BUCKYIDEAS

Let’s get this Bucky revolution going.

The people in power need to know the real power still lies with the people.

Our government says it’s our duty to keep shopping and working, yet doing so is exactly what is killing our planet. If we’re going to pass that big final test as a species, the very idea of going along to get along must come to an end. We need a national, organized strike of the people, a tapping of the brakes every now and then, to let our government know who still decides whether or not to make the economy work. Let’s show them some of our great American ingenuity and figure out a brilliant way to get their attention.

If you really want to follow Bucky’s revolutionary utopian thinking, you might consider quitting any meaningless, underpaying jobs altogether, especially if that job requires a long commute. As Bucky explained so patiently, if you drive an hour to work in a car, there is absolutely no way you can do anything during your work day to make up for the environmental damage you have already done.

Bucky would say we need to demand more of our government and spend less on everything. Reducing our spending on consumer goods, by sharing and trading, may be the fastest way to reduce carbon emissions. We should refuse to buy things made from fossil fuels, which is almost everything. We should share rides, trade time, drive as little as possible, eat less meat (which is actually the number one thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint), trade our homegrown vegetables, eggs, labor, books, everything.

We also need a big organizing force to adopt this idea, or one like it. Think how fun it would be to strike every time the government ignores the will of the people, such as when they disregard that over 90% of Americans want stricter gun control laws? With a strike, when they defiantly ignore the urgent warnings of 97% of scientists who say that serious environmental calamity is imminent, due to increasing levels of Co2 from our continued use of fossil fuels, we can let them know how we feel.

Energy should have been free decades ago. With free energy, Bucky pointed out, we will labor less and live longer. With alternative energy technologies getting better and better, by now Bucky would no doubt be asking, “What the hell would be so wrong with Utopia?

We could continue these strikes until there is an end to fossil fuel subsidies and a scaling up of all clean energy resources that Bucky knew as early as the 1940’s that these were not only completely doable, but also essential to our survival on Earth.

Here’s a suggested pledge for Bucky’s revolutionaries:

To do what I can to help starve the beast that is killing us, I pledge to:
– support spending strikes designed to awaken our federal government that we, the people, still have the power to turn off our precious spending spigot at will.

– step up my efforts to speak the truth, even when it is difficult. I will communicate my dismay about the lack of progress to end fossil fuel subsidies and I will speak out in support of clean energy. I will let the world know what I know.

I will share this with my friends.

The world is going Bucky!

Bucky would be dancing in the street today for the people in Egypt and the women in Texas who are revolting beautifully, just days after President Obama revealed just how hard he’s been working on climate change, and and the Supreme Court decides it’s okay to love the person we love. So many good things are happening aboard Spaceship Earth these days!

Obama’s climate change plan, which was not reported on by a single national television network, is “all of the above”, except it does not include a carbon tax or anything equally effective, or politically combustible. These omissions may help slip the initial measures through more quietly. Obama must have been stealthily at this task for years now, figuring out how to use his executive power through the EPA rather than waiting for “another meeting of the flat earth society”.

Count me among the thousands (millions?) of American women who dreamt about Obama the night of that glorious climate change speech. (Barry and I were buying a condo in Manhattan. I have no idea where Michelle was. My husband gave me away for the good of the country, good man that he is.)

Doesn’t it make perfect sense now that climate change wasn’t even mentioned in last year’s presidential debates? Obama was too smart to let it come up, knowing he would only mobilize his opposition. With this action, Obama has thrown his enemies a great sucker punch, and possibly a lifesaver to the rest of us. And to think the GOP was already a wailing and failing beast. How far they have fallen,

The women putting their foot down in Texas are amazing — 100% Bucky women. Part of Bucky’s recipe for a better world was to consider “Nurturance AS Governance”. Once women take over leadership the world, which is exactly what we are already doing, we will be on a better path. Bucky’s idea would then be to begin to transform our military bases into heath and human services centers, using our soldiers as warriors of good, which might actually help us win some “hearts and minds”.

Women can be the “trim tabs” to make this kind of “world that works for everyone” happen. It’s time for everyone to recognize that humanity’s choice is utopia or oblivion. “There is not likely to be a middle ground,”said Bucky. If we make the right moves, we can create a beautiful clean energy world where we humans won’t have to toil so hard and long for our daily energy supply. As Bucky said “Grass doesn’t pay for the rain.” So why is it, he said, that nature’s more sophisticated species has to work so hard? Bucky suggested that “we should all go back to doing whatever it was we were doing before someone told us to go out and get a job.”

