They asked me to speak at church

      I like debates.  A fascinating result of debate is when both sides learn something from the other. This is when people agree,  and then implement the plans they agree on.  This may happen  because we all sense that collectively, we are stronger than apart.  I decided to wear this mind hat as  I went to a talk on Thoreau at a church in my barrio, the other day, and it was a fun and surprising Sunday morning.  
     I walked the ten blocks there and began to listen to Sarah Johnson Praterelli, adjunct lecturer at CSU - Pueblo, currently  teaching statistics.  Her talk was titled, "Thoreau & Living Simply".  Sarah was entertaining and insightful,  she covered the scope, breadth,  and impact of the climate change crisis, in a straightforward manner.  I learned a bunch of things I did not know.  The point that did stand out was a recent finding by climate scientists that the climate NORTH of the equator will be changing in various ways.  This could mean warmer temps, but usually means more extreme weather, in general.   The climate will be getting warmer, and warmer , south of the equator. ( I haven't had a chance to look into why  this is, so  if anyone knows why this  is, please send me a Facebook message about it.  I always enjoy talking with readers about their opinions, that process is  part of the motivation for this type of endeavor, in the first place. )




Sarah, clearly showed the need for something to be done to address the issues she clearly laid out.  She then shared an experience of hers, how she lived in a spartan shack in the woods of Maine while attending school.
She had some fresh insights, and gave a brief, and informative bio of Thoreau.  I like transcendentalism, so I was engrossed in the info I was hearing.  The only thing missing was some more info at the end.  The brief message of consume less, and be spartan, is a bit, exhausted, frankly.  It is vague and general, and in a consumer culture like ours, it is like a dog chasing their tail.  I guess I wasn' t the only one that arrived at a similar result, judging from the reaction of the other 25 or 30 in attendance. 
 There was a man that spoke up and said technology is too embedded in our daily lives to live simply.  There was a lady that did clerical work during WWII. She said we need to work harder, like she did, banging away for 7 hours on a typewriter, writing manuals for GM products , used by our troops. We thanked her, and kept going.
I spoke about regenerative design, I spoke about all the possibility created by computers, and the speed that our incredible devices can process info.  We are entering the age of abundance, in information, in wealth, and in solutions to problems.  The hope and the possibility are so new, and unprecedented, so they are just beginning to become apparent.
 I shared  that the idea of living simply is a great starting point on how to tackle the problem of scarcity.  I hardly see a need to even plan on reversing climate change, as much as , adapting to it.  That is why the solutions that will work, are the ones that we think of now, in the next moment, and then tomorrow.  


I mentioned these things, and we moved on. The end of the talk was there and the general consensus was this: There needs to be many, creative, fresh, new ideas, on how to solve this problem of scarcity.   They will come from technology, science, people, and society in general.  The people from the church invited me to return and maybe give more of a talk about regenerative technology.  I was taken aback, and then flattered.  I may do it.  I will return to the church, but I am not sure exactly when I will give a presentation to the group. I know I am looking forward to it.


It was a great talk, and I walked away glad for the learning.