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A Taoist"s Look at Global Warming

From the moment I first read the opening lines of the Tao Te Jing, it just felt right.
"The Tao that can be told is not the Eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the Eternal Name".
I can't know, nor can any other human being.
Instead of trying to know the unknowable, Taoists focus on living as one with nature, cultivating their chi, and maintaining the balance that exists in all things.
  Just as there is night and day, male and female, summer and winter, so is there a balance of elements in the atmosphere.
There is no question that human beings have not been good stewards of the earth as our population has increased and our technology has advanced.
If we tear down acres upon acres of trees and in their place build something like a paper processing plant, which spews sulfur into the air, it doesn't take a degree in anything to realize we've disturbed the balance.
Multiply that example many times over and you can get a glimpse of what we've done.
  The earth has been around for billions of years doing its thing.
It's been through ice ages, periods of explosive volcanic activity, and periods of intense tectonic plate shifting.
There have been 5 major extinction events in its history.
So will the earth survive whatever comes next? I believe it will; it follows the pattern.
The question is will human beings survive what comes next? When we talk about global warming and about what mankind is doing to the planet, I propose that we think of ourselves instead.
The planet will recover.
It may take millions of years, but it's been there, done that.
It's us we should be worried about.
I think if we frame the conversation in that way, there may be more interest in addressing it.
  The United States should heed the example the Taoists are setting in China.
The Taoists have put solar panels on all their temples.
 They are teaching and consulting with the government on all manner of issues that will impact the environment.
Meanwhile the United States has no comprehensive plan.
In the midst of a year long recession with rising unemployment, perhaps I can illustrate how we can improve both economic and environmental issues.
o All Federal Government office buildings must be converted to solar power immediately.
  o All State and Local Government office buildings must be converted to solar power immediately.
  These two simple steps will not only put many thousands of people to work installing these panels, but the companies responsible for constructing the components will have to hire thousands more.
The electrical grid will need to be upgraded to harness the excess power generated by the solar panels, which can be put back into the power grid.
More jobs to be had.
  If we honestly and intelligently work toward restoring the balance in nature, we can create and maintain economic growth through newly created industries.
We have to deal with deforestation, water management, renewable energy sources, and our consumption based lifestyles.
I believe the Taoists understand the importance of mankind's impact on our natural environment and have decided to take action.
Taoists do not believe in taking action unless action is necessary, preferring to let things take their natural course.
Clearly their actions speak volumes now, and we should hear them just as clearly.
It is about balance after all, yin and yang.

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