The most powerful declaration in the first essay is Berry’s
call for the lessening of war and the promotion of peace. He brings the point
to mind, that we have many military academies where our youth are taught to
fight and think like warriors. However
we have no academies that teach the ideas of peaceful minds, such as Gandhi and
Martin Luther King. This is an obvious notion but it truly made me think. What
would this country be like if we had more peace and less war? I completely
understand and accept the need to be a strong military power; it is essential
to survival in the world system. But why can’t we have more peace in this
nation?
What stood out to me the most in the first essay was when
Berry Brings up a South African Writer who talked about a native people who in
certain seasons would leave home to go and cut trees for exportation. He also
says that if these people would solidify their agriculture at home and build a
strong local economy they would avoid mass famine during the times they people
go to chop trees down (Schweitzer)(Berry 32). This struck me as a huge problem
that can be put to work worldwide. This happens all too often. We are always
off making someone else rich when we should be more worried about the local
economy in our own backyards. “They gave
up their local means of subsistence, and imposed false standard of a foreign
demand (“as many trees as possible”) upon their forests. They thus became
helplessly dependent on an economy over which they had no control” (Berry 32).
Here Schweitzer just solidifies the idea that when those people focus on quick
prosperity their future economic sustainability is constantly pushed farther
and farther away. Creating constant cycles of economic downturn.
On page 31 the word “protectionism” is referenced. At the
time the phrase was confusing to myself. So I researched it and found out that
is in lemans terms, the idea of protecting local jobs and economies from foreign
competition, according to investopedia.com. This is key to Berry’s idea of a local
economy. By protecting local economies from foreign trade regulations and competition,
you build a more stable and sustainable market and economy for future
generations.
This essay reminded me so much of a book I read last
semester in my history class. The textbook, State of the World 2013 : Is
Sustainability Still Possible? Published by Island Press. This book goes into intense depth of the idea
of what the sustainability is and how we attempt to achieve it. In the book,
they talk about the idea is almost whimsical; because it would never be
possible if we continue on the path the world is on. The world constantly is
growing and expanding, destroying natural limited resources in the process,
with increasing consumption. They discuss the nine basic planetary boundaries,
some of which are close to depletion, and what these would mean for the planet
and its people.
You can purchase this book on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/State-World-2013-Sustainability-Possible/dp/161091449X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423501824&sr=8-1&keywords=is+sustainability+still+possible
If you wish to learn more about this book....
https://evilcyclist.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/book-review-state-of-the-world-2013-is-sustainability-still-possible/
You can purchase this book on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/State-World-2013-Sustainability-Possible/dp/161091449X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423501824&sr=8-1&keywords=is+sustainability+still+possible
If you wish to learn more about this book....
https://evilcyclist.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/book-review-state-of-the-world-2013-is-sustainability-still-possible/
In the first part of your journal, you mention how Berry talked about how we focus on war and not on peacemaking. In section 20 of the same essay Berry talks about how now war isn't for peace, that it is just for victory. So not only are we not fighting for peace, we don't have any academies for peacemaking.
ReplyDeleteThe word "Protectionism" is a word that if asked, in my opinion may people could probably answer. Now having said that, the amount of people that would answer and get the definition correct is very slim. I am one of those people who could answer but not get it correct. Now I am fully aware of what it means and I have no one but you to thank.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point about the problem that people have worrying about money and doing things to make money for other people and themselves. I believe that the economy is controlled by the people, and that we have the power to change the economic downturn if we would take it in our own hands and focus on the real problem rather than taking the easy way out.
ReplyDeleteI also found the passage about the African Natives to be quite fascinating. I can easily compare that to the coal mining towns that once dominated throughout America. When coal mines began booming, small towns found that they could profit greatly by exporting coal abroad. As the companies profited, these small town workers depended on those companies for resources. The workers needed food and housing for themselves and their families. After the mines became unstable or ran out of resources, the towns had no employment and quickly became run down. Residents either moved elsewhere or suffered in extreme poverty. I can see how easy it would be to get caught up in this idea of sharing resources for financial gain. However, in the end it is impossible to sustain with such a wasteful system.
ReplyDeleteI also touched on the African Natives in my journal. It's extremely important to understand that getting gain fast isn't as important as slowly establishing independence and fixing what needs to be fixed in your own community to make it work long term. I also got the definition if protectionism wrong, and I truly do think that protecting local economies ought to be given more energy and thought to.
ReplyDelete