Missy Scoggin Climate Resolution
Week 4
As I sit here trying to determine what exactly to write, I don’t know if the subject has caused a major writer’s block for me or whether putting it on the ADRHub has thrown me. As it is, I am having a very difficult time getting this whole discussion, or my part of the discussion started. I think Cloke hit the nail on the head, he stated that we can no longer solve problems on an individual basis, individual nations, or by military, bureaucratic, or autocratic methods.
I look at the social role of raising children and problems we face with our children these days. Even 40 years ago, we could look at our children and teach them the right values, and know that the influences around them would support those values. We had friends and family that shared our values and were the primary people that our children met on a daily basis. Now, the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child” has more meaning than ever before. We must look beyond our backyard and know that the values and skills we give our children will withstand the everyday trials they will face. As Cloke says in his article, the issues in our world, whether it be raising our children or the issue of climate change, demand the collective attention of everyone.
We are required by basic survival of the species to learn how to respectfully collaborate and communicate, and above all, resolve the important conflicts of our day and time. Even in our present day attitude on life and life of others, we must expand our horizons. No one is saying that you have to agree with all the ways of the different races, religions, cultures, societies, organizations and institutions. We just have to find a way to work and communicate together.
It does seem fairly simple when you put it down in black and white; however, learning how to resolve conflict without warfare, coercion, and adversarial means is difficult, to say the least. Our time of sitting back and letting others solve our problems have long since past. I have a tee shirt with a quote by Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world” that I truly believe. It is one reason that I am taking this program. I want to be a small part of changing the world we live in today.
As I sit here trying to determine what exactly to write, I don’t know if the subject has caused a major writer’s block for me or whether putting it on the ADRHub has thrown me. As it is, I am having a very difficult time getting this whole discussion, or my part of the discussion started. I think Cloke hit the nail on the head, he stated that we can no longer solve problems on an individual basis, individual nations, or by military, bureaucratic, or autocratic methods.
I look at the social role of raising children and problems we face with our children these days. Even 40 years ago, we could look at our children and teach them the right values, and know that the influences around them would support those values. We had friends and family that shared our values and were the primary people that our children met on a daily basis. Now, the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child” has more meaning than ever before. We must look beyond our backyard and know that the values and skills we give our children will withstand the everyday trials they will face. As Cloke says in his article, the issues in our world, whether it be raising our children or the issue of climate change, demand the collective attention of everyone.
We are required by basic survival of the species to learn how to respectfully collaborate and communicate, and above all, resolve the important conflicts of our day and time. Even in our present day attitude on life and life of others, we must expand our horizons. No one is saying that you have to agree with all the ways of the different races, religions, cultures, societies, organizations and institutions. We just have to find a way to work and communicate together.
It does seem fairly simple when you put it down in black and white; however, learning how to resolve conflict without warfare, coercion, and adversarial means is difficult, to say the least. Our time of sitting back and letting others solve our problems have long since past. I have a tee shirt with a quote by Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world” that I truly believe. It is one reason that I am taking this program. I want to be a small part of changing the world we live in today.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Heidi Farrall on
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Missy,
I think you hit on a very important issue for us here. Hillary Clinton's phrase aside, it does take that village now and the climate change issue is one of those that the whole world must acknowledge in order for there to be any resolution. I've had a hard time too with this topic this week. I continue to have a hard time seeing past how you get the village to have the attention necessary to do anything about climate change. If the village sees the child is hungry, the village feeds the child. If the village sees the child is without shelter, the village shelters the child. Climate change takes a world community approach in order for there to be resolution. Scientists continue to point out the urgency on this issue but the world sits and watches. How can a mediator get movement and resolution on an issue that no one wants any responsibility for? Now, some may argue that more and more people are paying attention and are trying to lead a greener life, but how does that really solve anything in the big picture? Your citation of Cloke when he discusses collective attention is very important here. How do we get collective attention? -Heidi
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Permalink Reply by Sarah K on
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Missy and Heidi,
How do we get the collective attention on this subject? How do we get collective attention on anything? Lets see, we pay attention to actors, why? Because we may like the idea of being beautiful, popular and acknowleged as being good at something... We have to care about it as much as a child. We could start a campaign bouth the beauty of the earth, the good work it does, how amazing it truely is... like those TV series' 'Life' and 'Planet Earth'. And we could remind people that we call Earth "Mother" for a reason... But heres the thing, we don't relate. The majority of conciousness has gotten past relating to the earth in any real way besides seeing it as a commodity. While we continue to see the earth as a commodity, we will avoid seeing changes in it as anything but dents in our wallets. What Ken mentioned, is that exploiting resources is currently more popular than not, says a tremendous amout about what we are concerned about as people and what we are willing to go to bat for.
Many people are willing to go to bat for the earth, but at this point, its simply not good enough. We must have another angle to work with and that, I believe, is profitablity. If we can gather people's attention toward the benefits of environmental practices, in ways they can relate with like money, land availability, diversity of available crops, then another large entity will be generated toward the global cause of sustaining the earth. I think if we can all come behind a relevant reason to love or need this earth and concentrate on how to continue our vision, we generate a pretty good village to raise up this problem child of unnessary, fast climate change into a very successful adolesence of regeneration and healing.
I think all of us budding mediators need to then be flexible and be alert to possible opportunities for getting disputing parties to veer in the direction of sustainability... our jobs will be vital to remedy this issue.. in other words, we have amazing things to do!
Heidi Farrall said:Missy,
I think you hit on a very important issue for us here. Hillary Clinton's phrase aside, it does take that village now and the climate change issue is one of those that the whole world must acknowledge in order for there to be any resolution. I've had a hard time too with this topic this week. I continue to have a hard time seeing past how you get the village to have the attention necessary to do anything about climate change. If the village sees the child is hungry, the village feeds the child. If the village sees the child is without shelter, the village shelters the child. Climate change takes a world community approach in order for there to be resolution. Scientists continue to point out the urgency on this issue but the world sits and watches. How can a mediator get movement and resolution on an issue that no one wants any responsibility for? Now, some may argue that more and more people are paying attention and are trying to lead a greener life, but how does that really solve anything in the big picture? Your citation of Cloke when he discusses collective attention is very important here. How do we get collective attention? -Heidi
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