Are we living a life consistent with the historic challenges now faced by humanity? Are we bailing yet?

Albert Einstein once said that since the splitting of the atom everything has changed except for the way we think, and thus humanity drifts towards catastrophe. As a sustainability advocate who keeps up with the cutting edge of environmental research and energy issues, I know how close we Earthlings are to catastrophe. It often makes me uncomfortable enough to act in adaptive ways and be a model of sustainable living. I'm making progress at the latter.

I used to be a licensed yacht captain. I ferried delighted passengers around the Florida Keys, The Bahamas, the Caribbean Sea and other wonderful places. I was paid pretty well to do that, and lived an adventurous life in paradise. Occasionally we'd run into a bit of trouble, like unexpected bad weather, unmarked shoals or wrecks, and mechanical failures. Out of sight of land, and far from outside help, these "troubles" could spell catastrophe.

One tried and true coping strategy stands out in my memory. If the boat was taking on water and in danger of sinking there were no longer any "passengers". It didn't matter how much you paid for the trip. Everybody bailed. Of course, on a 40 to 60 foot vessel, our entire world was close at hand. Problems usually became readily apparent.

We can't see everything very well on a spaceship the size of Earth. The flaws are mostly hidden from our direct observation although television and the internet continue to bring us live reports. There is an incredible difference between watching something on TV and being there. Here in America we're somewhat sheltered from direct experience of the energy and climate crises.

Anyone who's read "Collapse" will get this next part. My dear friends, it's time to bail. It was time to bail when Senator Gaylord Nelson held the first Earth Day in 1970. Although the decks are not yet awash, the ocean is lapping at our gunwales (pronounced, "gunnels"). It's time to start bailing. It doesn't matter what you bail with for now; just bail. Prayer is also appropriate. Remarkably, you can do both at the same time, and bailing tends to make prayer more fervent. It's good for the soul (both).

When I finally got around to bailing I found that when action is appropriate it doesn't matter what I did as long as I grew spiritually. As I grew my actions became self-correcting.

The event that I'm working on for Sat., Nov 7 at the Warminster Township Building (our town hall) will point the way to a great first step. It can help you cut your greenhouse gas emissions at home and at work and save a lot of money that can be better spent avoiding financial AND planetary ruin. Two goals in one, for FREE, and a modest free lunch comes with it. Can you beat that?

I hope to see you at Common Ground this Sunday, at my First Friday video discussion series in Doylestown at the Environmental Home Store, or the second Friday in Warminster (both at 7 PM) Or, I'd especially like to see you at our Green Homes extravaganza on the Nov. 7th at 10AM. Together we can bail our way to.... (wherever we would most like to go... paradise?). Can we talk?

There is a movement sweeping the world called Transition Towns. It is a movement of bailers. Check it out. Maybe there is energy for a Transition Common Ground. There are enough buckets to go around.

One of these days our children or grandchildren will hold us accountable. “If success or failure of the planet and of human beings depended on how I am and what I do… How would I be? What would I do?” (R. Buckminster Fuller) What will our children ask us? How will we answer?

Merry Samhain, and blessed be.