Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The Ecology of Work

This article by Curtis White in Orion Magazine has some radical, but fair, ideas about the inherent conflict between capitalism and protecting our environment and our humanity.

He doesn't simply beat up on corporations, but takes an even-handed approach and includes affluent card carrying Sierra Club members, like me - who talk the talk, but don't really walk the walk - as part of the problem. We do what we can...and hope that there is some magic bullet that will allow us to continue on the path that got us here.

Basically he's saying there is no way to reconcile - a capitalistic society's dictate that we work to earn, spend and consume, with the planet's need to conserve and our human need to be in touch with the natural world.

He also has some things to say about how helpless we are when it comes to being able to do practical things for ourselves (frame a house, grow and preserve our own food), in our specialized "knowledge worker" type of economy.

It's very interesting - I recommend taking the time to read it.