Saving the World

वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्। (vasudhaiva kutumbakam|)

The world is a family.

– from Maha Upanishad VI.72

Today, 1 January 2050, my family, i.e. all people of the world, and I finally greet a Happy New Year, with nobody being exploited for anything. Three decades ago, I could only dream of this. I believe that I enacted my small but pivotal role toward this world, starting in 2024, when I began living my WHY as an alumna of Veganers Academy and my essay, that was posted on Suzanne Taylor’s website, invited many of us to unlock their superpowers, which we would use together to save the world.

When I first heard these terms, I thought that they were fictional. But only when I learned, unlearned and learned did I realise that they are real. The learning was set in motion by my elder brother, Abhinav Ubuntu, who meditated and designed two programs, Find My WHY and Veganers Academy, which would literally help people find their WHY and be A̶v̶e̶n̶g̶e̶r̶s̶ Veganers. They helped many of us step out of limited thinking and put the ACT in ACTivism, which drew ideals inside our heads out into reality.

In a world where people thought that they knew all that was needed, it seemed crazy to learn from others, that too in groups with others. My brother used to show how he started Ubuntu (now Ubuntuverse), which was the first vegan cafe in a city of fish eating, and saved thousands (now millions) of animals, as why to learn. But what gave me the final push was how the presence of him, just one person, changed the atmosphere of our activism on 15 August 2023 into the most effective I had seen:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cv-LRplpr_r

We lived in times of terror, when the most innocent of us, who never did a single thing wrong to anyone, used to be tortured and killed for how they tasted or looked on skin. There were movements to save them, but people were confused and divided. Learning that each of us have unique abilities and that we must use them together were crucial in propelling our progress. Find My WHY and Veganers Academy ignited fires of learning in us. Abilities when actually used to do good become superpowers. Our WHY = Skill + Passion + Service. This peak of purpose in life is nurtured and sustained by doing what we are good at, what we love to do and doing that for others. Thousands finding theirs gave our movement its diverse skill set. We do ACTivism when we ACT (not just think) to solve a problem in the world. As we learnt what the gravity of the problem was and how we could effectively solve it, our bodies moved before we realised. We learned by doing that acting in unison brings success.This gave our movement regimentation and coordination.

Find My WHY: https://forms.gle/Jdn2W1e75Ld6atjx8

Veganers Academy: https://forms.gle/NWUe87mPj2bpziT27

Back in 2024, I used to be gravely sick. My condition kept worsening for years. I used to be grief stricken that I was not able to do much for the victims. But with the support of people who deeply cared for me, I kept doing activism. I used to be ordinary, but doing all that was possible within my physical abilities made me extraordinary. I overcame my vystopia and helped others overcome theirs in Veganers Academy. I used my skills in logic and passion for research in service of animals to keep fighting.

I remember that I submitted my essay on 14 February 2024. It was very special as we had Saraswati puja, Valentine’s day and my brother Abhinav’s birthday all on the same day. My brother who used to say that his birthday is like any other day, knew by then that his birthday is important thanks to knowing WHY he was born, and said that my essay was one of the best birthday gifts of his life. Praying that my efforts would connect us to a future of kindness, I stepped out to do activism.

I gaze upon a society of enlightened individuals on January 1st, 2050, as we collectively celebrate the new year and reflect on my role in bringing about this transformation.

Allow me to paint a picture of what I observe:

In Oakland, CA, I witness a population that is both physically and mentally actualized—strong, present, and prepared for the uncertainties of life. Each person optimizes their existence for joy, participating in thousands of action communities where members collaboratively engage in various projects. These communities yield a plethora of societal benefits, ranging from new art forms and technologies to research projects on rare diseases, innovative exercise routines, dances, and initiatives focused on preserving endangered animals.

Today, we come together to share and celebrate the outcomes of these action communities in 2049.

Among the achievements are three new musical instruments, seven new dances, ten novel types of physical exercises tailored for different maladies, fifteen protocols to prevent or reverse diseases, 200 fresh recipes, 500 new songs, and a staggering 10,000 new mentors graduating from their year of mentorship.

Booths representing these communities line the streets of downtown Oakland and the shores of Lake Merritt, inviting members and tourists alike to explore a multitude of innovations. This annual event draws thousands of visitors from China, India, and across North America.

Every street offers a feast for the senses, with new smells, textures, and colors captivating all who attend.

These innovations include blocks of new technologies—some designed to enhance the resource efficiency of homes, others focused on new energy sources, recycling methods, or novel ways to communicate and learn from one another.

“What did I do?” you inquire. Well, I continued to do what I’ve always done: instigate, connect, and create. In 2024, I published a manifesto titled “Communities Of Action (CoA) Principles,” outlining the 10 principles for the optimal functioning of such communities. The people of Oakland embraced the concept, particularly as the looming challenges of artificial intelligence necessitated a shift from traditional career-focused thinking.

In a society where one’s worth was traditionally tied to a paid career, my manifesto proposed a new perspective. Instead of solely pursuing financial profit, these projects could center around maximizing joy. Each person could join multiple action communities, contributing their unique skills and interests. The young and old alike could find purpose, community, and joy, simultaneously making the world a more joyful place.

Reflecting on it now, it seems obvious. Removing the profit-driven organization blinders revealed the incredible potential of an organization dedicated to a common purpose. An organization focused on joy-driven goals, as opposed to personal profit, brings a different energy, fostering innovation without the constraints of traditional profit-driven or non-profit structures.

Recognition abounds for each person’s contribution, providing the status they yearn for through efforts, skills, unique talents, and hard work. The culture of celebration proves more motivating than financial gain.

Post-manifesto, people gradually formed these Communities of Action as weekend volunteers. As AI shortened everyone’s workweek, they devoted more time to these communities. Eventually, when the US Government mandated a 20-hour workweek, everyone embraced these communities more fully while also spending increased quality time with family and friends.

As a result, individuals found meaning beyond their “day jobs.” Physical and mental health improved due to exercise, home-cooked meals, and the end of stress culture associated with lengthy work hours. The focus shifted to health and joy, away from boasting about long workweeks now deemed illegal.

New challenges emerged, and communities thrived around sports, exercises, hobbies, and adventures. Fun activities became avenues for learning and knowledge-sharing. The manifesto outlined basic structures for knowledge exchange, and over time, best practices evolved, leveraging AI to refine and disseminate knowledge globally.

Here we stand, in the first city to initiate the Communities of Action (CoA) trend. However, every city boasts its own action communities, and the world has united to share knowledge across borders and languages. Traveling to witness innovations, taste diverse cuisines, and experience dances has become a tradition, with at least one yearly trip to another city’s festivities.

The Manifesto, as shared in 2024:

“Communities Of Action (CoA) Principles” by Bett Bollhoefer

Communities of Action (CoA) help individuals develop into their most joyful selves by allowing them to find a role and grow into their fullest potential and mentoring others doing the same.

A CoA is a community somewhere between a hobby club and a nonprofit. It has more structure than a hobby club and less structure than the currently (2024) defined US 501-3(c). It has a governance structure with a charter, bylaws and officers. It does have the ability to manage financial resources, rent buildings, buy food for its member’s banquets, and fund itself (in some way to be determined one day.) But its main purpose is to provide its members with projects to do together. These projects can innovate but aren’t required to have any type of measurable Return on Investment(ROI) as traditionally measured. Instead, the project should have a JOI (Joy on Investment). 

 

Somehow the project should be joyful, maybe fix a problem, or innovate a new art. Even as “products” can be 3D printed for pennies, these communities could focus on woodwork even though there is no “market” for their output. Their output is joy. 

 

As each member works on these projects together, they grow as people. They self-actualize. They build skills, confidence, and a network of close friends. The output of these communities is more than some innovative projects. It is a strong community where people find meaning and happiness. 

 

 Ten principles contribute to the success of CoAs:

 

1 **Structured Program:** Each CoA adopts and follows one of many “Structured Program” blueprints for governance. There are many different kinds of “Structured Programs” that can be adopted by an individual CoA, but once it is adopted, then those who join it will use that program. This program is incorporated into the bylaws and the constitution of each CoA. The list of blueprints for programs are as varied as the types of CoAs that can exist. This program allows for voting, purpose, and allows members to focus on the roles that they want inside the CoA. It brings order to the community and fairness to its operations.

