Nicnoto,
Probably i wasn't clear but that was my point. Don't expect great things to happen globally or even within your society. Do what you need to do within your own life. Act with compassion, live what you really think is right. The old saying is lead by example, it is all we really have.
I really don't get why the majority of people don't get it, but after many years of participating in demonstrations and expounding the virtue of my thoughts i realised the ideal world was the one i create around myself. The friends i have the way i live. I am content in life with a family and a will to live it well with compassion for others and a conscience i can live with. but most important, i have stopped being disappointed with the lack of real resolve within the community to deal with these issues.

Dear Nicnoto,

A kind word or act doesn't cost anything
yet as you point out in your opening post,
it can do so much good. Have any of you
travelled on public transport recently?
I got to travel to the city by train the
other day and it still surprises me how
people don't give up their seats for a
person in distress - like an elderly
person, a pregnant lady, a person who looks
ill, and so on. And I won't even go into
reckless drivers on the road, or rude drivers
who don't obey the common courtesies, or trolley
aisle hoggs at supermarkets, the list goes on...

I often wonder what sort of upbringing these
people have had.

Our collective behaviour certainly can make a
difference to our world. We know that historically
significant change is often brought about by
the organized efforts of a social movement - a large
number of people who have come together to bring
about or resist some social or cultural change.

In 1981,an American doctor and a Russian doctor
founded International Physicians for the Prevention
of War, a group that focused on the medical
consequences of nuclear warfare. Within five years,
the organization had over 150,000 members in 49 countries,
and it won a Nobel prize for peace. Similarly, a small
group of Japanese activists conceived the idea of
"nuclear free zones" - places that formally refuse to allow
nuclear weapons inside their boundaries. Within a few years,
nineteen countries had explicitly prohibited the presence
of nuclear weapons on their soil, and more than thousands
of communities - cities, countries, and provinces,
in 24 countries had declared themselves "nuclear free."

This all goes to show that once people no longer take
their world for granted, but instead understand the social
authorship of their lives and futures, they can become
an irresistible force in history.

As I've written in the past, whether we choose to destroy
our civilization or save it, it is a collective decision
and it is one that hopefully will be made within our
lifetimes.

Great thread Nicnoto.

Two things immediately spring to mind –

Firstly, the most important thing of all is to embrace a paradigm of sustainability in which a stable (or slowly reducing) population is paramount.

If we want to stop animals dying on mass, species becoming extinct, ecosystems collapsing, etc, then we need to do this.

If we want to stop increasing the stress-load on humanity and the consequent worsening of relations between us at all levels, from individual to international relations, then we need to do this…. as our greatest priority!

The ugly side of human nature is only going to progressively manifest itself more strongly if we don’t. And most other species are going to suffer enormously as a result.

One of the best things that someone with yours and my sort of heartache, Nicnoto, can do is to join Sustainable Population Australia and fight for a restoration of the balance between humanity and the natural world.

Secondly, I’ve witnessed the massive destruction of ecosystems in north and central Queensland over the last couple of decades. Within my job, I am always looking at aerial photos and satellite imagery going back over that period and seeing how extensively the natural vegetation has been cleared in that short timeframe.

I am also very emotive about the state of the Western Australian wheatbelt, which I have traversed in great detail, where vast areas were cleared with no thought of the native animals or plants. This is in one of the world’s most amazingly biodiverse realms. Today, there are many critically endangered species that are just holding on in highly altered and fragmented habitats. Quite a lot of plant species are now only known from highly disturbed road verges or small patches of bush, adjacent to vast cleared fields.

And the whole area is massively affected by salinity.

What a wank*r of a species we are.

My dear Foxy, you worry me.

People like you worry me. Most people of good heart, kind well meaning people, worry me.

Until we can get people like you to realise that the only reason we have not had WW111, & probably WW1V by now is because of nuclear weapons, not despite them.

With conventional weapons some megalomaniac or three would have tried their arm, with a major war. Both major communist regimes had periods where they were silly enough, & strong enough to have tried it on, if there was any chance they would not have been destroyed.

The MAD theory, [mutually assured destruction] did prevent major wars, at a time when they were likely. I believe we have much to thank a couple of Russians for. We are more than a bit lucky that Russian leadership decided to watch the USSR die, rather than go out in a blaze of gory glory.

