Driving Driving Driving

I usually don't shy away from learning about the things that anger me, horrify me, and sometimes break my heart.  But with the damn oil spill, I've been avoiding hearing about it as much as I can.  I feel so incredibly helpless, and every time I think of it I just want to burst into tears.

"Even now, we hardly love the Earth or see with eyes or listen any longer with our ears, and we scarcely feel our hearts beat before they break in protest." Stanley Diamond

But today, I saw this new song on Facebook by Kimya Dawson, an artist I adore, and loved it.  So I wanted to share it with you.  It's called Driving Driving Driving.



Peace,
Idzie

Green Anarchy

If I wait until I feel ready to explain green anarchy in my own words, I will never write that post.  So I decided, instead, to give you the link to a great introductory article on the subject, and to comment a bit on specific parts of that article.

Before going into that, I'm going to say this: I'm not looking to start debates, and as I've mentioned previously, I find posting highly politicized posts to be nerve wracking.  I've decided to keep the comments on this post open for now (depending on the nature of the comments, I *may* choose to close commenting at a later date.  I don't think I will, and I don't want to, but I also want to keep that option open in case I find the feedback I'm getting is stressing me too much!  Yeah, I know, I'm overly sensitive.), but I ask that you please refrain from attempting to start any big political debates!  I feel a need to add a bit extra to this anti-debating thing, that I feel in my last couple of posts I didn't address as much as I should have.  I have no problems having my opinions questioned.  I do have a problem with my opinions being questioned in a confrontational, adversarial, disrespectful, way.  I love talking in person about my views with people whom I know to be open-minded and respectful, and the person I spend the most time having in-depth conversations with is my sister.  She's a more analytical thinker than I am, and we complement each other wonderfully in discussions.  She'll often point out things I may not have seen, or tell me when something I say doesn't seem thought through very thoroughly.  I don't, however, like having those conversations online, where it's often hard to tell how the other person feels.  But I seriously digress.

There's a lot of information to be found on green anarchy online, but almost none of it is information for "beginners", just for those who already have a basic understanding of green anarchist philosophies.  So I was very happy to find this article, from Green Anarchy magazine, called An Introduction to Anti-Civilization Anarchist Thought and Practice.  I warn you, it is quite long, but it's also a wonderful introduction to the types of things that most green anarchists question and think about.

This article covers many different things, including the all important thing, when talking about being anti-civilization, of What Is Civilization?:

"Green anarchists tend to view civilization as the logic, institutions, and physical apparatus of domestication, control, and domination. While different individuals and groups prioritize distinct aspects of civilization (i.e. primitivists typically focus on the question of origins, feminists primarily focus on the roots and manifestations of patriarchy, and insurrectionary anarchists mainly focus on the destruction of contemporary institutions of control), most green anarchists agree that it is the underlying problem or root of oppression, and it needs to be dismantled."

And in the section Biocentrism vs. Anthropocentrism, it talks about one of the things I consider to be my core values:

"Biocentrism is a perspective that centers and connects us to the earth and the complex web of life, while anthropocentrism, the dominant world view of western culture, places our primary focus on human society, to the exclusion of the rest of life. A biocentric view does not reject human society, but does move it out of the status of superiority and puts it into balance with all other life forces. It places a priority on a bioregional outlook, one that is deeply connected to the plants, animals, insects, climate, geographic features, and spirit of the place we inhabit. There is no split between ourselves and our environment, so there can be no objectification or otherness to life. Where separation and objectification are at the base of our ability to dominate and control, interconnectedness is a prerequisite for deep nurturing, care, and understanding. Green anarchy strives to move beyond human-centered ideas and decisions into a humble respect for all life and the dynamics of the ecosystems that sustain us."

In Division of Labour and Specialization, another important point is brought up, that of how disconnected we are from the mechanics of our own well-being:

"The disconnecting of the ability to care for ourselves and provide for our own needs is a technique of separation and disempowerment perpetuated by civilization. We are more useful to the system, and less useful to ourselves, if we are alienated from our own desires and each other through division of labor and specialization. We are no longer able to go out into the world and provide for ourselves and our loved ones the necessary nourishment and provisions for survival. Instead, we are forced into the production/consumption commodity system to which we are always indebted."

