompetent in the White House - but to move forward together.

Please don't equate spirituality with passivity. Stand up for your visions and your hopes for a better future. Say "Yes We Can!!!" Gandhi was the most courageous, outrageous and stubborn of humans. Yet, he held an unyielding vision of peace and freedom. That is what we need today.

Let's not just bring our soldiers in Iraq "OM." Let's bring them HOME. Let's not sit in our inner peace and let the world fall apart. Let's dare to get involved in the world again. Open your heart and listen to the leader who inspires you to be the best person you can be. Now is the time to unleash our love and feel our power - sending it out into the world where it can make a difference. Yes, We Can!

Peace,

Earon

Tags: obama, peace, yes we can, spirituality, politics, government, vision, hope, future