Eco-Jihadists

When I was a teen ager I knew how the world should run. I thought everyone should listen to me. I was right. I didn't know where my genius and special knowledge came from. I just knew I was right and they were wrong. I had all kinds of arguments that proved I was right and I never listened to any of the arguments that 'they' made because they were wrong and I needed to work on my arguments to get them better. I think I believed I represented 'youth' or some such proud ideal then. Later I was with people who knew what was right because they spoke for God and God spoke to them and not to you. Then there were people I knew who knew what was right because their party said they were right and they said their party was right. Over the years all of these people have at one time or another shouted at me, some have even punched and beat me, others have shot at me and one tried to knife me. I didn't agree with them and these kind of people don't tolerate others who disagree with them even though they always claim to be tolerant and kind and good. There's no sense taking the high ground when you're being a low life. So today there's a whole lot of people claiming to represent or speak for Earth. This is an old God called Gaia to some but she speaks to everyone though today to hear some people only they know what Gaia wants and only they speak for Gaia. It does sound like the 'one true Goddess' argument. It does sound like I'm right you're wrong. It does sound like Kent State and Buffalo Springfields haunting words, "People carrying signs, mostly say hoorah for outside." I'd get off the planet myself to get away from these people who would punch me in the nose if I disagreed with them on anything because they've left logic and gone into that emotional reasoning space which was long ago called the 'paranoid position'. "I'm right. You're wrong" and "I'm the victim, you're the victimizer". And I'm trying to save the child planet but really we're talking a lot about the teen ager within not the child within. And I know the teen ager hasn't grown up and is really angry and having temper tantrums and pouts and all that other drama that goes with all that free ranging emotionality that looks for some cause to land on, like the rebel without a cause. I just want to say that you don't speak for my planet or our planet or my mother our our mother. Your 'entitlement' isn't something that she respects because frankly by any reckoning she's a wise old lady not a snot nosed bullying adolescent. I still like the Beatles song, "We don't want a Revolution". It's a fitting reminder. I still believe in non violence and find even the language today of violant hyperbole reminiscent of the communist sloganeering that lead to millions being butchered in prisons. They were 'saving the people'. But it's no different. Just the same old "Rescuers and Victims" story.

ps having written this I heard a horrible tale of japanese whaling the breaking of international laws as well as the poaching in several countries where local authorities were assisted by people really concerned with protecting the environment from criminals.  It's worthwhile remembering this and not painting whole groups with the same brush even if some loud yahoos are particularly irritating. I'd also just seen a terrific episode of Primeval in which an insane person wanted to kill the human race so that insects could prosper. I identified well with the writer who thankfully did had the law breaking criminal attacked by their own version of the 'noble savage', but this time from the animal world. I especially loved reading about the group proposing to paint all the tusks of elephants and rhinoceros to ruin the economic value of the tusks for poachers, a recent horrendous slaughter getting in the news.  This struck me as an amazing idea though I still think punishment of poachers is equally mandatory.