Silent Spring for a Wealthy Winter

I have not read Silent Spring. I read was required for our readings. But I did receive it this past Christmas after talking to a friend about how I really should read it. After all, had it not been written, I wonder where we would be. (Plus it was a women who wrote it, and not the white males we see running the show everywhere – mostly).
Anyways, I will read it.
But her quote: “This is an era of specialists, each of who sees his own problem and is unaware of or intolerant of the larger frame into which it fits. It is also an era dominated by industry, in which the right to make a dollar at whatever cost is seldom challenged”

She acknowledges this and writes her book, speaking out in her profession among all the controversy and chaos that would ensue. What courage!
She is obviously brilliant as the solutions she promotes at the end of the book are far advanced, even in today’s standards as we eek our way to develop biodynamic systems of food production.
We need people charged with that kind of courage as we move forward! I want that courage. But it helped that she was specialized at something, that she had a credibility to her convictions. I see people like Naomi Klein with no formal undergrad and I think, I don’t need to be a PHD to make a go at it.
Where can I grab the courage to speak out on something.
This course has taught me a lot about speaking out. I feel much more confident that I could voice my opposition to the things that are happening which are so blatantly wrong, harmful and devastating. I have anyways, but not as often or eloquently as I would like.
I sincerely believe we have to stop helping to produce the ridiculous wealth of so few people. Exxon closed out with a 45 billion dollar profit last year.
I can tell you they are not going try and buy solar panels with that capital. They are going to explore for more oil (see link).
The Co-operative model of organizing seems like such a great way to look at how we can begin to override this crazy economic system and get to producing and consuming at levels that satisfy our needs and not the pockets of a handful of ridiculously wealthy folks.
I can hear the dissent as I write this, “All that money bought you the free medicare”. “That capital brought you the rapid development of the computer you are typing on”.
And to some degree this is true. But it will also be the exacerbation of many of the world’s already burgeoning problems if we don’t learn how to manage our progress.
We are creative people, proving to be capable or anything – even masterfully orchestrating our own demise. I have no doubt that we can find a better way to communicate and design mobility that doesn’t toxify our planet. (toxify is a new word I made up). Guy Dauncey is looking into telepathy and clairvoyance, rendering e-waste obsolete.