Ecodharma: Chapter 1

[Doshin]

You can join this thread anytime.

I appreciate all the thoughts shared so far

Doshin
St

[Kaisui]

When did you become aware of the environmental challenges discussed in this Chapter?
About 10 or 15 years ago I picked up a book in an antique bookshop called 'The costs of economic growth' by E.J. Mishan written in the early 1960s where he spoke from an economist standpoint of how unmeasurable spillover effects such as pollution were not being factored into economic models meaning that corporations etc. were taking from and harming the environment and people without being taxed or otherwise, he also argued our aim for continual growth is not beneficial like we think it is. I think that changed my angle of thinking a lot about many things more than anything before.

Do the problems seem overwhelming? How do we collectively address them?
Yes, certainly. And I didn't have much of an answer for how to collectively address these problems until reading the posts above. I like what Naiko has said above about spreading awareness reaching a tipping point. I feel that as others have said what we need more than individual change (thought that is important too) is to get our governments to act, but it's hard to know how to do that when there are already groups demanding environmental change and governments are not listening or not doing enough. The key may be to have enough people on board to sway the governments into action.

What do you think are the reasons humanity has caused environmental challenges we now face?
Not thinking of ourselves as part of a whole, but thinking of ourselves as a separate group that needs to do better than others or compete with the rest of the earth and species (and other people), continually gathering more and taking from the earth and others, and thinking this is the way it is supposed to be.

Gassho,
Kaisui
sat