Not Living Forever

Not Living Forever
by Tim Bragg

Maybe it stems from our core – but ultimately irrational – notion that we will “live forever” that causes so many problems for us and our environment. We know we are mortal but embedded within us is a sense of going on forever – that others may die but, somehow, not us. It’s a part of our survival mechanism I presume. The trouble seems to be that in these modern days (that will become thoroughly un-modern) this sense of “going on forever” is attached to everything we do. Instead of viewing ourselves as part of a flowing stream that may well ripple and bubble in the ‘here and now’ but that has come from way, way back and flows seemingly forever into the future – we think WE ARE the stream in its entirety: that where the stream has come from is only incidental and begrudgingly a necessary prerequisite to NOW. And the stream that goes on is our stream with us at its very heart – we its current.

Despite the constant reminders that life isn’t perpetual (not in this world at least) we have placed upon us the crown of infinity. This thought-set is then applied to everything we do. We expect our environment to remain the same – we expect our culture and demographics to remain the same. If we give the future any thought – and do so without planting ourselves in that future – we may have dark visions – but, I believe deep down – we cannot shake the idea that things go on as they are in perpetuity. Yes, I know we can see how things have CHANGED – but that is either dismissed as historical or, if related to our own lives, is seen as some kind of time-parochial aberration. If it wasn’t like it is now when we were young – then we’re simply remarking that things should be that way and that – given some common-sense attention – certainly will be. Yes, forests are cut down; yes concrete paves green fields; yes more and more cars are on the road – but, hey, you know - things aren’t going to really change that much are they? You’ll see – everything will turn out fine – without doing anything…

Well things do change – and do so constantly – it is the VERY nature of life. And we change. And we grow old and we die. And the things that we have created that have come from thought into action will also be temporary. Further, this temporary nature is passed-on to our children – they inherit everything we have done as we have inherited everything done by our predecessors. What is needed then – and urgently - is to pull people up or snap them out – at least occasionally – of the contented notion of forever-ness. Well. This happens in life. A friend or loved one dies and we are instantly dislocated from everydayness and made to contemplate their and our mortality. At these times we may well view EVERYTHING differently.

As a society and nation – rather than constantly living on the crest of a wave of economics, finance, politics, ecology, population we also need to be snapped-out of this complacency and made to think about the ephemeral nature of all of us. We are part of the stream we are NOT the whole stream. How we treat the environment WILL have long-lasting effects. Our population has a DIRECT effect on the environment and our social welfare. The closest thing we have to infinity, perpetuity on this earth is the earth itself (one day it will be gone but a day far enough away to seem forever). We need to hold in our minds and in our politics our temporary relationship with this (in human terms) near time-less planet. Once we get this relationship correct we can address things in a truly rational and responsible manner.

When we pull ourselves out of our heady stream of consciousness and take a sober look at our actions we can start to think in terms of the effects of our gurgling stream – the here and now – on not just the ‘here and now’ but the hereafter! We can think about the effects of human population and mass migrations of people. We can think about the relationships between communities and nations. We can truly think about our actions and resolve to view them in terms of our community and nation as it is and their respective futures and keep all this in context with the whole world; the global environment. Every action needs to be an action for ‘the now’ and ‘the future’ – for our well being as a living people and for those who come after we are dead. We need to see our lives as framed. In that sense we could – on the one hand – be very selfish and; some people without family or a sense of spirituality could well think that life is to be lived (regardless and without care) and ‘suffer the consequences’. But it is possible to lead both a full life and be responsible. This is a matter of culture. If through culture our community and nation understands its temporariness within a stream of time it will understand from whence it flows (and have a responsibility to those who have created it) and also understand the consequences of its actions on those who come afterwards. Just because you die you don’t dismiss the cares and needs of your children or children’s children. As we are individuals we are also part of our community, nation, world and its environment.

Maybe we are eternal beings – but if so we are not eternal biological beings. Here on earth we live from the fruits of the land – how we treat that land being essential to our survival. We exploit pristine forest, clear it to raise cattle that are exported – on the hoof – across the world to feed the growing desire for meat. But much of the meat that is consumed could be reared locally. This too we have to come to terms with – in our rapidly changing world we will have to re-address our attitude not only to our place in the flow of things but the effect our stream, our current has; so that we don’t erode the very banks that define us. So that we don’t erode the world’s resources so that we dissipate and no longer have the power and potential to be anything we choose. If we ignore our forefathers and those who come after – if we are greedy and believe ourselves immortal we may well destroy all that is POSSIBLE for humanity. We need to live locally as well as in a global ether. We need to be able to feed ourselves nationally and locally in communities – it makes sense at every level. The world IS changing and it is a green community, green tribal and green national approach to this world that will have the answers to its and our survival. Just as the tribes who sustain their environment and way of life deep in tropical rainforests – we too must adapt and learn to live within a sustainable environment. This will mean a change of attitude. This will only occur if we view life more spiritually – recognise that we are not the be-all-and-end-all. We are here for a short time; a time that is certainly framed but also part of a great narrative stretching back many thousands of years and stretching forward likewise.

As with culture – where we take the best of the past and bring it forward into the present and on into the future - so too all the parts that we may not naturally associate with culture - but are the very things that have made us who and what we are now; we will need to have the vision to re-member - re-call skills of the past and utilise these in our brave new world. We must re-evaluate our relationship with money and the institutions that create and deal with it. We must re-animate our relationship with the land. We must learn to live as different peoples but mature enough not to war; we can trade where it is sensible and fair AND environmentally preferable. If we don’t over-populate ourselves still further; if we resist mass immigration (as opposed to organic); if we limit our crazy drive for wealth and conspicuous consumption; if we learn to live with each other again and know our place in time – then maybe we can create a better world out of the chaos that is to come. It’s entirely possible. But we have to start thinking carefully and hard right now. The first step maybe is to contemplate our mortality – that done - live life fully, honestly and be both individual and part of something greater than ourselves simultaneously.

TP Bragg 20/10/08
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