 

**Supportive Environment:** Each CoA creates a safe and supportive environment for members to work together on projects, create practices, and improve their abilities. Mentoring and constructive feedback is a key aspect of this supportive atmosphere. Every member has a mentor who helps them grow down their chosen pathways. Each member should feel totally welcomed no matter their starting point. 

 

**Peer Learning:** Members learn from each other through constructive evaluations, feedback, and shared experiences. This collaborative learning environment fosters a sense of community and camaraderie. Even experienced members know that keeping a beginner’s mind is critical to keep learning. The mentor learns as much from the mentee. 

 

**Effective Feedback:** CoA emphasizes the importance of constructive feedback. Evaluators provide specific feedback to help members understand their strengths and areas for improvement. This feedback loop is crucial for personal development. Feedback sessions are scheduled and well-defined.

 

**Regular Meetings:** CoA typically meet regularly, allowing members consistent opportunities to work on their projects, practice, and refine their skills. Regularity in meetings helps establish momentum for the projects.

 

**Leadership Opportunities:** CoA offers members various leadership roles within the community, providing hands-on experience in leading projects and community activities. This allows members to develop leadership skills in a practical setting.

 

**Positive Reinforcement:** CoA encourages a positive and encouraging atmosphere. Celebrating achievements, both big and small, contributes to a positive learning environment and motivates members to continue their development.

 

**Flexibility and Adaptability:** CoA clubs can adapt to the needs and preferences of their members. If needed, they can change their direction, projects, and themes. This flexibility allows for a diverse range of projects. They might split into two or more communities if their projects get too large.

 

**Networking Opportunities:** CoA provides an excellent place for networking and building relationships. Members often come from diverse backgrounds, providing opportunities for collaboration and mutual support. The friendships built while working together on a passion project will last the members’ lifetimes. This builds stronger overall cities, countries, and global communities.

 

**Global Community:** Being part of CoA means belonging to a global community. Members have the chance to connect with other CoA worldwide, attend local cities’ showcase festivals, and participate in international events, expanding their perspectives and networks. 

 

By adhering to these principles, CoA creates an effective and empowering environment for individuals to enhance their own abilities and increase the level of joy in the world.

 

It began by staring at a heap of compost. 

Tucked away at the back of our garden in a cage of pallet wood, a year earlier it had been bread crusts, yellowing cabbage leaves, grass clippings, rabbit droppings, torn-up Amazon boxes. Slowly, silently, it was colonised by blooms of fur, like the back of a rarely-inspected fridge. We’d almost forgotten it.

And now, curious, lifting a forkful – sweet, dark, crumbling, nutrient-dense soil. Basking in its warmth, contented tiger worms, millipedes curled like ammonites. While our backs were turned, the imperceptible magic of fungi and fermentation transfigured this rotten mass of waste and death into something fizzing with promise.

It was a kind of rebirth.  For us too. 

That heap of dead vegetables and worm dung held a startling message – that the two things that estranged us most deeply from the Earth were How We Deal With Our Shit, and What We Do With Our Dead.

We flushed our bodily waste with drinkable water down pipes, into sewers, treatment works, spilling into rivers, oceans. We tried to stave off death for as long as possible with anti-ageing cosmetics and anxiety and a litany of pharmaceuticals – as if to die were some kind of inherent design flaw in the nature of things; burying our dead embalmed with chemicals, sealed inside varnished boxes and plunged deep underground, protected from the transfiguring worms. We’d learned a deep fear and disgust of both, and we’d done all we could to push them as far away as possible. The resulting toxified rivers and soil, the fuels burned, the diminishing species, the sheer scale of the system, felt abstract, distant.

But the Earth was waiting – longing even – for us to remember. Our shit and our dead were meant to be a gift. 

It’s how humus forms, how the forest floor enables the growth of new trees, how the world feeds itself, how everything regenerates. Fallen leaves, fallen trees, animal faeces, the bodies of millions of bugs, birds and mammals. We’d broken that circle, afraid of the smell and of our own impermanence. Crows and squirrels and birch trees have no need for sewage works or stone memorials. Their memories live on in the continually burgeoning biosphere, their bodies and their dung welcomed back into the earth – new life in the making. Instead, we made something sacred into something toxic.

February 2024 was the last month we used drinking water to flush our shit away.

The failure of water companies to deal with sewage was all over the news – raw human waste was regularly being released into waterways. Unswimmable rivers, biodiversity loss, polluted beaches. Shareholders were still reaping financial rewards, but the Earth was suffering.

With a group of friends and a handbook to guide us, we built a compost toilet in our back garden – an improvised and rustically beautified shed, made with wit and imagination for next to nothing with reclaimed wood. We threw a modest party to celebrate and made a blessing of our faeces, transforming what had become unclean and unholy into an act of restoration. Compost toilets appeared in all our gardens soon after, built together. It turned out it wasn’t just us. Within a year, dozens and dozens of families in our community were no longer using tap water to wash their waste away, and instead, the humans and the humus were reuniting. For those who didn’t want to shit in a garden shed, there were more elegant options for domestic bathrooms. Businesses began appointing compost guardians, who oversaw their company’s waste, using the humanure to fertilise the food forests that began to replace barren verges, cosmetic lawns and wasteland that edged the economic landscape. The land welcomed all that fertility, and our fruit trees were blooming.

And we made plans for dying, so that the Earth would be blessed by our bodies. The worms could have us, so that trees could grow, and a thousand species could be fed. We’d live on in maturing woodlands, honouring our ancestors, helping to make the next generations possible. Green burials had been gathering momentum for some time, and human composting was gaining traction too, but the growing sense of interconnection with the wild created a huge groundswell. 

As increasing numbers of people began to see themselves in a kind of sacred cycle, habits and systems that jeopardised its integrity felt less and less acceptable. Faced with the rapid degradation of ecosystems and the cumulative climatic impact of our insatiable species, we needed to make EVERYTHING we did a gift back to the Earth.

Over the coming decade or two, there was a subtle but extraordinary shift – each visit to the toilet became a holy sacrament; each death became an offering to the Earth, back into the circle of things – a pledge for a thriving future. In the quiet way of nature, it recalibrated our perspective on the value and connections of all living beings – worms, bacteria, invertebrates, fungi – that had often been overlooked or even despised. It taught us about ourselves, and each other; about valuing every member of a community that stretched far beyond the only-human.

26 years on, those worms, and their tiny kin – pollinators, phytoplankton – have catalysed businesses to reimagine themselves embedded in a community of mutual support. Workplaces have become hubs of biodiversity, transforming their grounds into wildlife sanctuaries – and the mental and physical health of the working population has improved beyond recognition. The question – can it be composted? – is central to a new kind of business model where nothing is produced that isn’t repairable, recyclable or won’t fully mulch down into the soil.

Rivers, a barometer for Life’s flourishing, have begun to breathe again. The thought of our lifeblood being toxified is so potent that everything was done to remove the plastic choking waterways, and to prevent it ever happening again. They are recovering. No more human waste flooding into the sea. The sanctity of life took hold in the hearts of communities and cultures, the sanctity that indigenous communities had been showing us all this time.

Municipal dumps and landfills have closed – there is no longer anything that needs to be thrown away. Low-impact human composting is now the norm and all our bodies go back into the Earth, our bodies reborn in fertile soil. Small scale local economies have grown and flourished, moving away from exponential growth and towards simplicity. Food systems have swung in favour of polycultural systems that have soil health at their heart, and as the reliance on local, largely plant-based diets has skyrocketed, huge swathes of land have been supported to return to pre-industrial habitat, species-rich and sequestering carbon. As the ideology of materialistic wealth has been supplanted by the health of people and planet, the way we educate for the future has changed, underpinned by cooperation; as the awareness of kinship has strengthened, commitment to peaceful relationship has likewise. Munitions factories have closed, fossil fuel extraction dwindling to a tiny fraction of its former rate, and still diminishing; religious traditions have found common ground in the underlying sanctity of nature, uniting diverse perspectives and complex mythologies.

As a species we’ve become much less fixated on leaving a permanent mark, and much more on our life being a gift to be shared, so that all life should thrive. Catalysed by tiny moments where we remembered ourselves as part of a vast, diverse community of life. The damage done by previous generations has not been completely mitigated – we are adapting to the climatic changes we pushed into overdrive, but we have committed ourselves to doing all we can to make our presence here no longer a burden on this beautiful Earth.

