WiserEarth Global Communities

Hey, all:

Don't think for a moment I am being critical of the "Think Globally, Act Locally" slogan here, but this is good place to discuss its value 30-40 years after its invention. "TG,AL" did arise in an era pre-Internet, and even pre- many of the instant communications technologies, tremendous advances in understanding of small and global processes, and our knowledge of global connectedness and interdependency. All these developments render TG,AL obsolete for many reasons, therefore I propose to replace it with the above, a slogan which acknowledges all the above.

We can think on every scale, and science and technology have done so, and have made it easy for the experts and the lay activists to do so, too. From the scale of particle accelerators, biochemical reactions, scanning electron microscopes, up to satellites leaving the Solar System and robots on Mars (remember the incandescently, perfectly, beautifully named "Sojourner"?), and baby pictures of millions of galaxies on the edge of the known universe formed 12-15 billion years ago, and everything imaginable (and many unimaginable) in between, every scale is reality.

We can act in every locality, and I would say absolutely that we have to. The instant communication and the global reach that WE are developing, make this possible, and these even bestow on us the responsibility to do so. To be aware of an issue and not acting is apathy, and that is the antithesis of what WE are about.

WE also must act in every locality, because others are not aware, are powerless, or are part of the problem. If your situation in life forces you to focus on more immediate concerns like food, water, and shelter, you likely are not concerned about other issues. In those cases, people acting in those localities from remote locations may be the only entity preventing permanent destruction, and improve the lives of the humans there now and for future generations.

If you know of an issue, but lack the tools (or access to tools) to act, or the powers who would oppose you are too strong, permanent destruction can occur while you watch and wait. Everyone who knows can attest to this feeling. If others can come to your aid, bringing their tools with them, and help you fight for the issue that is in your locality, the cascade of benefits is immeasurable.

When we know of an issue in a locality, often times the structure of society and government is so heavily, highly stacked against correction of that issue, the only help will be from outside. If not, destruction of resources is complete, or oppression is perpetuated. In the first example, species rendered extinct by human activity is the prefect but by no means sole illustration, and in the second, China, Burma, Tibet, North Korea, Colombia, Cuba, and many more are excellent illustrations. Even the neo-conservatives and neo-liberals in the USA., acting as part of and on behalf of the Corporate Oligarchy, could be considered illustrative. In power so long, it is easy to conclude help needs to come from elsewhere.

Understanding all these things makes it very worthwhile and progressive to respectfully retire the old-time paradigm, and to bring our prime directive up to date for the 21st Century. And here's to being successful applying this new prime directive, and completing our task, so the planet won't need another update in the future.

David
Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!

"Think on Every Scale, Act in Every Locality"

Brilliant tagline David !

In a way, WiserEarth is a "locality" where we can think and converse on "every scale" and take "online" actions for "onlife" changes.

Hey, all:

Thank you, Michael, Bowo, and Roger. This idea bounced around and got bruised a lot in this big ol' head of mine for 2-3 years, so it is nice to get the feedback. I am copyrighting the expression, but I'll lease it to WE for a dime a decade--and I'll run a tab, too.

The realization is that those who can are the ones empowered to do these things to make progress. And if we only 'act locally', many voids--where there is no one to act--mean something is likely to get lost, and maybe irreversibly. Example: there is very little protection for pelagic (ocean-dwelling) sharks while fishermen cut the sharks' fins off, and then the sharks drown as they sink to the bottom. The fins are for shark fin soup, a delicacy of the vacuous pretentious privileged few, a soup to which the shark's fin adds only texture, while there has been a simultaneous 90% reduction of the global numbers of sharks.

I would love to state "Think on Every Scale, Act in Every Locality" as a mandate, as a demand placed on us by our privileged circumstances, but that will drive some away. But it is not an overused question to ask, "If not us, who?"

David
Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!