You could almost feel the cosmic gears turning this week. As I sat down to the computer on the day Bucky died, something clicked, like a reverse earthquake. Everything felt more solidly in place somehow. It was thirty years ago this week that Bucky died on his wife’s death bed. Anne always said she was afraid to go alone into death, so Bucky tidied up his desk and affairs, left a completed manuscript behind, and returned to Anne’s hospital room. They were married 67 years; she was nearly 90 and had dropped into a coma. Witnesses say that after sitting with Anne for several hours, Bucky called out “She’s squeezing my hand!” and had a massive heart attack. Despite the best attempts by doctors, Bucky died as intentionally as he lived.

Today, Bucky’s ideas and integrities hold great promise. My book specifically relays Bucky’s ideas for saving humanity. Some of them are already happening but many are not. I’m hard at work on the rewrite this summer and fall, but will definitely be taking a nice celebratory break this Thursday, July 4, to give thanks for our continually emerging freedom from stupidity and denial.

Time for some excellent summer reading? Tackle at least part ofBucky’s Synergetic Geometry, now available free online, as Bucky specified in his will of 1983. Happy Independence Day!

Did the Universe just shift?

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It feels like something has changed. Something wonderful. The Supreme Court ruled that people should not be penalized for who they love. Obama is taking on climate change single handedly since there is “no time to wait for a meeting of the flat earth society”. Might we really be lifting ourselves off the bottom? Is life about to start making sense again? Are we waking up at last? Have you noticed how former deniers fall quiet when somebody mentions climate change? Many misinformed, disengaged, distrustful and dismissive deniers are finally realizing that not just human activity, but specifically fossil fuel activity is causing nature to fiercely retaliate against us. Can you blame Nature for wanting to purge herself of that which is causing the damage?

The numbers are starting to line up behind real change. The percentage of Americans who are “alarmed” about climate change is up to 16%. We need 56%, but at least the number is growing. Enough people have died, enough lands have been ruined, and enough verifiable threats clearly and certainly exist. We can no longer face the cost of ignoring the problem. Another great number to consider is the “enormous $2 trillion economy” awaiting those who pursue clean energy development. China has a big head start in solar, investing $65 billion last year toward development of alternative energies, compared to America’s $35 Billion.

The transfer away from fossil fuels and toward a clean green world will mean millions of jobs for Americans. It will also mean a healthier, less stressful world in which we won’t labor as hard for our daily energy supply. Free energy is coming. Change is happening. To help, let’s all reduce our C02 footprints as much as possible, stay involved and lean into the curve, just like one of Bucky’s famous trim tabs, to steer this great ocean liner around in time. Let’s bike to the beach, relax, breathe, and have faith that the people in power are finally starting to recognize the crucial need to put the environment first.

All facts and numbers are according to Yale University’s Anthony Leiserwitz, Leiserwitz, who spoke on Bill Maher show on June 28.

Humanity’s Race Against Time

Photo credit: www.metalsucks.net — Photo credit: http://www.metalsucks.net

Humanity is engaged in a dramatic race against time to secure its future on planet earth, according to a report from Stanislav Grof entitled “The Current Global Crisis and Future of Humanity” Echoing the ideas of Buckminster Fuller, Grof calls on humans to evolve consciously by expanding our own consciousness. He sets forth our predicament, for which there is no precedent in all of history, in clear and simple terms:

The resources clearly exist to solve our problems.
The only remaining problem is the human personality.
A radical inner transformation of human consciousness is needed.

The question is whether or not this will come about quickly enough to reverse the current self destructive trend of humanity. We need greater emotional maturity, spiritual (not religious) awareness, and profoundly improved ethical values. And we need them all soon.

Our Western Capitalist Society, says Grof, glorifies personal success at the expense of others. We have thus far been unable to appreciate the critical importance of cooperation and peaceful coexistence, necessary for our survival. He calls for a new guiding myth, a new vision which will combine the best of science and spirituality. He doesn’t really spell out this vision, but what he’s getting at is 100% Bucky: We need to develop a deep sense of being planetary citizens first, rather than members of any country, race or religious group. We must drastically expand our understanding of the human psyche and mobilize deep inner intelligence to guide our own healing and transformation. Grof sets forth that we are all damaged, that our experience in the birth canal symbolizes and begins our constant striving to reach a better reality, but that, in Joseph’s Campbell’s words, is like “Getting to the top of the ladder to find it is leaning against the wrong wall”.

Grof stresses the need, as Bucky did, for a unity with nature, as the primary path to this needed enlightenment. We must intuit that every act against nature is an act against ourselves. And just as Bucky said, it all comes down to energy and the environment. Grof calls for massive commitment to the development of alternative energies, saying it deserves the concerted efforts of our best minds, just as the (diabolical) Manhattan Project received in the 1940’s.

The evolutionary progress that is necessary may indeed be Utopian, but it is nonetheless essential, Grof writes. At stake is the future of life on planet earth. “A sufficient number of people must undergo a process of deep inner transformation,” and if we do, Grof says, we might reach a level of consciousness evolution which will allow us to live up the the proud name we gave our species, “HOMO SAPIENS”.