The Living Earth was longing for our participation, and now we’re making our lives, our shit and our bodies a gift, a pledge to thrive. We’ve come home.

NOTE
*for sensitive audiences, the word ‘shit’ could be substituted for ‘poo’ or ‘poop’. ‘Shit’ felt as appropriately uneuphemistic, arresting and raw a word as possible.

Research -> Sustainability Web Page -> Was the Meat Worth It?

Climate Healers Training Course Homework

Most of the world is vegan (or mostly vegan) now in 2050, and climate change is under control.  We can review how we got there: by expanding knowledge of climate change impacts to the research and public communities, and by reminding people in high-risk environments how their actions help or exacerbate their own safety and welfare.

Expanding Knowledge

Goal: Inform myself to ensure accurate and capable knowledge; expand truthful knowledge to public; and be able to effectively argue counterpoints.

As a newly-retired professor of Computer Science, I want to make sure that the research I perform in environmental science is informed and correct.  Therefore, starting in May 2023 I started a 1-year training program:

• Environmental Sustainability Certificate: I started this graduate certificate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in summer 2023. Courses included Intro to Sustainability, Environmental Media (Fall 2023), Environmental Consulting (including Life Cycle Assessments), Resource Management (Spring 2024). Expected completion: Fall 2024.

 

• Climate Healers Training Course: Focus on vegan environmental and ethical perspectives, offering an earth-centered view (not human-centered). Qualified me to speak locally in Chicago to vegan groups.

 

Sustainable Gardening: As available at local college.

Certification qualified me to speak at vegetarian-vegan and environmental events and fairs, including Vegetarian Summerfest and local Chicago events or environmental clubs in high schools.

Web Presence: Sustainable Living

Goal: Inform the public of actions they can take and the impact they would have regarding their personal environmental footprint.  Enumerate and quantify environmental effects of various climate-saving actions.

Years ago, recommendations to change a light bulb or recycling seemed insufficient to save the earth.   According to 2016 statistics, www.worldometers.info indicates that the average American generated 15.32 Tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) per person per year; this was far beyond emerging nations such as China and India at 7.44 and 1.89 tons of GHG/year, or the average Earth resident.  A problem was that no one discussed any metrics as to what you could do to minimize the environmental impact.  As a computer science PhD and professor, I wanted to understand how to reduce to other nations’ levels, through numbers and statistics.

Like (or unlike) me, not everyone is willing or ready to take public transportation everywhere or go vegan – so this website informs and offers choices: what might they be willing to do this year?  This website quantifies the effects of various actions in their lifestyle, not only for climate change, but for personal benefit.  It also educates them of how they can personally calculate their footprint.

Around the year 2000, I calculated my personal environmental footprint.  I obtained annual gas and electrical usage from Wisconsin Energy; calculated my driving miles average as total miles driven/years car owned; and calculated airline trips from web resources.  By obtaining conversion metrics, I could translate this usage into GHG lbs (or tons) per year.  What I learned that year was that I would do much better avoiding air travel.  The one statistic I could not find was how my vegan diet stacked up against a traditional diet, although I knew veganism was much more efficient.

Between 2000-2023, with a very busy teaching career, I decided to do one major action for the climate per year.  In the following years (before 2024) I sealed my house envelope and incorporated energy efficiency projects (windows, furnace, caulking, lights, insulation), then helped with my husband’s home and 3 non-profit organizations; bought 2 hybrid cars; planted four trees on my property and helped to fund trees on our block; purchased organics through Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA); learned to travel by Amtrak and Greyhound (to Amtrak-friendly locations); changed my electricity to the renewable option; occasionally presented on these topics; and integrated the teaching energy efficiency into my computer architecture classroom and published this classroom experience as research.  Through these actions I could see that my electrical and gas use were way below my neighbors, saving me money and the earth GHG.  When I changed my electricity to the 100% renewable option, my electricity went down to effectively 0 tons.

This 2024 website allows people to see the quantified impact and benefits of various actions on their personal environmental footprint (actual numbers), in the areas of:

• Housing: Energy efficiency, sealing house envelope (for older homes), electrical savings, heat pumps, LED lights.
  • Discussion of how to measure GHG for your home gas and electric

 

• • My story of metrics, savings, and benefits for two homes, relative to neighboring homes: gas and electric. (video available 2023 on YouTube)

 

• • Example story and metric results of heat pump installation: metrics, costs, relative to neighboring homes

 

• • Methods of sealing house envelope, other energy efficiency actions: programming thermostat, etc.

 

• • Example story, cost and metric results of solar installation (an interview, not my home).

Transportation: traditional/hybrid/electrical vehicles; how to survive the change to an electric vehicle; electric bikes, using trains (Amtrak), busses, planes to travel long distance.

• • Discussion of how to calculate ghg for your vehicles, and for flights.

 

• • Average fuel efficiency of traditional vs hybrid vs electrical cars; maintenance issues of each

 

• • Details on converting to electric vehicles; sites for additional info.

 

• • Stories and benefits of electric bikes

 

• • Stories and impact of Amtrak versus flights.

Diet: Vegan/vegetarian/meat-eater, organic vs. conventional, local vs. long distance food travel.

• • Discussion of how to calculate GHG for your diet.

 

• • A comparison of GHG emissions for vegan, vegetarian, meat-eaters.

 

• • Discussion of why meat-eating is so high in GHG (as per ClimateHealers data) and effects relating to other environmental impacts (water use, biodiversity, chemical and nitrate pollution, etc.)

 

• • Example vegan meals (with photos) to help people transition; simple recipes.

 

• • A comparison of metrics of organic vs conventional vegan and organic vs conventional meat-eater; also recommendations for low impact foods

 

• • Methods to get more organic veggies into a diet (e.g., CSA)

 

• • Discussion (quantified) of GHG effect of shipping on diet: local or distance (trucked), air, ship.

Gardening: Planting trees, bushes, perennials, native plants.

• • Discussion of how to calculate ghg for planting trees, bushes, organic vs conventional gardens/yards.

 

• • Reasons and quantified GHG effects for native plants, perennials, organic style gardens.

 

• • Methods and care for fruit trees, nut trees and berry bushes.

Water Usage: Home use versus diet

• • Comparison of water usage for home use versus diet use: growing vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, grains, meat

 

• How to reduce (and survive) water usage: low-flow toilets, showers, faucets

In the summer of 2024, I purchased a URL and established a website that was informative and expanded through the years.  An initial (not yet organized or researched well) website was developed fall 2023 in my Environmental Media course: https://publish.illinois.edu/sustainability-lincke/.  In summer 2024, the IPCC reports AR5 and AR6 were used as primary information sources.  The website will have links to other sites that can help (including Climate Healers and related sites).

Following the development of the website, I published a book on this topic that goes into more detail than can be achieved with a website alone.  My credentials of having published a first and second edition book entitled Information Security Planning: A Practical Approach, helped convince publishers to review my book proposal.

Presence in Research

Goal: Extending, publishing, and training through Research to inform universities;

Also: inform my website with accurate statistics on personal environmental footprint.

When I read a number of studies indicating that vegans/vegetarians were maybe twice as efficient as meat-eaters, I thought something was wrong.  A few papers calculated that a high meat eater ate 100 grams of meat a day.  When a calculated that one McDonalds Quarterpounder was 114 grams, I knew something was wrong.  I had found OECD data showing that most nations averaged well above 100 grams: Europe 185 grams and U.S. 270 grams.  One day I sat down with Excel and worked through the math until I finally had a plausible model for projecting research by increasing the level of meat consumption in studies to where they should have been.  I worked with a geographer-environmentalist professor, Dr Joy Wolf, to publish a conference and a journal paper on this topic.  We showed that American meat-eaters generated 4+ times the GHG of vegans, using conservative 2013 UN numbers.  But I had read that the UN numbers I used were conservative and outdated, so there was more research to come.

