The Green philosophy

[Pugsly]

Once upon a time there was a lush garden that sprang up over a billion years. It was full of beauty, of evolving plants and animals living in perfect balance and harmony. Very recently, however, a clever creature evolved–mankind.
Man lived for a while in balance and equality with Nature. It was a time of great joy, with no sexual boundaries and everyone shared everything equally.
Then, one day, the first “bad” man stopped sharing. He entertained the first hierarchical ideals of inequality when he began to hunt for animal meat and then stopped sharing his food, his sex partner and his shelter. Soon enough, he was hording food, took a “wife” for himself only and built a private “family” shelter…all of which he now had to defend

      Thus, war and hatred and greed and manipulation were born. Humanity had taken a "wrong turn" or, you might say, fell from Nature's good graces (similar to Adam and Eve in the Garden) because of the advent of hierarchical thinking. And, what we now refer to as "civilization".

But wait…today’s Green philosophy has developed a narrative of redemption where we can set things right again-where we can restore our lost purity with a Green, ethical return to Nature. Your penance…REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE is just the begining… You must also LOATH all hints of human domination…expunge all hierarchical thinking (especially religion) from your life! Deconstruct civilization back to the soil and live “free” again in harmony with Nature.

Now, that’s not too much to ask is it?

 

[Allegra]

Let me know how it works.

 

[CaptBell800]

This reminds me of a group I was reading an article on. I forgot their name, but they want the human race to go into voluntary extinction because they say we’re bad for the planet.

Crazies.

 

[Allegra]

We will be extinct on this plannet eventually, when the kingdom moves upstairs.

 

[Aloysium]

I think this utopian pantheistic vision has emerged from the general loss of Christian faith among people who do have a sense of the beauty in God’s creation

in the end it is a feel-good view that has no authority and will convince no one

The fact is that we were given dominion in order to tend to His garden, and we aren’t doing such a good job.

 

[atheistgirl]

Deconstruct civilization back to the soil and live “free” again in harmony with Nature.

Now, that’s not too much to ask is it?

Nope.

It’s how I live with my family on our farm, every day of the week

While we choose to engage in the cut and thrust of business and city life we unfailingly escape back to our own little oasis, our paradise on this earth - home.

Sarah x

 

[Pugsly]

Nope.

It’s how I live with my family on our farm, every day of the week

While we choose to engage in the cut and thrust of business and city life we unfailingly escape back to our own little oasis, our paradise on this earth - home.

Sarah x

Really?..So your thoughts just show up online by magic?

The lil fantasy story of peace and harmony before human beings began civilization is just that…a fantasy. The idea that all of nature is at peace…and…equal is also a fantasy.
There are top dogs, lion kings, queen bees, dominant ravens…etc…etc…etc How could someone claim to be close to nature…and not recognize the wild and beautiful variation of order and hierarchy therein?

 

[Pugsly]

Let me know how it works.

Well, it doesn’t work at all. But, your children are soaked in this philosophy from kindergarten through graduate school.

 

[Pugsly]

I think this utopian pantheistic vision has emerged from the general loss of Christian faith among people who do have a sense of the beauty in God’s creation

in the end it is a feel-good view that has no authority and will convince no one

The fact is that we were given dominion in order to tend to His garden, and we aren’t doing such a good job.

The seductive philosophy of the world (that Paul warns us about in Romans 1) is based on a carrot and stick.

The carrot is this idea that peace, harmony and love are part of Nature…and that human beings can unlock carefree lives of physical pleasure (like Avatar) if we just rid ourselves of all ideas of inequality, hierarchy–especially god–and self possesions.

The stick part is based on fear. We must herd together and fight the forces of manipulation. Therefore, BIG GOVERNMENT run by environmentally friendly and empathetic dictators is the answer! The radical deconstruction of civilization is also the answer.

This philosophy has one serious enemy…anyone who teaches children to make distinctions between nature…between gay and straight, male and female, children and parents…and especially dangerous…anyone who teaches that freedom comes from following God and living according to a moral code.

 

[atheistgirl]

Really?..So your thoughts just show up online by magic?

Nope.

The idea that all of nature is at peace…and…equal is also a fantasy.

Where did I say nature was at peace?

There are top dogs, lion kings, queen bees, dominant ravens…etc…etc…etc

Um, I know.

How could someone claim to be close to nature…and not recognize the wild and beautiful variation of order and hierarchy therein?

