1-20-06
In response to James Lovelock: The Earth is about to catch a morbid fever, Taigen Dan Leighton (books and Peace and Justice Page) writes:

Hi David,

Several people have sent me stuff about this, and I looked at Lovelock's article in the Independent.

At this point I'm not sending it out.

He may well be exactly right.  But I have heard some criticism of his theories over the years.

Undoubtedly Global Climate Change is HERE NOW, and it will be catastrophic.  Lots of stuff, beginning with our economy, is gonna collapse.  And of course the Warlords' response will be to crack down on everybody.  They're already grabbing everything they can get for themselves for the deluge.

Anyway, Lovelock's predictions (maybe true) are so dire and dark that they allow no positive response for us plain folks.

Right now I want to work for awareness and cooperation, and getting rid of all the crooks in our government, to start with.

So this stuff is coming in some way.  The polar bears are finished. Eskimos are seeing robins for the first time.

Just in case it's not as bad as Lovelock thinks, I want to keep some civilization, help Zen and whatever's good in the world survive.

At some point we just head to the hills like Dogen did from Kyoto.

I don't think that's Pollyannish, I just want to do what might be helpful if there is any hope.

Otherwise, well, the Supreme Court's just legalized assisted suicide.

Revive the World Suicide Club, it now rules the world.

Meanwhile, here in Chicago where I'm writing from, I'm leading a 3-day sesshin starting in the morning.

What's that old story about the Zen master and his students just sitting up in the Temple Gate while it was being burnt down (by Nobunaga or Bush or one of those warlords)?

cheers,

Taigen