I helped to expand research in the following ways:

• Dietary modeling of greenhouse gases using OECD meat consumption/retail availability estimates, DeGruyter Journal, 2023 (published): Adjusts previous dietary models to reflect actual meat consumption, using FAO numbers

 

• Dietary Projection of CO2E using OECD Meat Estimates & Higher-End Environmental Impact Statistics, Poster, Loyola University Conference on Climate Change, March 2024: Modifies models from journal article using Our World in Data (Poore & Nemecek, 2018). Extended to journal article in summer 2024.  This research shows that most dietary studies used low-ball estimates for meat GHG impact and corrects previous journal article.

 

• Greenwashing by the Animal Industry: Poster, Loyola University Conference on Climate Change, March 2025: Contrasts quoted misinformation from animal industry, the truth according to government or research references, donations to organizations, possibly contrasting with misinformation from fossil fuel industry.  Publish in conference or journal.

 

• Additional research evaluated the environmental impact of a conventional versus organic vegan diet. Much of this Life Cycle Analysis was completed spring 2024 in my U of I Environmental Consulting course from existing research.

 

Research relating to the personal footprint related to water use in vegetarian, vegan, and meat-centric diet was researched as a later topic.

Regardless of how much gets published in research conferences or journals, most will be published on the website.  List of all publications available on request.  Summary of career: https://www.cs.uwp.edu/staff/lincke/

Was the Meat Worth It?

This Climate Healers campaign paid for a few billboards in the Southwest of United States in 2024.  It shows someone turning on the faucet and looking surprised, because nothing is coming out.  The billboard says: “Was the Meat Worth It?”  Below it says: “50% of water goes to raise meat” (source: Carbon Yoga).  These billboards place in people’s minds that the cause of their water shortage is meat. This message has the advantage that the connection between meat and water is more easily relatable than meat and climate change.

For every $100 spent by Climate Healers, the meat industry can spend $100,000 – and they do on commercials blaming other industries.  However, climate healer and other vegan members hand out different fliers with different facts weekly on water shortages at grocery stores on weekends.  They answer questions on facts, which Climate Healers has provided the research for.  They can answer questions on which foods require less water, and can reference my website.  Who are people to believe, the commercials or the people spending their weekends handing out fliers (maybe one weekend per month or more per store).

This has the effect of turning a lot of people in the dry, parched, southwest U.S. into mostly vegetarian or mostly vegan.  Now instead of 3% of people being vegetarian, the number turns into 40% or more.  While the percentages stay low until the water does run out, one dry summer the water bills fly through the roof and people ask questions.  The issue has been planted in their heads and they carefully consider their options.  This can be effective in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California and other parched states.

Likewise, “Was the Meat Worth It?” can be launched in other states, where rising oceans or storms flood areas with manure (e.g, NC), showing photos reminding residents of the disaster.  Here the importance of fliers may be to explain that plant-based is a healthier diet.

My part:  Donating for billboards, fliers, and help in developing the various fliers (getting the facts correct) and help in giving out fliers in the Chicago and Southeast WI area, as appropriate. Also, Our World In Data and my website provides GHG and water numbers.

Funding

If I win a prize, money would be spent as follows:

1. Obtain expert web advice to get the webpage purchased and started, and get it a higher google ranking. (I will accomplish the organization, development and maintenance of the webpage, but funding will not go to me.) Estimated: $500.

 

1. Donation for billboard in southwest U.S.: Donation to a Climate Healers group that takes this project on in the southwestern states.

 

Public access research journal, or conference costs where I present.

Whether or not I receive funding, any feedback on this proposal would be welcome.

[ Thanks so much for organizing and funding this competition, Suzanne. You timed it perfectly for me. Some folks can be a little incredulous about what we do at Church of Burn. So I just wanted to let you that all the events I write about prior to Feb 2024 are real and true. What happens after that is in the lap of the Gods, of course. I wanted it to be shorter but the essay decided it needed to be 2323 words. I hope it manages to keep your attention and you enjoy it. If you’d like a comp to churchofburn.substack.com please just say & I’d be delighted to sort it for you. There’s lots of media there to proof that this isn’t just a figment of my imagination! Thanks again. Very best wishes, Jon. ]

How We Saved The World

Diary Entry – January 1st 2050

I’ll be 85 this year. It’s unlikely I’ll see 2060 arrive. 

That’s a shame. Because, aside from the obvious not-wanting-to-be-dead thing, I love these turn-of-the-decade moments. They’re temporal high points. You get a better view of the past and future from up here. 

And looking to the past now, it seems so obvious that it was money holding us back. Technology was advancing fast. But our dreams of universal peace, freedom and prosperity were fading even faster. To make meaningful progress as a society our relationship to money had to change.

Money has been present for only 1% of our species’ total time on Earth. 100 generations have used it. But 10,000 did not. In the blink of an epochal eye money had infused itself into our very being. We were fish and money was our water. 

We’d allowed its logics to become a stronger determinant of behaviour than our genes. To be any other way, than how we were with money, seemed inconceivable. Unimaginable. 

There’s an old adage: “It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than think your way into a new way of acting”. We all know the truth of that. Habits make us. And they can break us, too. But humankind just couldn’t seem to join up the dots around money. 

People call me the ‘Founder’. But Church of Burn is something we’ve created together. A Church is its congregation. Without me our Church will carry on. Without all of you it will cease to exist. 

Now though, as I await my passing, perhaps it’s time I tell you my story of how Church of Burn helped to save the world.

I’ll start 30 years ago today, on January 1st 2020, the day I published ‘Looking Back – A Prophecy’. In it, I imagine myself on the brink of 2030 from where I ‘look back’ to ‘remember’ the events of the 2020’s.

I was brim-full of joy and hope when I wrote it. 

Twenty three days before, we’d held the most important Church of Burn to date. We’d sold out a London Theatre. David Graeber had been a Bishop in our Synod. The Service was intense. Our congregation had responded by burning just shy of £1000 in Ritual Sacrifice. 

So much money-ash floating in the air. You could taste it. The revolutionary potential of Church of Burn rushed through me.

Writing my Prophecy was a way to hang on to that. And it was the starting point of a decade-long ritual; the invocation of a new future. I was under no illusion about the difficulties I faced. Nor about how crucial it was that I try. For our children’s future and their children’s too.

My resolve was soon tested. 

I’d made immediate plans to build on the momentum. But the Covid virus had other ideas. It felt like we’d got a fire lit right before the rain came. 

The burden of my self-penned destiny weighed heavy. I worked my day job delivering groceries during the pandemic and I dreamed. Then I cashed in my pension and maxed out my cards. I gambled everything on Church of Burn 2021. A landmark event on the very first weekend free of covid restrictions.

It was magnificent. A vision realized. But lingering Covid fears meant small congregations. I lost all my money. Still, I didn’t doubt that I’d done the right thing. It was the sacrifice the future demanded of me. 

Within a month, by a lucky twist of fate, we lined up our next event at a big festival – The Secret Garden Party – in July 2022. 

We blew their minds. The Afterburn party was wild. We made some people angry, too. “Give it to Charity!” they’d demanded. 

Anger like this had accompanied us since the first mass burn in 2015. It wasn’t always easy facing down the firing line of condemnation. Weaponized shaming can cause collateral damage. But over time we’d come to understand that anger was going to be a symptom of success. 

The next 18 months were a test of attrition. 

I knuckled down to the mundane grind of six-days-a-week work. I carried my beloved Church and its financial baggage into an uncertain future. Then came the gift of redundancy. A pay-out allowed me to devote a few months of full-time work to Church of Burn. But by February 2024 the money was running out and my reserves of optimism were close to exhausted. 

That’s when I stumbled across Suzanne Taylor’s essay competition on Substack. 

I’d started my own Substack – CoB’s Creation Diary – a couple of months earlier. I hoped it might extend my period of devotional work. The competition brief was to write as if looking back from 2050. And recount your role in the transformation that had taken place. 

The idea chimed. How Do We Save the World was the question I’d posed back at the Synod in 2019. And my Prophecy piece was a similar attempt at future-making. So I entered.

It’d be nice to re-read that essay right now. I’d like to compare my imaginings with how the actual events of the past 26 years have played out. But I can’t seem to access it from where I am.  

Anyway, back in February 2024 writing it gave me the optimism boost I needed. I’d already prophesied that we’d do more events and festivals in the second half of the 2020’s. And by magic, faith and a lot of hard work we did. 