That must have taken more guts, for the leaders of almost a third of the world, than it would have to press the button. I will be forever grateful to them, for that.

Whatever happens on the planet, be it good, bad or indifferent, is Mother Nature being Mother Nature.

If humans save the world and turn it into a heavenly place of sustainable paradise, then that's Mother Nature in action.

If humans, murder, kill, destroy and ruin the world, then that's also Mother Nature in action.

ALL outcomes are possible under the mantle of Mother Nature. Mother Nature doesn't choose good over bad, or bad over good. With nature it's a casae of "what is - - is".

Whatever happens on Earth happens with the blessing of Mother Nature.

Whether we live or die, it's nature in action.

Whether we're good or bad, it's nature in action.

Whether or not we exist in the first place, is nature in action.

If the goodies win, then Mother Nature allows it. If the baddies win, then Mother Nature allows it.

We are NOT the centre of the universe. Our planet's existence means nothing to the workings of the universe. It would still be there, whether or not we exist.

Mother Nature encompasses EVERYTHING.

"Is it time for a change?" asks the topic starter. If the answer is yes, then that's merely nature in action. if the answer is no, then that's merely nature in action. Remember, with nature what is - - - is.

But we humans believe we're "special". Only until recently we believed we were the centre of the universe. We believe we're special, and chosen.

What is - - - is. What will happen - - - will happen. What won't happen - - - won't happen. What might happen - - - might happen. Everything, every outcome good or bad, is Mother Nature being Mother Nature. We and our planet are near TOTALLY insignificant. We are only significant to ourselves and our very nearby heavenly neighbours.

Does all this mean we just give up? Of course not. Most of us will try to make life better. And even that, is merely Mother Nature being Mother Nature. Our insignificance is there for those who can see.

you/look..around..and see murder...etc
i guess you should-know..this is by design

its the enter-taintment..media..that needs con-sumers..consumming
and the best con-sumer.is in the fight[or rather...flight]..state

fear/sells..its as simple as that
thats why every program..on tv..is about murder[cops/policing..cooking..'heroes'..or sport]
it alows for the little things..they need
to put us/into..sugesive-state

you will notice..the rapid/light..flashings
to send-us to semi-sleep..then the loud-yells..
when they want us to listen...

even the use..of booze
or eating of food..its all by specific-design..consume
[be part of the herd..listen..dont be heard]

i wont get into star-power[personality/whoreship]
or the other/little deceptions..of the media

but just watch..the 'other/half..of that we call..laughingly-news
and you should soon realise..its all about destracting-us..from the real-issues

as for the road-kill..
well we just love our personal/mobility..devices
everything has its cost...

i once picked-up..every..road-kill..lying beside the road..of lamington..national-park..ended up with a huge load/of dead corpses..then the problem..of what to do with-them[it was mainly birds]

anyhow..back..to your title..its time for change
so what type of change..are you see-king
ban cars..or ban night-driving

big-fines for those killing-birds..in autos
yes..we have huge problems..but no more nor less..than we allways had

its just the media..needs us to listen,..to their guilt
feel..their fears..consume..their product
dont take..their guilt..onto you

if..you..run-over..an animal
then you need concern...
[dont worry about what others do/we allready got enough..of them]

yes there are huge/problems..
but..we cant be expected..to share/guilt..[for stuff we didnt/do]

yes we can try to be more carefull
[like not/driving..by national parks..at night
but better not-at..dusk/dawn]..
but then/there are others who must/drive..to survive

i would remind..
that life is not/only..about caring/but doing
that its..not what others/do
but about what you do

thus i revealed what i did..in part
but carfully..excluded..what i did with..all that dead/beauty

that is between me and god

by all means change..you..if this is your aim
for you cannot/change others..and in time you learn/that

thanks for reminding/us
to be car-e-full

in the end..if we only cared..just a little more
who/knows how far..humanity..can go

thanks for caring

the change begins..when we realise
the old-way..just isnt working/good..for all of us
but then maybe..it wasnt designed too...

we each..have/our lifes learning...
we each..have a long-way to go