"We are all mortal"

Well, this morning I was a pall bearer in the funeral of my best childhood friend's mother (which made her kind of like my second mom) back in West Springfield, MA. My best friend's family is Catholic; I was brought up Protestant (Episcopal), so the liturgy and rituals were very familiar. My own beliefs have evolved, though, to the point where I'm convinced that all the going-on about the afterlife, the "better place" we go after we leave this Earth, to be reunited with our loved ones, etc., is ... well, for lack of a better term, a bunch of hooey. I believe "the afterlife", or "heaven", or whatever it's called, is a device we humans made up long long ago and that we perpetuate to this day (no pun intended!) for two purposes: 1) to distract us, give ourselves a mental "out" from the difficulty, pain, and suffering that are a part of living, and 2) to relieve our guilt at not striving to do and be our best each and every day here on this Earth, during this life. I think the 70's rock band Kansas was right when they sang:

"I close my eyes ... only for a moment, and the moment's gone ... it slips away ... and all your money won't another minute buy .... Dust in the wind ... all we are is dust in the wind ... "

That's kind of a hard concept to swallow, to accept that what we do here, now, during the one life we have, is all there is -- we'd all like a second chance, a "do-over" if you will, at a lot of things ... but we don't get one. We have to make the most of the one life we have, we have to strive to get it right -- do the right thing, be the "right" person, make the right choices for ourselves and those we love. Here, now ... not someday.

Over 40 years ago President John F. Kennedy said in a speech addressing the topic of nuclear weapons, "We all breathe the same air .... we all love our children ... and we are all mortal." I believe that if we can remember that, we have a much better chance of joining together to make the right choices with respect to our planet and the future we're creating for our children and grandchildren.

What's in the Name?

I pondered long and hard before settling on the name of this blog – mostly around the choice of the word “Journey” (also considered, but ultimately rejected, were “Path”, “Voyage”, “Trek”, and similar concepts …).

“Journey,” I believe, is the right frame to apply to our individual and collective quest for Sustainability. That is, I believe Sustainability is not a state that we will ever “reach”, a goal we’ll one day attain. Rather, it is and will be an unending journey. If you must have a more finite concept or number to get your mind around, think of Sustainability as the proverbial “Journey of 1000 miles,” that begins with a single step (and of course comprises many thousands more). The first step is important, as are - equally - all the steps in between; some are fairly easy, others more difficult; there are sure to be some mis-steps, side-steps, even backward steps along the way… you get the point. It is definitely analogous to the old saw about life in general – if we are to be successful and enjoy ourselves along the way, we should embrace the fact that it's a journey, not a destination – and commit to learning together as we go, consciously reflecting on it, and maintaining a positive approach.

*The "imperative" referred to above ...

See also "Will the Northeast Be the New Dixie"?

First post!

Well, this is exciting ... almost 5 years after a friend told me that I should "put up a blog" (as part of my first campaign for a seat on the Portsmouth City Council, in the fall of 2003), I'm finally taking the plunge! I'm taking the plunge. My blog isn't about local politics, though, or about me -- it's on a subject I care deeply and think constantly about: Sustainability, and our journey toward it (as individuals, business and civic organizations, governments at all levels, nations, and all of human society). Thanks for reading and please come back often!