The total amount of burned money grew and grew. And the headlines about us became ever more lurid and sensational. They were all variations on the theme that we could’ve – should’ve – given it to charity, instead. But for every twenty people tutting and puffing in exasperation, there was one person who got it. 

We grew a congregation of curious minds and open hearts. 

By 2028 we had enough support to put into action our plan to register as a Religious Charity. The legal privileging of money destruction as a religious rite would have far reaching implications. The Charity Commission refused at first, of course. But we appealed. 

By the time it was heard we’d recorded over 250 thousand individual acts of sacrifice in the Record of Burn. Testimony poured in about the transcendent power of our sacrament. We won our charitable status. 

This meant the sacrifice of money now held precedence in law. Credit card companies, banks and other ‘for profit’ lenders had to get in line. Their claim upon a person’s income was secondary to freedom of religious expression. Any individual could set aside up to £50 a month to make sacrament. This was a small but decisive victory against Capital.

Being a religion in English Law does not require the worship of a Deity. And a Church does not need brick walls or a pointy roof. We were official. And also, because of our Charitable status, we were a highly tax-efficient investment opportunity!

The right-wing Press were apoplectic. But their outrage just fuelled our growth. 

Meanwhile, the climate crisis tightened its grip. Extreme weather was causing ever more death and destruction around the world. The pressure from mass migration intensified. Wars raged. In the darkest moments it looked like the politics of the coming 2030’s might mirror those of the 1930s.   

The soil was rich with radical and revolutionary ideas for both good and evil.

As the 2030’s dawned, I closed the ritual I’d begun in my Prophecy. And I opened another. This time my divination wrapped around the sacrifice of a hundred dollar bill. It would happen twenty years hence – in other words, it would happen today the January 1st 2050. 

Of all symbols in the history of humankind none is more powerful than $. Some believe that $ is a monogram of ‘In Hoc Signo’ – by the sign of Christ. But $ far exceeds the crucifix in its omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience. 

As traditional religion had declined so money filled the spiritual void. And the dollar became our living God. Our King of our kings. 

From the start Church of Burn’s mission was ‘to change money by changing our relationship to money’. If we were ever to fulfil it we’d have to go to America. And we’d have to start burning dollars. 

Our experience in the UK meant we had a rough idea of how things might play out. Except in the US, we’d have extra worries about the power of the Evangelicals and the prevalence of guns.

We started off in the obvious places. Burning Man 2032 followed by some venues on the coasts. But as we moved further inland we experienced more hostility. I don’t believe this had to do with people being any less personable or warm-hearted. 

Church of Burn had finally come under the eye of the incumbent financial elites. They realized what our success would mean for them. Our mission would change their relationship to money, too. And they didn’t like that. So they began whipping up a hate storm. 

We’d long ago passed the million burn mark. We were close to a hundred million dollars’ worth of sacrifice across all currencies. Our events now drew huge congregations. We’d perfected our Service to offer an unmatched intensity. And the Ritual was more spine-tinglingly and breathlessly transformative than ever. 

The still-stupid drug laws meant we had to distance our Church from it in public. But among our congregation the responsible use of psychoactive substances was becoming commonplace. Many claimed the combination of drug, scene and setting marked a spiritual renaissance. A religious experience fit for the C21st century. All I can tell you is that my own experiences were fucking awesome!

All told, we were becoming a problem for the politicians and their rich and powerful friends. 

The political narrative that our society ‘doesn’t have the money’ would no longer wash. There was a realization that a cure to basic social injustice was already within our reach. Homelessness and hunger were no longer seen as unfortunate outcomes. But as cruel choices made by governments. 

Our strategy of positively disrupting both money and religion was working. It was undermining the moral basis of their political authority.

Soft-money reformers began – at long last – to see the gift our Church was giving them. Each and every sacrifice contributed to a change in the public consciousness of money. Modern Monetary and Degrowth theories could finally cross the Rubicon into reality. And Economic Policy could reflect the truth. The monetary currencies we create are constrained only by the strength and quality of our social relations. 

One commentator wrote; “[Church of Burn] have taken the essence of what Frank Baum tried to do with the Wizard of Oz. And then embedded it into our lived experience of money. They’ve torn down the Wizard’s Curtain. And there ain’t no putting it back up.”

I visited America throughout the 2030s. As elsewhere the movement toward a full-surveillance, cashless society was presented as inevitable. It was being driven hard by those seeking profit from it. 

Church of Burn were vocal in our resistance. The Christian Right were equally zealous in their defence of physical currency. Like us they believed that it was the backstop of individual sovereignty. Still, they held a deep antipathy toward our Church and its activities. But even with mistrust on both sides an uncomfortable alliance formed.

The super-rich’s ‘statement’ sacrifices had bloated the Record of Burn. Cynics claimed they were hedging their bets. Anyway, we looked like we’d pass the billion-dollar-burn mark in the early 2040’s. We made plans to create a spectacle of it.

The Dallas MegaChurch of Burn on November 23rd, 2043 was the chosen venue. Press coverage was wall to wall. I was warned against attending. There was discontent from within the alliance. And credible threats had been made. 

The shot came out of nowhere. I can’t believe the bullet missed. Or perhaps it didn’t. I don’t know, for sure. I’ve wondered since if I’m a ghost who refuses to accept his own death. Because in that tiniest ‘now’. In that dead-sea-low, bullet-point, millisecond of a moment. I sensed the world transforming itself. 

I could feel money being emptied of its power over life and death.

As the midpoint of the C21st drew closer, there was a collective mea cupla. We finally acknowledged that humanity’s hubris had been the prison of our subjugation. We’d allowed our desire for certainty to skew our view of money. We’d treated it as a puzzle to be solved, a tool to be used and a prize to be pursued.

Wisdom screamed out from the ages that this was not the whole story. That the problem of money is a problem of consciousness. That something of the mystery of the universe is delivered to us through the body of money. And we should respect this, honour it and act accordingly.

Now as we pass into the 2050’s I hope everyone understands. Shaping a new economy to serve all humanity cannot be born of cold intellect alone. Birthing new futures needs a beating and blood-warm heart. It needs a glimmer of transcending frenzy. It demands a potent sacrifice.

Back in 2019’s Synod, David Graeber gave his answer to the question ‘How do we save the world? He said we needed to stop thinking in terms of production and consumption. And instead start acting from the basis of Care and Freedom for all.

I knew then the key to bringing that world into being was to change money by changing how we are with it. And my life story before and since has been about trying to make that happen.

So now, today on January 1st 2050 I’ll watch my old one hundred dollar bill turn to ash. And I’ll whisper through the wind to you, to the Earth and all its life – I love you. And I burned for you.

ENDS

2323 words

A Tale of Change

Part 1: The Beginning?

Once upon a no-time and pre-space, there lived a Great Spirit who was unchangeable, ever-present, and all-knowing.  Literally, every possible idea that would ever exist, and many more, were parts of Its knowledge.  However, the Spirit wasn’t satisfied that it only knew these things, but had not yet experienced them.  And there is a difference between the two.  It is one thing to know a recipe in one’s mind for example, but it is quite another to actually practice cooking it, as all inexperienced cooks soon  discover when they try.  So, because Spirit yearned to experience, it decided to act on one very deep part of its nature.

 

“Change!” It commanded itself with the first Intention ever.  And because this came from the ultimate source of everything, the power of this purpose is and always will be unlimited and eternal.

 

Now, some very credible people these days think that Spirit first changed into a singularity – an infinitesimal point that contained absolutely everything within itself as raw energy.  But other credible people are not so sure that such a point could ever exist.  They have other ideas involving strings, collisions of branes, and an all-at-once periodic reshuffling of everything to a primitive disorganization.  But that is how it goes with the Great Spirit – no one can be absolutely certain about its origins.

 

Anyhow, let us assume that the change that Spirit directed really did follow steps out of a singularity.  Concentrating its will throughout the tiny point of light, Spirit blasted itself into materiality with a Big Bang.  First, it unfolded like a hot, dense roll of energetic fabric.  Three minutes later, as the energy continued to expand and began to cool, Spirit contemplated the next change to undertake.

“I can’t add anything new to my fabric, because I am already everything there is,” it thought.  “How can I create change without adding anything new?”

 

Suddenly, an idea solidified.

 

“Vibrate parts of your fabric in such a way that you create various bundles of waves,” the idea suggested.  And Spirit understood.

