We Are The Boat

We loved having you at our song circles, so this is for you, Frank, and all the people and movements that you continue to inspire even after you're gone. I know that your humble heart would definitely not feel comfortable with me putting you on a pedestal. I hear you, but I couldn’t think of any other way to say this without using the songs we sang together. So here are some of those songs with the words changed: Last night I had the Strangest Dream and saw Joe Hill and Frank Showler   I dreamed I saw Frank Showler last night, Alive as you and me. Says I "But Frank, they said you’re dead" "I never died" said he, "I never died" said he. From Toronto down to USA In every dance and demo Where peaceful souls defend their rights, It's there you find Frank Showler, It's there you find Frank Showler! And standing there as big as life And smiling with his eyes. Says Frank "What they can never bomb Went on to organize, Went on to organize" Las...

        The Golden Rule in Wikipedia

  Dec 22, 2021 Climate science has made it clear: We can’t play with fire and dynamite when our kids are in the house. If we cross climate tipping points then it’s only a matter of time before all children (even the children of the rich and powerful) will face a hellish future. This means all of us, both rich and poor, need to get down to true zero emissions as soon as possible. That means: 1. - no delaying detours through carbon offsets, and their accompanying over-use of the “net zero” dangerous distraction: See link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_neutrality#Criticism 2. - no gambles on unproven technologies such as unproven carbon capture and Small Nuclear Reactors 3. - no over reliance on uncontrollable market forces: This means that incentives to the private sector are not nearly enough: we also need regulation enforced with real inescapable penalties. The “carrot” is not enough: we need “the stick.” We need to create new institutions and new Crown corpo...

After COP26, are we still united in our varying levels of hope? After COP26, what does all of the increased variety in our levels of hope do to our community? Does it weaken our solidarity with each other? If it’s still possible to retain a community between those who still have a lot of hope and those who have little or no hope, then that means that we, as individuals, don’t need to fear that we will “lose our community,” if, on some days, we find ourselves at one level of hope or another. Retaining a sense of community is a source of strength for any and all individuals who find themselves at any point on the “hope spectrum.” So after COP26, is it possible to retain that community? I believe it is possible, and I’ll attempt to show you how using the following three questions: 1.     How can different people with these various perspectives form good relationships with each other, and learn to understand each other? 2.     Is it even possible to ...

Long haul work in the climate crisis In groups that struggle together Aware of our undercurrents of emotion That we feel both collectively, and individually We glance at each other and know This isn’t easy for each of our hearts Collectively, we stare at a heartless sea Individually, we each struggle with our own integral branch of our struggling tree We ask each other, “How are you doing?” While the raging storm of climate insanity Threatens to blow us off our feet We ask ourselves, “How are we doing?” All the while, deep down, our gentle hearts long for gentler things Like the joy of life, the nuance of love So paradoxically our struggle is to hold dear that precious core where struggle gives way to nurture In the storm of a heartless world We struggle to shape a world of caring Refashioning our only home Despite the raging winds of denial We need change and change fast But the recipe needs to slow cook Deep is the root of the problem And deep is the root of the solution Against a ba...

    Our “will to live” is strong! It has helped many to overcome huge obstacles: Ask anyone who has lived through a battle with disease, has overcome massive injury, has gone through a major surgery, or has dealt with emotional trauma. Many of those who have courageously battled serious disease can tell you that the will to live is even stronger than hope. Even when hope is gone, the will to live endures. Also, our “will to live” can counter fear. It can deal with that fear obstacle even when the fearful facts that we face are about the very real threat of the climate crisis, which threatens to end all of humanity, and which threatens to do so through a period of massive, human suffering at an unimaginable scale. Our will to live can counter even that fear. Our will to live is strong enough to face even that crisis. In fact, it wants to face that crisis… … because facing that crisis is one of the things we need to do to continue to live. In the climate...