It also talks about decentralization, something I think is incredibly important. From Against Mass Society:

"We reject mass society for practical and philosophical reasons. First, we reject the inherent representation necessary for the functioning of situations outside of the realm of direct experience (completely decentralized modes of existence). We do not wish to run society, or organize a different society, we want a completely different frame of reference. We want a world where each group is autonomous and decides on its own terms how to live, with all interactions based on affinity, free and open, and non-coercive. We want a life which we live, not one which is run."

Of course, as the author even says in Influences and Solidarity, many green anarchists come to different conclusions on various points from those of the author:

"It is also important to remember that, while many green anarchists draw influence from similar sources, green anarchy is something very personal to each who identify or connect with these ideas and actions."

However, I definitely think that this is a very good introduction!

I hope that if you're interested in truly learning about green anarchy, you choose to read the entire article, not just the bits I've included in this post, because those bits really only give you a part of the whole story (hell, they just give you part of the whole story, taken from an article that is itself just a small part of the whole story!).  And I hope that it gives you a better understanding of where I'm coming from, as well!

How I ended up considering myself a green anarchist was actually by process of elimination: anything that didn't jive with my core values, I just didn't agree with.  I had no faith in politicians or governments, and had been interested in anarchy, in a very vague sense, for years.  However, I just always believed everyone around me when they said that it was a load of crap, and so I didn't look into it myself for a while...  But when I did, I sure liked it!!  However, with most anarchist philosophies, I saw a major flaw: they were concerned entirely with humans and with human society, and didn't really seem to consider the environment or the greater web of life.  So when I found green anarchy, it just felt right.  Here was something that finally made sense to me!

I also hope that by reading that article, it'll cause you to think about and question some things that you may never have thought of before...

For a currently small but ever growing resource list of interesting stuff on green anarchy and post-leftist anarchy, go to the bottom of my Links and Resources page!

Peace,
Idzie

Super Soak the Olympic Torch

I love this show. I'm sure the style would turn some people off, but if you can get past that, it always has wonderful info, fascinating interviews, and is put together in an engaging way. Check out past episodes and other cool stuff at subMedia.tv.

This particular episode deals with some of the shit that Obama has been doing, as well as having extensive info on the 2010 Olympics and why they're a bad thing. The previous episode, Blame Canada, was also good.



I tried to embed the video from the subMedia site, but since it's not working from there, I embedded it from YouTube. To see the full video, you'll need to go here.

My sister and I have decided that we're going to check out the protest when the torch passes through Montreal, since we both want to lend our support...

Peace,
Idzie

Clear Cuts

I found several interesting, moving, and depressing videos today. This was one of them.



Peace,
Idzie

Links on unschooling and radical environmentalism

The Six-Lesson School Teacher is an essay by John Taylor Gatto damning the school system.

Who Needs School? A video interview with Holly and Sandra Dodd

Resist Do Not Comply is a moving video on Arctic wildlife, climate change, and militant action. Link courtesy of Misko (thanks!).

World At Gunpoint is the first installment of a new column in Orion magazine written by Derrick Jensen. Thanks to ps pirro for the link!

The interconnectedness of life

I feel a need to write about something, but I'm not sure what...

I wanted to write a lovely 'about me' post like Sheila did, but I'm not sure how to go about that... I know myself very well, but actually putting that knowledge down in an even semi coherent manner seems very difficult, especially considering how tired my brain is right now.

I also wanted to write about how ridiculous homophobia is. But I think I'd do a really lousy job of it at the moment.

Oh, here's something I think I can manage, since it's far from the logical/researched end of things and much more on the emotional/feelings end of the spectrum. And that thing is how much it pisses me off when humans look at (our)themselves as somehow special, and "better" than all other creatures. Unlike many of my opinions, this is something that's bothered me for years! I'd often read books when I was younger that portrayed humans as the only ones with souls or real personalities, and all other creatures as nothing more than animals to be used, eaten, or controlled. This portrayal always bothered me a great deal, and felt amazingly wrong on a fundamental level.

On a personal level, I can simply see the ridiculousness of it. I look at one of the furry family members that share my home, I look at the raccoons that clatter around on the deck, or the squirrels that race around the tops of fences, or the maple tree that rustles in the wind, and I don't see empty bodies blindly going about basic tasks. I see separate individuals who are simply living their life. I don't understand how they can be looked at as worthless by so many. Life is life, and every creature looks different. We're just one of a vast hots of different species that inhabits this planet. What makes the human race believe it's so special?

