Sept 11, (forgot to get this posted when I landed in Vancouver from Europe)

Airtime…what do I do when sitting for ten hours on a plane? Some may think it’s a huge bore, a waste of time, which pretty much makes it a countdown to the future. This ironically and unfortunately is how many of us conduct our daily lives, always looking forward to the next moment impatiently. But the present holds tremendous opportunity no matter where you are, and it doesn’t even matter whether you have an iphone in your pocket with wi-fi reception!

So what did I do on the flight? Here’s a quick list:

• Finished reading “Zen in the Art of Archery“
• Started reading another Ken Wilber book
• Listened to some Xavier Rudd music
• Listened to the Thom Hartmann Podcast
• Listened to the Living Dialogues Podcast,
• Ate a couple specially requested vegetarian meals (a free option for any flight with food)
• Watched “The 11th Hour” on my computer (because of course no on board plane entertainment would feature such an important film)
• Had a couple short naps
• Had a bunch of silent ‘zone out’ sessions while watching the clouds below
• And did a little writing on the computer, as seen below…

I don’t want to be entertained for the sole purpose of passing the time. Time is the most precious resource we have, though most don’t take advantage of it due to the wicked consumerism cycle. What we choose to do with our spare time (and money) is more important today than ever before. Like one quote from “The 11^th Hour”, and it was actually the closing quote from film, “The Earth has all the time in the world, but we don’t”, - Oren Lyons.

How do you want to spend your time? Stuck in traffic, working long hours to pay for the car that’s bigger, the house that’s bigger, the extra stuff you have to put in it not to mention the time it takes to find and buy all that stuff. Do you want to spend the down time you do have worrying about all the stuff you have accumulated and the possibility of losing it? How do you want to spend your time? What is really important and do your actions reflect it? Maybe you’ll have “time” when you retire, if you can just make it another 3, 10, or 30 years, then it’ll all be good - big house paid off and time to travel and finally enjoy life. Yes? …NO!!!!

I am increasingly becoming tired of our cultures rampant material lifestyles and the negative effects it has. I have been as guilty as anyone, but coming to terms with the charge is the first step, and owning this truth encourages automatic right choice. 

We have to move from the black hole of Well Having to the light of Well Being!!

Watching “The 11^th Hour” has really rattled my heart, and in a great way. I can’t say how many times this happened recently as I learn more about our human predicament. My goals are being re-shaped quite rapidly, and the more I learn, the more sure I am of the direction I would like to go, and the more I am convinced that the role I play can make a difference, as can everyone in their own unique way.

Viewing this film may be scary to some, as it was for me at times, but the feeling I have is one of elation and excitement; it’s a sense of purpose I feel that I think we all can join in on. Our generation will decide what life will be like for generations to come, and it can go either way; is there a mission that is any more important than that? Where do we start though?

I would suggest simplifying and reducing our material consumption so we can afford to buy the products that are necessities, and to use that consumer power we have to send the message that we as individuals are serious about change (buying smaller houses), serious about our health (buying organic), and serious about the planet (not buying disposable ‘stuff’ we don’t need). The majority of the stuff we buy has a cradle to trash lifecycle, instead of a cradle to cradle lifecycle which needs to be the new goal.

We do have power as individuals. The power to vote when we go to the store…and of course the power to vote politically. We have an election going on here in Canada which requires great attention, as does the roller coaster American Presidential race. The potential new American V.P., Governor Sarah Palin, denies that humans have anything to do with climate change, she is as far right as it gets; can you imagine if McCain gets elected? Scary. Please do the research and don’t rely on the media because they’re poised to gain financially if the republicans win. Yes this is a rambling post, and yes I’m battling to write this all before my battery dies, but I think we’re living in a very exciting time with huge possibilities for some beautiful transformations. There is reason for optimism, but we have to start acting now.

Our way of thinking must change before action is taken, that’s the challenge we face; action based in old paradigm thinking, no matter how well intentioned, could just make the situation worse (this is a confusing concept). Pico Iyer articulated it nicely with this quote, “Action without reflection is what got us into this mess in the first place, and the only answer is not action, but, first, clearer reflection.” 

Another example might be those acting out of fear, this has been a common response for many after “An Inconvenient Truth” was released. In a recent audio program, I heard Ken Wilber say “one of the strange paradoxes is that eco-centric thinking is often ego-centric thinking, and unfortunately Gaia is the One that suffers.” So we have to be careful. Perhaps more time needs to be devoted to expand on these concepts, so I’ll save it for another time.

In conclusion though, I will be doing everything I can to help raise that awareness and educate (both myself, then others), I will strive to spread the good word of hope. It is an important time to be alive, but we must act with intelligent haste.

Much love friends