The connections and disconnections between an inauguration in Washington, a forum of elites in the Swiss Alps, and a conflagration in Los Angeles tell us a lot about the age we now live in. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com At this mercurial point in time, the confluence of events connect and disconnect from each other, from … Continue reading The Age of Consequences
Author: theprinciplesofbeing
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Now What? Getting On With It.
Coming to terms with my own pretending about the predicament we're in, side-stepping the hope versus fatalistic acceptance trap, and opting instead for letting go while staying present, all lead to the peace and authenticity that can come from being [at least somewhat] prepared and fully present for a future that remains unknown to us. … Continue reading Now What? Getting On With It.
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The World As We Know It
What will it take to overcome our optimistic delusions of planetary control? Can we stop pretending we're only facing a problem to be solved and begin seeking a way to adapt to our predicament? In the Washington Post opinion section, an editor recently wrote the following: "What Americans need is a more quickly rising standard … Continue reading The World As We Know It
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The Future of Food: Factory or Farm?
Our approach to food generation must change -- the corporate industrialism of Big Ag has failed us and will only get worse in the challenging world it's helped to bring about, while the corporate industrialism of Big Food is doling out by-products as food and sickening people around the world. Is technology going to save … Continue reading The Future of Food: Factory or Farm?
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FIRE! (it’s not just about climate change)
Our world is blazing as a consequence of the climate crisis . . . but what if the climate crisis is only one factor now being used to cover over other equally troubling causes? Big Fall Creek Road, Lowell, US, 2017. Photo by Marcus Kauffman on Unsplash All natural disasters, whether wildfire, hurricane, tornado, or … Continue reading FIRE! (it’s not just about climate change)
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Going for the Gold: A New Kind of Alchemy
Turning copper and nickel into gold to save the world, or at least to save the conveniences we don't want to let go of, despite what it's costing us -- could it work? An ancient branch of natural philosophy, alchemy's central aim was the transmutation of base metals into gold. The conversion occurred through an … Continue reading Going for the Gold: A New Kind of Alchemy
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What Are Your Personal Luxuries?
A world of less consumption requires rethinking the notion of luxury as part of evaluating the true cost of everything. But that's completely counter to centuries of history relative to luxury and how it's sold to us today. Note: The following is best read on a larger device, or, if you prefer, it can be … Continue reading What Are Your Personal Luxuries?
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Second Principle- There Is No Existential Purpose
I had a friend who was an award-winning sculptor with a number of notable commissions. Also notably, he often made the earnest declaration: "I sense purpose!" For him this purpose was existential and was not of his own making though he never could say of whose making it was. This sensing of purpose was defining … Continue reading Second Principle- There Is No Existential Purpose
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The Fatal Flaws in Human Exceptionalism
What's "human exceptionalism" got to do with ecological destruction and the climate crisis? Really, everything. https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/05/11/19/28/evolution-2305142_1280.jpg Kyrnos on Pixabay Note: The following is best read on a larger device, or, if you prefer, it can be read online at: https://theprinciplesofbeing.com/2023/04/02/the-fatal-flaws-in-human-exceptionalism/ Humans and Other Homo Species Humans seem to have a natural propensity for making order … Continue reading The Fatal Flaws in Human Exceptionalism
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The Ubiquity of Lithium-Ion Batteries — Here’s the List. How Many Are In Your Home?
I've always considered myself to be on the fringe of the interconnected mobile world. Then I counted the number of lithium-ion batteries in my home . . . dcbel on Pexels After my recent post about the new green energy economy, I was curious about my own consumption of lithium-ion batteries. My sister was also … Continue reading The Ubiquity of Lithium-Ion Batteries — Here’s the List. How Many Are In Your Home?
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The New Green Energy Economy . . . Déjà vu or Even Worse?
[Note to Readers: This is a longer essay that's best read on something other than a cell phone. Thank you for taking the time to read it.] As a society (and in many ways a global one), we’re currently defaulting to a prescribed path for our collective future. As a result, we regularly face the … Continue reading The New Green Energy Economy . . . Déjà vu or Even Worse?
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What Is Our Responsibility To Each Other?
Radical individualism has always been embraced as the embodiment of the American spirit. We pride ourselves on our individual self-reliance and autonomy, and we judge others who fall short on these measures. Ironically, though, this same individualism can only be experienced and understood through social and cultural patterns of meaning. We discover ourselves only through, … Continue reading What Is Our Responsibility To Each Other?
The Principles of Being 