Or as Terrance McKenna said in 1992, “The history of the silly monkey is over, one way or another.”

Clean Energy – what would it mean?

Real FREEDOM is possible if and only if we switch from fossil fuels to clean energy. Clean energy from the sun, wind, waves, geothermal and so forth would be much less expensive, if not altogether free. This would let us work less since we would not have to labor so long for our daily supply of energy. We could also spend more time closer to home, creating a different kind of wealth, of garden vegetables, homemade foods, etc. It would also mean a healthier, cleaner world for us, our children and our grandchildren. Yes, it means the fossil fuel industry will give up some of its profits. But other than that, clean energy is a win, win, win, win, win, win. Without it, the whole world loses. Making this happen is the hard part. It starts with speaking up, showing up, giving up outdated notions about how things cannot change. They can and they will. Demand 100% clean energy now.

Bucky’s lucky seven ideas for humanity.

Buckminster Fuller (1893-1983) always ‘started with Universe’. He viewed humanity through such a wide and long lens, he saw some beautiful ideas about what we could do, not only to survive, but to thrive on his beloved United Spaceship Planet Earth.

Here’s Bucky’s lucky seven things you can do to help save the planet and your sanity:

1. Connect with nature. Human empathy with one another and the natural world requires bonding with nature. Spend more time outdoors. Only mother nature can connect you to your deeper self. Chill out.

2. Know that what you do matters. Every individual is a valuable “trim tab ” to help humanity ‘pass its final examination’. Everyone is steering. Make sure you do your share to head us in the right direction. No going overboard.

3. Speak your mind. Seek and speak the truth. Take time first to learn the truth. One you know it, you owe it to share. Your courage to voice your concerns will make a difference in the world. And you will feel so much better for getting it off your chest.

4. Demand livingry’ not weaponry. Demand an end to killing technology. Demand that government support only efforts which work concertedly for the benefit of ALL of humanity, not just the privileged. Water, Food, Climate. Justice.

5. Demand an end to fossil fuel subsidies. Demand government support of renewable energies only. The Oil Age is ending. The sooner the better. This is a no brainer, which is of course why it is happening so slowly.5. Use the power of thought. Whether you think we can, or think you can’t, you are correct.

6. Be your best self. Mediation is a great way to find this person. Know that everyone has an ugly, unworthy self lurking underneath somewhere. The trick is which animal you feed. Feed the good one.

In a 1972 Playboy Magazine Interview, Bucky predicted that a true instant and always democracy would exist soon. “One day,” he said, “We will be able to click a thing on our wrist to say ‘I like it’ or ‘I don’t like it’ and that will be our vote.” He said he worked about fifty years in advance, which means it’s about time. He said when this happened, governance would become ‘nurturance’ thanks to a new more feminine paradigm of leadership. Hopefully coming soon.

He said humanity would experience an emergence through an emergency. That is obviously what is underway in America today, in November, 2016. As my Buddhist priest said at service last Sunday, find your seat in the storm.

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The hippies were right!

http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=32340

The best summary of the hippie days I have yet to come across. Love this video. The best six minutes you will spend all day.

THEY SAY SHOPPING IS OUR JOB? LET’S STRIKE.

Our government says it’s our duty to keep shopping, when that is the very thing killing our planet. It is time for an American Spending Strike. I propose July 12, 2013 as the day for an American Spending Strike against an unjust economy. On that day (which is Buckminster Fuller’s birthday) we should encourage everyone to exit the economy for one day, as much as possible. To do and spend nothing. To not stock up before or after, but just make do with less. To refuse to buy anything made from fossil fuels, which is almost everything. To drive as little as possible. To eat no meat (which is actually the number one thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint). To turn off the lights. Light candles at night. And unless and until the government actually starts representing the will of the people once again, we can plan to do this every day.

This will show them that the power of the people is greater than the people in power. How else can we get the attention of our greedy corporate controlled government? It has become obvious that our federal government blatantly ignores the will of the people, as when over 90% of us agree on stricter gun control laws and yet nothing happens. It also continues to ignore urgent warnings from 97% of scientists who say that serious environmental calamity is imminent, due to increasing levels of Co2 from our continued use of fossil fuels.

A spending strike, done in a concerted, focused way as a protest action, could be an answer. Let’s show that we have the power to turn on and off the precious spigot at will.

On that day (and every day) we should step up our efforts to communicate our dismay. To write, to post, to share and to discuss the issues as much as time permits. At least twice a day, take at least five minutes to check in on important issues of the day and speak up. Use that mightiest of swords, your keyboard, to let the world know what you think.

