Every once in a while, you hear or read a speech that makes your skin tingle and your heart leap for joy. Paul Hawken’s commencement address to the class of 2009 at the University of Portland on May 3rd is one such speech.In his opening remarks, Hawken says that he was asked if he could give a simple short talk that was "direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful." I think he succeeded. Here are just a few excerpts from this mind blowing speech.
Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating.
When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a pulse.
You join a multitude of caring people. No one knows how many groups and organizations are working on the most salient issues of our day: climate change, poverty, deforestation, peace, water, hunger, conservation, human rights, and more. This is the largest movement the world has ever seen. Rather than control, it seeks connection. Rather than dominance, it strives to disperse concentrations of power.
Life is creating the conditions that are conducive to life inside you, just as in all of nature. Our innate nature is to create the conditions that are conducive to life. What I want you to imagine is that collectively humanity is evincing a deep innate wisdom in coming together to heal the wounds and insults of the past.
Please go now and read Paul Hawken’s commencement address. And be inspired to change the world for the better.
-- Pat Jones
1 comment:
Patrick (and everyone else who reads this),
We (mankind) are indeed in a very precarious position. I have a book entitled "six Degrees", the degres being degrees entigrade, What is happening to us when the earth's temperature increase is less than one degree. Then ywo degrees. All the way 8up to six degrees. I have read only the first chapter. I'm afraid to read the second chapter.
But I do look at what smart people figure out. We can genersate electricity without burning fossil fuels. Erc. Will we?
But my purpose in posting is to point out the emergence od a techno;ogy which, if it liives up to its promise, will be a game changer: vehicles that run on compressed air! Google on "Moteur Developement INternational", "Flowair" and "Guy Negre".
I'm not going any further in this post. I don't have much look with CAPTCHAs, thos gadgets that are supposed to keep blogs, etc, from being drowned in spam. If I do get through and anyone is interested, let's have a conversation.
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