 

“Divide!” it directed itself through its Secondary Intention.

 

Tiny ripples arose in clusters within the fabric.  Some of the ripples reverberated in a certain positive way, and nowadays we call these ripples protons.  Other ripples fluttered negatively and are now called electrons.  And of course, some of the neutral ripples are named neutrons.  Through creating protons, electrons, and neutrons, the Great Spirit had also created Division.  But perhaps it was through these symbols that Spirit’s ideas began to be put into words.

 

For 300,000 years, a time period that didn’t seem at all that long to Spirit, the universal fabric continued to unroll while cooling.  Protons, electrons, and neutrons were now rippling all throughout.  But the initial Intention that the Spirit had unleashed was not satisfied.  In fact, it never again would be.  A new type of change was imperative.  But what else could be done if already the three fundamental types of vibrations existed?

 

“Well, of course, I could go on creating new types of vibrations to infinity,” thought Spirit.

 

“But then you would just be doing the same thing over and over again,” noted the Primary Intention.  “You would just be creating new types of vibrations.  Where is the novelty in that?”

 

Suddenly, Spirit had a breakthrough – a leap of an idea.

 

“Aha!” it thought.  “If I combine the vibrations together in different combinations, I can add images and textures to my fabric.”

 

“Great idea!” congratulated the Primary Intention.  “You are thinking outside the box.  Let’s work on that together.”

 

“Merge!” willed Spirit through Its Tertiary Intention.

 

And so Spirit and its three Intentions began sculpting different designs from the basic vibrations, just like a group of excited children with different colors of Play-doh.  Initially, they built the simplest structure, a hydrogen atom, from just one proton and one electron.  It was very easy and quick to construct.  There was something stimulating about molding two opposite parts in such a way as to bring them together into a stable bond.  A dazzling little spark of energy went off every time.   The Spirit child became so fascinated with building Hydrogen and continued to do that for so long that now it makes up nearly three quarters of everything that we see through a telescope.

 

Soon, Primary Intention had to send a reminder to Spirit.  “Remember to change,” it whispered.

 

“Oh yes, of course,” Spirit replied, as it moved on to combining together something slightly more complex – Helium, with its two protons, two neutrons, and two electrons.  Once again, the child became mesmerized with building Helium.  There were more pieces to play around with.  More variety.  More questions.

 

“What happens if instead of two neutrons, I use one?” wondered Spirit, as It created Helium-3.

 

“And why is it so difficult to remove the electron, after it has been stuck to the atom?”

 

While exploring these questions, Spirit ended up turning Helium into nearly a quarter of everything currently visible.

 

Having built hydrogen and experimented with Helium, the Spirit was flooded with a surge of invention.  Entertained by the rush of discovery, it set about creating all the other elements in the periodic table.  Tertiary Intention was still present all throughout space and time, and slowly exerted its influence on the clouds of Hydrogen and Helium. For a billion of years, Unification used a force, which we now call gravity, to gather the gases into clumps.  As they condensed, the temperature at the core of their masses rose incredibly high and the stage was now set for Primary Intention to swoop in and set in motion a new type of change – nuclear reaction.  Spirit started creating heavier elements, with progressively more pieces and unique properties.  And innovation was the name of the game.  In the process of creating new elemental structures, there arose some astonishing creations.

 

Part 2: Life

Stars were formed as gravity clumped masses of hydrogen together into spinning discs.  Unification was playing with yoyos.  The centres of the discs turned into a variety of sizes and colors – white, blue, yellow, orange, and red; the brightest Alphas and the dullest Omegas; some as hot as 80,000oC, and others as cold as 2,500oC.  Exhibiting self-organization, these beings started out by converting Hydrogen to Helium within their cores, in the process letting out tremendous flares of energy.  As the Hydrogen supply ran out, the stars then began to build Carbon from Helium and in the process expanded into red giants.  Soon, layers formed around each star, in which all other elements were produced from various reactions.  As the outer layers blew away from the expansion, each star then compressed their atoms and became a white dwarf, or exploded in a colossal supernova, showering the universe with its assortment of elements.

 

The space dust on the edges of newly forming discs solidified into balls of hot liquid fire.

 

“Hot potato! Hot potato!” yelled Spirit and its Intentions as they played with these soon-to-be planets.

 

Spirit was very happy with what the team had produced up until then.

 

“I can make amazing creations with you three,” it delighted.  “Through Change, Division, and Unification, my project will keep constantly transforming and developing.  The fabric of reality will keep unrolling while I myself remain as constant and changeless as I have always been.”

 

“Exciting, isn’t it?” proclaimed the Three Intentions.  “Let’s get to work!”

 

Now, the distance of 150 million kilometers between one ball of molten lava and a yellow star called the Sun, was apparently one of those distances that was just right for the next stage of the Spiritual enterprise.  For 500 million years, which appeared as approximately 5 minutes to the Spirit, the lava cooled, but the temperature was still warm enough to prevent gases from freezing.  The surface of the space sphere, which we now call Earth, solidified into rock.  One steamy gas, known as water, condensed into thick, dark clouds above the rock and caused rain for thousands of years.  Our future home planet, now had the appearance of extreme gloominess that we see on rainy days.  So much water came down that oceans were eventually formed, abundant in dissolved carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and various other elements.

 

“Ooh! Look how fun this looks!” exclaimed Unification as it grabbed Spirit and raced to the scene.

 

Together, they undertook the connecting of numerous atoms into macromolecules like children frolicking with toys.  They built carbohydrate Lego trains with long chains of linked saccarine cars and yelled “Choo-choo!” with glee.  They gently blew through wands and watched fatty acid soap bubbles grow and float off appealingly.  They braided nucleic acid gimp threads to create long strands such as RNA and DNA.  Finally, they twisted and connected amino acid elastics to produce protein loom bracelets.

 

Playing with these toys was so much fun for Spirit.  Change and Unification were delighted as well.

 

“There is so much variety here!” they exclaimed, “So much novelty!”

 

“I wish to keep combining!” Unification stated.

And so the first stable sequences of chemical reactions between protein molecules closed into catalytic loops, encircled by protective lipid membranes, nourished by carbohydrate energy reserves, and genetically programmed for action and change via nucleic acids.  Spirit had formed the first hypercycles and over the next 500 million years tweaked these creations through little changes into the first living cells.

 

A cell was an enterprising little creature – a self-generating network of components precisely interrelated through its own cycles of chemical reactions.  Although the structure of a cell was somewhat rigidly determined through genetics, energy and matter could still flow between the cell and the environment.  And quite frequently, the cellular cycles of reactions integrated the incoming material from the outside.  This is precisely how cells were able to respond to their environments, and in a sense also influence and be influenced by them.

 

When Spirit finished creating cells, It was suddenly struck with déjà-vu.  The behavior of these little creatures, as they went about maintaining their internal processes while absorbing and assimilating parts of their surroundings, and emitting products, was reminiscent of other creatures that were already created.  Stars, as well functioned in comparable ways.

 

“Interesting,” thought Spirit.  “I willed to create change and difference, yet these distinct aspects of me are now acting as similarities.”

 

This satisfied the deep, immutable component of Spirit.  And with great curiosity, it continued Its project.

 

Part 3: Networks

Now, the early Earth was a very dangerous place for little bacteria.  Every which way they turned, the little buggers were exposed to severe sunlight, harsh droughts, crashing meteorites, erupting volcanoes, and overpowering floods.  Many times the combined parts of each cell – the membrane and internal components – went their separate ways under exhausting conditions of suffering.  Integrity was an all-consuming task.  But the Intentions were there to help.

 

“Remember, speed is your strength,” Division reminded DNA.  And DNA listened and began to replicate quicker, to increase cellular survival.

 

“And you were designed for flexibility,” Change advised the catalytic reaction loops within cells.

 

And the reactions understood and began performing more contemporary maneuvers in their synchronized dancing.  Like classical ballet with its moves of combined strength and grace, fermentation was one of the first acts.  Then followed nitrogen fixation, zesty like latin samba, allowing bacteria to create a multitude of colorful proteins for every possible function.  Next, the stage was set for the breathtaking acrobatic complexity of photosynthesis.  Just like B-boys utilize physical momentum to achieve windmills, flares, and head spins, photosynthesizers captured and used solar energy to accomplish their own adroit tricks.