On a much larger level, I've recently realized how absolutely stupid and destructive this world view is. If humans are intrinsically of more value, and everything else is somehow lesser, than that leads to the belief that the world is here simply for us, and we as humans have the right to use, abuse, and destroy absolutely anything we wish.

As many of you know, this worldview is leading to the destruction of our planet.

Yes, I'm going to talk about something Derrick Jensen said again. I love how his ideas and words make such perfect sense. Instead of saying that it's always wrong to kill a creature for food, or that it's always wrong to cut down a tree, he instead says that as soon as you or I consume the flesh of an animal, we are obligated to ensure that species survival and well being. As soon as we cut down a tree, we are obligated to insure the survival and well being of that forest. To me, this way is the most ethical, simple, and intelligent way we can possibly look at things. He also goes on to say that if you consume the flesh of a factory farmed animal, you are then obligated to do everything in your power to end factory farming. Same goes if you consume the flesh of a factory farmed carrot.

By looking at things that way, it's impossible to not see how inextricably everything is linked.

I've heard people question why they should care about the extinction of a specific species, whether it's animal or plant or tree, and the answer is so amazingly obvious. Even if you believe that humans have some innate something that makes them "better" than other animals (for we are simply another species of animal), our survival is linked with the survival of every other species on the planet. When a forest is cut down, every human and non-human is ensured less oxygen. When the great fish of the ocean are driven extinct, we ensure ourselves, as well as countless other animals, and countless other forests, less food. When we pollute a river, or all rivers (there are toxins in every single river now), we ensure that both humans and non-humans will no longer be able to drink clean water. Everything we do to harm another life, whether it's trees, animals, rivers, it harms us. Karma in it's truest form.

My mind is feeling very tired, so I'll stop here for now. Just a few thoughts and opinions I figured I'd throw out there, since I think they are extremely important.

Peace,
Idzie

Why I'm an anarchist

I don't think I've ever really talked on this blog about WHY I'm an anarchist, or what lead me to agree with that particular philosophy. I've only ever said that I am an anarchist! So now I want to explain why. I'm not really sure how to go about this in a logical manner, but I'll try.

I've been vaguely interested in anarchy for at least a year (I think even longer), but I never believed it was a real possibility, a valid opinion. I always just believed the commonly held opinion that anarchy can never work. I thought it was an amazing yet entirely unrealistic ideal. But then, I came across an essay (on deviantART of all places) that was very much anarchist (anarcho-primitivist to be exact), and brought up some very interesting points. I commented on it, not all that positively, and got into an extremely long conversation with the author. Pretty quickly, my arguments melted away. What he had to say made sense, and I was totally drawn to the ideas he expressed. Wanting to find out more, I asked for book suggestions, and he was happy to oblige. His top recommendation was Derrick Jensen, and so I read his book The Culture of Make Believe, and it rocked my world (if you've read any of my early posts, you'll know just how much I love Jensen). That book broke my heart, and made me incredibly angry. But even more then sadness or anger, I felt determination. I couldn't really identify as anything but anarchist after that. Now, you may be thinking I was to fast to change my opinions, or that I didn't research the other side, and I'd say that isn't true. As for changing opinions too fast, I'd believed, in my heart, that anarchy was the right way to do things for a long time, Id just never had that gut feeling backed up by anything definite before. And as for looking at things from the other side, that's impossible not to do in this society. My entire life I've seen the other sides view, and I hate it. That's why anarchy has always appealed to me. Since The Culture of Make Believe, I've read several other books by Jensen, and numerous essays by numerous authors online. I'm still sure that anarchy is the only political view that's right for me (and the earth). I should make it clear that although Jensen is an anarcho-primitivist, I'm not. I'm certainly leaning in that direction, but I don't believe that a complete return to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle is the only sustainable way of life. I'm also not convinced that agriculture and domestication are Bad Things, I just think they need to be completely re-thought. I'm honestly not sure what little sub-group of anarchy my views fit into (there are a LOT), but I'm definitely a collectivist, one who sees a world of sustainable communities and mutual support, not an individualist, which seems like a pretty cut throat every-man/woman-for-themselves type setup. I envision a return to nature, in small, self sustaining communities, communities that love and support each other, and live in freedom and peace. Idealistic? Perhaps. But if you never go for the ideal, and make do with well-things-could-be-worse-this-will-do-I-guess, then things will never change! I don't want a world that "could be worse". I want a world that I'm actually proud to be a part of, one where I can hold my head high, and not be ashamed of everything I do, since everything, from eating to buying cloths to peeing in the toilet harms others. How can that be right?

