What's it all About? - Revolution Day 37 and A Call to Action

I have been struggling for a couple of weeks now to write a post that defines what this One Earth Revolution is really all about. Trying to distill the essential elements of my vision into a cohesive train of thought that I can share with others that will really get them thinking. But more than that, I want to inspire others to action. If we all start to think, it's a start, but It's not enough to just think. We have to act!

This week I have been privileged to share with several members of the Berwick community in putting on an exhibit of local artists, organizing and mobilizing individuals to support local art and business and planning a local farmers' market with the sustainability committee. I am so thrilled to see members of our community coming together to really make it a community, not just a place where we lie our heads at night.

This week I also applied to curate a Lexicon of Sustainability art exhibit for southern Maine, entered into talks with Hour Exchange Portland and have begun to lay the ground work for bringing an hour exchange to the Berwicks. There is so much to be done!

I started this post by mentioning that I've wanted to distill my vision into words that will motivate others to action. While I haven't been able to find the exact words myself to do this, I stumbled upon something this morning that really sums it up. This is an excerpt from the forward to Local Dollars Local Sense by Michael Shuman.

"The world is constantly changing. Revolution should not be a scary word. It has three basic definitions: rotation, rebellion, transformation. Great moments of history are written when what is usually just rotation-cycles of nature, repetitious-becomes transformative....The American Revolution did not happen in 1776. It took several decades, at least, to achieve the transformative qualities that we mark in that year...

As the saying goes, "when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Systems define the process. But if the nail changes, the hammer must eventually change too.

Ultimately this is...about changing nails. Lots of them. Because the hammer that is our socioeconomic structure (with a large dose of techno-cultural mash) cannot last. Nothing does. At some point the repetition becomes too much. And the opportunity for a new (r)evolution emerges.

Evolution: development, growth, advancement.

The fear of the idea of things being different-the end of the world as we know it-is joined by the accompanying realization that a revolution also brings certain core principles back around. Not the end of the world as we know it... but a return of fundamental aspects of human nature that have always existed: community, relationship, connection-connection to the impact  of our investments, to the source of our food, to our footprint on the planet." 

 Peter Buffett

I really appreciate all those of you who have commented and shared this blog. Knowing I've got you with me helps to keep me motivated. This post is a blatant call to action. I am asking each of you who have been reading this blog to share it in every way that you can and to please, please click the "follow" button. Every revolution needs an army and this army needs recruits.