 

“Combine your skills for a grand spectacle!” requested Unification.

 

And all the dance teams coordinated themselves with precise timing.  The carbon dioxide that could have been depleted by photosynthesizers, leaving the Earth cold and uninhabitable, for example, was cleverly restored by fermenters.  In this way, cunning balance permeated itself through the networks of literally thousands of biotechnologies all around Earth.  And another form of life was inaugurated – Gaia.  The Great Spirit was tremendously pleased.  Even planets now exhibited the universal characteristics of similarity it had witnessed in stars and cells.

 

At this stage, the bacteria separated and covered the surface of the Earth.  They lived in waters, soils, and sediments.  And although, they were interconnected through a global network of chemical interactions, something else was missing – unwavering cooperation.

 

“You must substantiate your bonds,” Unification advised.

 

And the individual cells clustered together into colonies.  In some groups, multiple layers of slime were formed.  On the front lines, the top layers exposed themselves fearlessly to the sun and shriveled away as heroes to protect their bacterial nations from the ruthless enemy.  Some of the injured were saved, thanks to the emerging medical technologies of DNA UV-damage repair.

 

“It’s no use getting injured so readily, though,” the bacteria reasoned.  “Let’s concoct a sunblock pigment to defend ourselves.”

 

“But, we don’t want to battle anymore,” other cells exclaimed.  “Let’s move to saline environments and protect ourselves in salt bunkers.

 

In other tribes, a financial system of genes was established.

 

“I’ll give you this gene for that one,” the cells bartered with each other.

 

Communication and productivity increased.  Less than 1% of genes actually remained permanent in each cell.  Genes, like money, were not initially designed to be hoarded.

 

As the bacterial populations flourished and filled the spaces of the Earth, precious hydrogen became depleted.  Bacterial industries required it as a resource for construction of organic compounds, and fuel for manufacture of food and energy.  Greedily, the bacteria consumed the cherished substance for their own selfish needs, without any care for future generations.

 

“Population crisis! We are all going to die!” some bacteria began to profess.

 

“We can solve this,” a certain entrepreneurial blue-green bacteria advocated, as they introduced an innovative new green technology known as oxygenic photosynthesis.

 

You see, the photosynthesis up until that time used only hydrogen sulfide as a resource for energy.  The blue-green bacteria proposed water as the abundant fuel for the new photosynthesis.  But the bonds in water molecules were stronger than in hydrogen sulfide.   More investment from the bacterial governments would be required to break them.  Were they ready to take such a costly step towards averting hunger and starvation of the masses?  They were and they did.  Oxygenic photosynthesis proliferated, coloring the Earth in shades of vibrant green.

 

However, the struggles of bacterial nations did not end there.  Cyanobacteria now produced oxygen as a waste product.  For millions of years, the Earth was able to absorb the oxygen and bond it with its hidden metals and sulfuric compounds.  Then came a point of saturation, and the oxygen began to accumulate in the atmosphere causing smog and all kinds of health problems among the bacteria.

 

Once again the cells cried and complained, “There is so much pollution.  We are killing ourselves!”

 

And many did die.  Species first became endangered and finally went extinct.  Nations were annihilated by the plague that was oxygen.

 

“What misery! What devastation!” the individual survivors wept.

 

“What change!” Primary Intention’s voice boomed wisely and clapped its hands excitedly.

 

“Don’t give up!” Combination motivated the lonely left-over cells.  “Reorganize!”

 

And then the little blue-green bacteria summoned all their remaining resolve and focused all of their trust into their inner strengths of fast replication and adaptability.  Soon enough, the Great Spirit provided them with the next amazing surge of creativity.

 

“We can use the oxygen and turn it into something useful,” bacteria realized with a flash of inspiration.  “We can recycle!”

 

The cells drew in voluminous breaths and exhaled contented sighs of gratitude for Spirit’s help.  They had just invented respiration.

 

“I can help, too,” Gaia said in her nurturing voice.  And like a mother overseeing her children, she stabilized the oxygen production to above 15%, so that her little bacterial children would not suffocate, and below 25%, so that they would not burn.  Also, she used oxygen to weave a blanket of ozone to cover and protect herself and her children from the severity of the outside world.  Life on Earth was now safe to continue evolving.  Mothers are such caring creatures.

 

Meanwhile, like rowdy teenagers, the bacterial cells began combating each other.  In competition, one cell would use various tactics to engulf another and steal its materials.  The Intention of Division was thrilled at the ensuing struggles and cackled cruelly like an vicious witch.  But once again, after an initial little while, Unification arrived on the scene.

 

“Remember me?” it asked sweetly.

 

“We sure do,” replied the cells.  “You’re nice!”

 

Suddenly, they comprehended what needed to be accomplished next.

 

“I’m sorry that I tried to eat you,” said one bacteria to another one inside it.  “Maybe, we can strike a deal.  I certainly still need food and energy, but I shouldn’t constantly destroy other cells.  What if I let you live inside of me safely, and in turn you can supply me with food for me?” asked the outer bacteria.

 

“Sounds like a deal to me,” replied the inner bacteria.

 

And the cells developed symbiosis.  Various organelles, such as mitochondria, chloroplasts, and nucleus compartmentalized within cells.  And although each section was physically separated by a membrane, chemically the network of processes within each cell grew exceedingly more efficient.  Cooperation always prevails over destruction… eventually.

 

But Division grew furious.

 

“It’s not fair,” it shouted at Unification.  “Spirit created me before you and I must be given a chance to do my work as well.”

 

Then it thought hard about what it could do to create a potent division throughout Spirit’s experiment.  Finally, it came up with the idea of gender.  And so it applied its efforts and released a huge force that intensified the differences between pairs of cells, which were at that point innocently exchanging genetic information and appeared very similar in all aspects.  This is how there arose the male and  female biological genders.

 

“This should make things more riveting for Spirit,” snickered Division triumphantly.

 

Along with sexual reproduction, came a decrease in the cellular abilities for self-repair and regeneration.  Aging and death emerged.  Many people nowadays believe Division to be a vile intention.  To a certain extent, they are right.  It is a somewhat more malevolent entity than Unification.  But a little bit of Division is always paramount.  Were it not for its separating abilities, Spirit could never achieve everything that it had set out to accomplish within its project, including the eventual triumph of  Unification.

 

Part 4: Complexity

A new type of transformation was looming.  Increasingly, globular multi-cellular gatherings began to develop cutting-edge capabilities, such as coordinated amoeba-like movements of whole groups from one place to another.  Change was guiding Spirit through a dynamic stride along the evolutionary highway.  Early animals and plants entered the red carpet in all their glory and glamour, showcasing nature’s hard-earned achievements.

 

In the oceans, the cells within each conglomeration learned how to co-operate.  Advanced intercellular communication networks developed and eventually evolved into the first nervous systems with miniscule brains.  Maintenance of such nervous systems produced a lot of excess calcium, discarded to produce trash heaps of coral reefs.  Once again, life faced another pollution crisis.  But as we have already seen, such disasters are ideal conditions for the workings of Change.  A moment of 100 million years later, larger animals began to use the waste calcium to build and carry exotic shells and skeletons.

 

By the time the marine creatures began venturing out of the water, plants had already successfully immigrated from their native oceans to new lands, full of promising possibilities.  However, adjusting to the culture shock of the new terrain was a challenging task indeed.  Like acquiring a new language, the major difficulty involved developing novel breathing organs.  This was no endeavor for the feeble.  Tough skin was required to protect against harsh sunlight.  Only the strong were able to remain as foreigners on new ground without running back to the comfort of their birth homes.  Strong were those with sturdy muscles and bones to fight against the uncompromising pull of gravity.

 

The ones that were able to survive for subsequent generations forevermore kept reminders of their nationalities.  Just like immigrants who raise their children speaking their native language in a foreign environment, these animals continued to provide marine pouches for their young in their eggs.  Cultural heritage is passed on through blood.  Even now, humans still carry that oceanic saline water in their blood, sweat, tears, and wombs.