Please post below what you can do to help make this happen. Maybe if our corporate controlled government realizes the people are actually still in control of the economy, we can regain some balance. Let’s starve the beast. Strike against an unjust economy. July 12, 2013. Please “Like” American Spending Strike on Facebook!

The Second American Revolution

A story of what could be, inspired by Buckminster Fuller.

“Middle Americans held their own economy hostage, then came together and created a clean energy world. It was brilliant!”

2035 – America’s second revolution was painful, but worth it. It began about twenty years ago, in 2015, with a series of events that today’s historians call The Middle American Movement (MAM), which is also a play on the fact that this was a movement led mostly by women; females of all ages, nationalities, and political leanings came together and led with common sense, compassion and a global sense of community.

There was wide sweeping social and political upheaval, which resulted in the successful transference away from fossil fuels and the long-awaited creation of a clean energy world. Bucky started calling for this in the early 1940’s, just as World War II was starting.

A clean energy world held magic for humanity. Because carbon levels dropped and everything green flourished, United Spaceship Planet Earth became a healthier and more relaxed place. We gave up the specious notion that everyone had to “earn a living”, and came to understand that we could thrive if we only paid a little more attention to nature, and her needs. This was another part of the new feminine paradigm of leadership that came to pass in the early 2020s.

The opening of the Second American Revolution is traced to a small neighborhood’s show of solidarity for a popular Midwestern family. The family was losing their home. Armed guards showed up at the door one unusually warm evening in early summer. The family had posted on Facebook and Twitter that they were not going to answer the door, that they would rather die than be forced out of their home of 20 years, and would kill themselves if guards forced their way in.

When bank guards arrived, friends and neighbors were waiting, many of them also armed. After a long standoff on a warm summer evening which eventually involved a group of neighbors showing up with fresh margaritas and grilled burritos. Faced with the burritos, the guards, who were also marginalized middle Americans, sympathized with the family, relaxed and enjoyed dinner and a margarita and they all went home to think things over.

Not a single shot was ever fired. There was a celebration in the street that warm night and the next, and became the “not-a-shot” heard round the world.

Americans everywhere, all recruited through the new digital democracy of social media, took to the streets to protect their neighbors like it was their job.

The line “we’d rather die than lose our home” ended up symbolizing much more than a fight against the banks. It was also overthrowing corporate rule of the American government, focused on big oil’s environmental degradation and our complicit government. People knew development of solar, wind and other technologies was being sabotaged by the fossil fuel industry. They struck in protest.

The very idea of “home” grew to be about planet Earth itself. Herself. A highly educated generation of humanity rose to a more highly evolved conscience, through which they placed Earth’s needs first.

In this simple peaceful revolution, Middle Americans learned how to create a new and sustainable world. We traded for things, shopped at second hand stores, stayed close to home and learned how to grow our own food, create our own energy, and share our resources. In cities, neighbors come together to build high rise greenhouses, and even floating community gardens. Cooperative farms popped up all over the country. Seeds became more valuable than money for awhile, especially ones that were clean and not genetically modified. (People finally figured out it was not such a good idea to eat grains that were engineered to blow up inside an insect’s stomach.)

Wind, solar, geothermal and wireless electromagnetic energy are now everywhere. The fossil fuel reserves are in safely in the ground, our nature’s saving account, in case of planetary emergency, just where Buckminster Fuller always said we should put them.

The whole world has been intentionally greened up like a Chia Pet. Lush green carbon sinks installed in all the big cities help immensely. Even China is all greened up these days. Huge storms, droughts and rising oceans are still happening, but the carbon numbers are dropping and things are starting to settle down. as we drop to a record low 250 ppm. Oil spills and water contamination from fracking are gone for good. The world is a much healthier place now that women’s ideas about governance and nurturance are now in place.

The most remarkable result of this revolution is how many people never had to go back to their meaningless jobs. Our high unemployment rate is now something we brag about – 38% and climbing, and soon, no one will have to “work” unless they really want to, otherwise it is no longer necessary to “earn a living” since energy is now free, and we have learned how to sustain ourselves even without money.

Creating a good life and raising happy families is what humans were always meant to do. In the new world, we all pitch in to educate our children through cooperative schools. We can turn out creative thinkers, not just non-thinking robots like we used to do.

Now people have more time to read and write and think, and there’s a renaissance of thought underway, a homespun enlightenment of mind and spirit.

Thank Nature we woke up in time! Oh, that was the other big change: Religion evolved when it dawned on humanity that God is Nature and Nature is God. In every area of life, once we learned to play by Nature’s rules, everything fell in place and Nature supported us.

“In Nature we Trust!” was the proclamation that officially acknowledged the revolutionary Middle American Movement. That’s exactly how it’s written on the new one dollar bill. Right under President Chelsea’s picture. Life is sure good in 2035!