I am close to nature, and live as closely to it as I possibly can, precisely because if it’s wild beauty.

My original reply was intended to be a light hearted response.

If you want me to discuss the relentless heartless cruelty (as it might appear to us) of nature, I’m happy to - I live with it on my farm every day.and wouldn’t trade one minute of it for a second longer than I need to in a sterile city.

Sarah x

 

[Pugsly]

Nope.

Where did I say nature was at peace?

Um, I know.

I am close to nature, and live as closely to it as I possibly can, precisely because if it’s wild beauty.

My original reply was intended to be a light hearted response.

If you want me to discuss the relentless heartless cruelty (as it might appear to us) of nature, I’m happy to - I live with it on my farm every day.and wouldn’t trade one minute of it for a second longer than I need to in a sterile city.

Sarah x

Sorry Sarah…I didn’t intend to be rude. I would ask you to consider that a rusty Ford truck is just as natural as gopher hole…Humans are part of nature too.

 

[snarflemike]

Deconstruct civilization back to the soil and live “free” again in harmony with Nature.

So will it then be OK for me to eat you?

 

[Pugsly]

Snowflake…“will it be…etc”

Pugsly…I was merely holding up a mirror to the Green movement…which has been around since Rousseau. His philosophy sees “all men are born free and are everywhere in chains”. He saw human nature as intrinsically pure and good…if we could only rid ourselves of the chains of “civilization”…which oppress us. He considered religion as a very oppressive evil…and the Natural world as a kind of utopia waiting for our return.

When people today have a great disdain for religion as oppressive and tell children to be authentic in their true selves…whether that is gay or self gratifying or wild…then you probably have Rousseau’s “green religion” in the background.

When there is a disdain for civilization/religion/human industry…coupled with environmentalism…I would be much more certain.

 

[InJesusItrust]

The strangest part of this myth is that it is incompatible with the theory of evolution, yet if you don’t believe in it these very same people call you names. How can their be a paradise if disease, carnivorous animals and entropy all exist?

 

[Farsight001]

The strangest part of this myth is that it is incompatible with the theory of evolution, yet if you don’t believe in it these very same people call you names. How can their be a paradise if disease, carnivorous animals and entropy all exist?

In what universe is it incompatible with evolution?!

And to the op’s post, I don’t know where you got the idea that people are indoctrinated with such things in school. I certainly wasn’t. And while we might cause our own extinction, we will not destroy the earth. Early algae caused its own extinction by “farting” oxygen so much for so long, they raised the level of oxygen in the atmosphere to a level that was toxic to them, and so died out. (but paved the way for us) The point is that even if we destroy ourselves, life continues on.

 

[InJesusItrust]

Are you telling me that any place where diseases like ebola exist, there is survival of the fittest, and there are carnivorous creatures to fear–you are calling this a paradise?

 

[snarflemike]

Are you telling me that any place where diseases like ebola exist, there is survival of the fittest, and there are carnivorous creatures to fear–you are calling this a paradise?

Paradise - where no creature dies peacefully in its sleep.

 

[Allegra]

Well, it doesn’t work at all. But, your children are soaked in this philosophy from kindergarten through graduate school.

Ummm. No. There aren’t enough crazy people in the world to teach this to all of the children. Most students will go their whole childhoods without encountering a single teacher who believes anything close to that. (Unless they live in San Francisco.)

 

[Pugsly]

Ummm. No. There aren’t enough crazy people in the world to teach this to all of the children. Most students will go their whole childhoods without encountering a single teacher who believes anything close to that. (Unless they live in San Francisco.)

Allegra, you only need to go to your local public elementary school…and look at the walls outside and inside the classroom…especially on Earth Day. you will see this philosophy in its “seed form”.

Then go over everything that is taught to your child with this philosophy in mind…and lo and behold you will see your child being taught an awfull lot about Native American culture (my children had several years of indoctrination plus research papers each year) and Green energy and sustainability of the Earth in science…and all that before they are 8 or 9 yrs old.

 

[Pugsly]

Ummm. No. There aren’t enough crazy people in the world to teach this to all of the children. Most students will go their whole childhoods without encountering a single teacher who believes anything close to that. (Unless they live in San Francisco.)

Did your kids like WALL-E…AVATAR…FINDING NEMO…HAPPY FEET…etc,etc…these are movies that are premised on this philosophy.