Seven Billion

This NY Times article scares me:  Seven Billion

It's a long one, so here are some highlights:

"Can the earth support seven billion now, and the three billion people who are expected to be added by the end of this century? Are the enormous increases in households, cities, material consumption and waste compatible with dignity, health, environmental quality and freedom from poverty?"

"Nearly half the world lives on $2 a day, or less. In China, the figure is 36 percent; in India, 76 percent. More than 800 million people live inslums. A similar number, mostly women, are illiterate."

"Some 850 million to 925 million people experience food insecurity or chronic undernourishment. In much of Africa and South Asia, more than half the children are stunted (of low height for their age) as a result of chronic hunger. While the world produced 2.3 billion metric tons of cereal grains in 2009-10 — enough calories to sustain 9 to 11 billion people — only 46 percent of the grain went into human mouths. Domestic animals got 34 percent of the crop, and 19 percent went to industrial uses like biofuels, starches and plastics."

"Henceforth we need to measure our growth in prosperity: not by the sheer number of people who inhabit the earth, and not by flawed measurements like G.D.P., but by how well we satisfy basic human needs; by how well we foster dignity, creativity, community and cooperation; by how well we care for our biological and physical environment, our only home."

"We must increase the probability that every child born will be wanted and well cared for and have decent prospects for a good life. We must conserve more, and more wisely use, the energy, water, land, materials and biological diversity with which we are blessed."

..... For me, the take-away from all this is that our choices matter.  I took a really long shower the other day because it felt nice.  But, times that decision by several billion, and that's a lot of water wasted!  I have got remember that I am sharing this earth with 7 billion other people.  If you have a minute, watch these awesome Nat Geo videos!  They really put things into perspective.

"Our choices make a big difference when multiplied by 7 billion."

"So it's not space we need.  It's balance."

Think about your choices today!  I know I will!

Love,

Chelsea

In the Meantime, Live!

Ah, childhood.  When were children, so much was decided for us.  Life was a no-brainer!  Wake up when your mom wakes you up.  Go to the school that your parents chose for you.  Do the homework that was assigned to you.  Eat what your parents put on your plate that night.  We didn't have a lot of choices, which ironically lead to greater peace of mind.  As a child I never asked, "Is Donaldson Elementary really the right school for me?" or, "Am I living my life to its full potential?"  I took what life gave me and didn't really consider alternatives.

As we become full-fledged adults (ack), it's a little scary how many choices we face each day, and how much power we have over the direction our lives.  Obviously, life happens, and we cannot control every aspect.  But on the whole, YOU get to choose where you want to live and how you want to spend your time.  As I face these huge choices, I long for one thing: wisdom.  Oh, glorious wisdom!  I search for it by reading books and talking to people who have been through similar experiences (i.e. friends, family, mentors).  Heck, I'll even trust complete strangers if I think they may have this coveted secret knowledge.

So what's the one huge flaw in all of this?  Probably the fact that I want the vast wisdom of someone who has experienced a lifetime, but I want it now... as a 24-year-old ... who hasn't had that many life experiences.  Silly Chelsea, don't you know that life's most meaningful lessons usually come from experience?  From choices you made that either made you happy or unhappy?  And often, it must be your own experiences, not somebody elses', that will teach you and mold you.

So here is to a life that is real and gritty.  May we learn from every experience and choice, even if it is an unpleasant one.  Let us not be afraid of making a wrong choice.  Wisdom, knowledge, and growth take time.  In the meantime, live!

"In Zen, there is nothing to explain, nothing to teach that will add to your knowledge.  Unless it grows out of yourself, no knowledge is really of value to you, a borrowed plumage never grows."  -- D.T. Suzuki