The main reason I'm anarchist is because I genuinely believe in freedom and respect for all beings, and for the the land itself. No human, creature, tree or plant is a resource, or there simply for their usefulness to us. Each is an individual, and each deserves respect.

I suppose all I've done so far is say why I'm against industrialized civilization, not why I'm against government. So, why I'm against government is simple; although it sounds corny, I really believe the old adage "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely". I don't think it's possible for someone in a position of power and control over others to not abuse that power in one way or another, even if they're ignorant of that abuse themselves. I believe that people can never be their own bosses until there are no bosses other than themselves.

I always used to scoff when I heard our civilization described as a "machine". I'd roll my eyes and think the people who were saying that were idiots. But now, I really understand the metaphor. Each individual, no matter what position they hold, is in a neatly fitted slot. The people, wether they're in positions of seemingly high importance or not, can change so easily, someone else fitting perfectly into that same slot. Each person really is like a tiny piece of a huge machine, and, just like machines, parts are easily replaceable, and the machine keeps on working.

Since I became anarchist, or more realized that I was an anarchist, I really do feel like my eyes have been opened, and like I'm seeing things for the first time. I no longer look at things the same way the mainstream does. I see so many things, commonly accepted, almost never questioned things, that are so WRONG! There is so much irony, and so much insanity in our culture it never ceases to astound me. What's even more astounding is that so few people see it. But then again, it took me 17 years to start to realize, so I suppose it's not all that surprising. It's hard seeing things in a way that's so very far from the commonly accepted "normal" views, and I think I'd go crazy if not for reassurance from books, people online, and my sister that I'm not the only one to see the fallacy of our entire civilization... Also, something that really helps when I get overwhelmed with all the negative stuff people think and say about anarchy, when I start to question whether I might be wrong on this one, even though I believe it whole heartedly, I just have to think about the fact that EVERYONE "knows" that you can't learn anything without school. Then I laugh. And the doubt goes away.

Wow, that's long (and rather abrupt and disjointed, I'm afraid). I thank you very much if you got this far! I hope that made sense, and wasn't to all over the map... As always, comments and opinions are much appreciated!

Peace,
Idzie

Long walks and upcoming festivities...

For two day in a row (last Tuesday and Wednesday), I went for really long walks. Yay! Both days my sister and I started out with my mother, and she turned back early as we continued with a friend or two. But really, it's best to let the pictures I took the first day tell the story... Sorry, the order is totally screwed up. We (my mother sister and I) started out walking around the streets, then my sister, Borris, and I continued into the woods and destroyed strip... The pictures, however, are a total mish-mash :-S


Endless line of dried sludge as far as the eye can see. Literally. I believe we've walked straight along here for about 25 minutes, and we still can't see the end of it.

I like the lines here...

My sister and I's shadows...

It's a smiley face... Can you see it?

The trees caught the sunset

Apparently you're not supposed to stand under these... Huh, who knew?

It looks like an aerial view of another world

Hmm... Way overexposed, but I wanted to show the extant of the damage

Some greenery has grown up along the devastated strip, but most of it is still dried sludge

I love the beautiful Fall leaves

A farm road wanders off to the side...

Shining strands of power lines...

Having fun :-)

Isn't this fire hydrant just amazingly adorable for some reason?

Where the green things end...

And as for the upcoming festivities, the first one is pretty much here! Tonight, my immediate family (minus my dad who's sadly away on a business trip :-( ) is celebrating Thanksgiving. We're cooking an almost entirely organic, harvest themed meal, with homemade bread, roasted carrots, potatoes and onions, meatloaf for the meat eaters, and I believe soup as well.

As for the other upcoming festivities, well, that's something I'm really looking forward to. :-) Since Halloween is so disgustingly commercialized, and I feel like I'm a bit too old for trick-or-treating, I decided to celebrate Samhain, a Pagan holiday celebrating the final harvest, and also remembering the dead. Some historians also believe that Samhain was the Celtic newyears. So, with the help of my sister and at least one friend, we're going to put together a small celebration. It will be cool. :-)

Peace
Idzie