 

Amphibians turned into reptiles and then dinosaurs who overtook the Earth like dictator tyrants.  Insects proliferated like the masses of the fragile and the insignificant who are condemned by society to a life of poverty.  Flowering plants appeared with their fashionable ensembles and sweet etiquette.  They charmed animals and bees into companionship, and then used them to spread their seeds.  Like mafia, fungi developed underground business partnerships with the roots of plants, and like governments forests expanded to control entire regions.  Some dinosaurs began to fly and patrolled the skies like aircraft.

 

“Where is society going?” many wondered once again.  “Will we ever live together in peace?”

 

Some began to profess the coming apocalypse.  And then, like a ball of fiery rage, God’s will came down and decimated the Sodom and Gomorrah, which was the Cretaceous period.  This is the story that the survivors told their offspring, anyway.  Meanwhile, Spirit was watching.

 

“Silly creatures,” it chuckled.  “I am not cursing or punishing you.  These things happen naturally.  Don’t you understand that every little bit of you is part of me and can never be destroyed?”

 

Part 5: Civilization

The survivors celebrated their perseverance in the face of catastrophe.  In the absence of dinosaurs, mammals established a new dynasty.  Unlike cold-blooded reptiles that left their offspring to fend for themselves after the hatching of eggs, mammals developed warmer, more caring hearts.

 

“We want to cuddle our children in our bodies,” they said kindly, “and stay close and care for them after they are born.”

 

Birds too, began showing the wisdom of compassion.  “We’ll fly to find food for our babies,” they chirped, “and teach them how to build nests when they’re older.”

 

With the help of Change, certain types of mammals transformed into pre-monkeys called prosimians.  They lived in trees and jumped, twirled, and somersaulted from branch to branch like children in a park playground.  Their hands and feet grew flexibly skilled and accustomed to such acrobatics.

 

“Make sure to look ahead at where you’re going,” advised Change like a concerned parent that did not wish for its children to become injured playing.  The prosimians developed frontal eyes and 3D eyesight.

 

Of course, there were also other bigger and tougher kids on the playground – bullies.  They hunted for smaller, defenseless creatures and installed fear among skinny, geeky prosimians.

 

“What can we do to defend ourselves?” the prosimians asked each other.

 

“We can stick together so that these hooligans don’t attack us,” suggested one.

“We can pick up rocks and sticks and defend ourselves from the ruffians,” another one offered.

 

“When I jump down from a tree,” said one, “I will stand up straight while using my hands to pick up food from the ground, so that I will see if there is any danger around me.”

 

“Let’s make a system of yells to notify each other when a bully is coming,” one ingenuous prosimian proposed.

 

And so evolved social mentality, upright posture, and vocal communication.  It’s funny how fear can sometimes inspire cooperation and creativity.  Working together helped the little prosimians grow closer and stand up against the dangerous predators.  Eventually, the prosimians transformed into monkeys and apes that continued the tradition of using rocks and sticks to make tools.  As an undeniable aspect of Spirit, technology has been co-evolving with life and stimulating brain growth ever since.

 

Eventually, prosimians transformed into monkeys and apes.  Austrolopithecus, the first upright-walking ape, roamed the African woodlands and savannahs like a mighty king for one million years.  Sometimes, even Change needs a rest.  But after stability’s fifteen minutes of fame, progress was once again ready for action.

 

“I really liked the group-work of prosimians, monkeys, and apes,” recalled Unification.  “I will intensify these creature’s social bonds.”

 

It did this by eliminating hair from the bodies of Austrolopithecus.  Babies were born unprotected, with exposed skin.  Therefore, mothers had to nurse them for longer periods of time.  Fathers had to form communal bonds with the mothers, in order to protect their offspring.  Families evolved, and from there communities, tribes, and villages.  Inklings of society were emerging.

 

At the same time, increasing tool use and vocal communication dynamized the brains of these creatures.  Intelligence, in the way that humans are used to defining it anyway, gradually emerged.  Homo habilis turned into Homo erectus, exhibiting even more adaptability and innovative behavior.

 

Let us not forget about Gaia, who herself went through Change.  Covering herself with a blanket of snow, the great mother went through a period of melancholy, like all women do sometimes.  However, this Ice Age caused incredible alterations in the lives of Homo erectus – hunting of wooly species for warm clothing and food to sustain the body in the cold, control of fire for heat and cooking, and rituals of food sharing.  The communication and closeness around the dinner table gave rise to the first myths, art, and language – truly social dimensions of the hominid experience.  It is due to this boost of social reality that Homo sapiens finally made their entrance into the great flow of things.

 

The rest was history.  Humanity proliferated and began to rule the Earth.  But along came many problems – competition and war, hunger and starvation, pollution and habitat destruction, fear and anxiety.  Their intensity was palpable.  However as we have already seen, the Earth has witnessed all of these problems before, disguised by other eras and cultures, though essentially the same at their spiritual core.  And just as in all other times past, by the time 2050 came around, innovation and adaptation triumphed.

 

Part 6: Gaia

In 1859, with the inspiration and help of Spirit, a wise man named Charles Darwin published a book that gave a name to the grand experiment – evolution.  An extremely ingenuous first theory of change, it was however incomplete.  It defined evolution as only life on Earth, not the whole universe.  It explained evolution’s forces as only Change (genetic mutation) and Division (natural selection).  Division, of course, was quite happy with such spotlight.  Wars, conflicts, and destruction prevailed among humanity.  Unification, who has accomplished so much through time, was forced to take the backseat.  There was no room left for altruism in the world of competition and survival of the fittest.  Luckily, in the end more inclusive explanations of evolution had arisen, which gave due respect to Unification.

 

An Intention is impossible to kill.  One can only stifle it for so long.  Unification continued to exert its quiet influence from behind the scenes.  Compared to 1,500 BC when 600,000 separate nations inundated the Earth, in 2024 there were only 200.  Though wars and conflicts were still regular parts of life, the people kept hope and remembered that progress is a meandering turtle.

 

“So what is next?” the people wondered.

 

“Consciousness,” the Great Spirit hinted.  “Focus on embracing this mysterious force, learn all you can about it, allow it to flow and work through you.  Surrender to this higher purpose, and all your problems will be solved.”

 

And the people listened and understood.  The deepest portions of their minds, bodies, cells, and molecules began to vibrate with ancient solutions.  Just like the ancient aerobes, we tapped into them through the simplicity of focused respiration, which connected us autopoietically in feedback loops through repetitive cycles to the atmosphere around us, and so fed us into the higher global organism of Gaia.  As this divine femme awakened, she began to speak loudly, conveying to each individual their own specific ideas and actions for Her ultimate purpose of survival and success.  We accepted her motherly instructions like yearning children, and like the Intentions, we delighted in the creative play of our work, thereby infusing the whole process with our collective soul.

And so like the bacteria which learned the arts of cooperation and symbiosis, we too overcame egoic selfishness in order to grow into one multi-cellular tissue of collective consciousness.  Following the example of blue-green bacteria, we used the accumulation of toxins in our environment to introduce novel green technologies and sustainable resources.  We faced and accepted Division as a rowdy child in need of our acceptance, and so grew wisdom to also see it as an ancient Intention, and part of the divine plan. We allowed Unification to show us how to balance out Division, in instances like the gender revolution.  Just like the mammals and the birds, we learned the importance of family, whether traditional or not, and practiced compassion as a way of life, donating money and time to the less fortunate.  As the prosimians, we used our intense fear of the predatory forces of materialism, consumerism, totalitarianism, and new world order, to spark radically novel emergent abilities that helped us adapt and prevail through communication and cooperation.  Like land animals, we used our rudimentary wisdom of the aquatic past stored in our bodies and the collective unconscious.  Solutions to every crisis the earth has experienced through history were already stored within us in this way, and were simply allowed to be unleashed with trust and wisdom as powerful forces continuing evolution.

 

References That Inspired This Story

Capra, F. (2002). The hidden connections. Doubleday.

Capra, F. (1996). The web of life. Anchor Books.

McCarthy, G. (Editor), & Baillie, D. (Director). (2010).  What happened before the beginning? [Television series episode].  In McCreary, L. (Producer), Through the wormhole. U.S.A.: Revelations Entertainment.

Moore, P. (1995). Astronomy. Coventry, England: Hodder & Stoughton Educational.

Phipps, C. (2012). Evolutionaries. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Swimme, B. T. & Tucker, M. E. (2011). Journey of the universe. Yale University Press.