save the world? Hm.

...or at least the Fjords in Norway. A friend sent me an interesting email concerning a discussion she had with someone else. They were talking about the planet and its doom etc. etc. and this person said, "I think we need to work from a more love-based perspective rather than from a fear-driven one." I know, that sounds all yoga-y and New Age but that comment taps into something that underlies the basic reason for discord on the planet. Fear. I prefer to not define it as "good" or "bad" but rather a powerful emotion & instinct that influences everyone in some way or another. Fear has its place, but when problem solving in general, it's probably not the best stance to work from. I've never had kids, but from what I understand, the best parents work from love and not fear. The earth is like a child for all of us in that we have to take care of it and do the best we can to ensure for a safe future. I understand that not everyone can go out and afford a hybrid car, but such drastic changes aren't required on everyone's behalf (cracking down on overfishing in the oceans - see an earlier entry - = drastic change that should happen.). It's all about the greatness in small things. Since living in Europe, I feel as though my lifestyle is very different and much more aware. For example, I can't think of the last time I used a dryer for my clothes, I use candles all the time when serving dinner and in other instances in order to save electricity, and I take a shower for about 7 minutes during which most of the time the water is turned off. I have yet to see one garbage disposal in a sink here (everyone composts) and the German system of recycling is one of the most efficient and well organized I've ever come across. Europeans keep their heating on an absolute minimum, and while the chilly temperature does initially take some getting used to, there is much more sense in the end in putting on an extra sweater than upping the thermostat. Europeans have had to adapt to the conservationist lifestyle early on simply because their natural resources are so limited. It's as though America's greatest strength (our abundance of natural resources) fuels and provokes our greatest weakness (our need for excessive luxury and comfort - I mean, large Italian restaurants who require tomato paste aside, do we really need electronic can openers?). Our ability to change and innovate as a collective group is perhaps the most amazing aspect of human civilization. It has gotten us this far in our survival on this planet, and I don't see why it can't take us even further.