Utah Miners---Distance II

I previously posted on distance, and I wanted to continue in that light. The original idea was that as things become further from your direct association, we care less about the consequences. I feel that is being used by businesses to make money because they know that we really don't care enough if the consequences, no matter how devastating, are sufficiently distanced from us.

I am sad today because I have been involved in the killing of 9 innocent, hard working men. I'm pretty sure it has received national press, but this morning mine officials announced that the 6 miners who were trapped in a cave-in may never be recovered. Additionally, there were 3 miners killed in a collapse during the rescue efforts. I pray for them, I sincerely hope that they find the missing miners alive, I also recognize that I contributed to the mine collapse and their probable deaths.

You see, I live in Utah (although I feel that responsibility stretches far beyond the state and national borders) and I use electricity. 95% of the electricity I use is generated from the burning of coal. If I used less electricity and thereby decreased the overwhelming demand for coal, those miners wouldn't have had to be mining under dangerous conditions. If I didn't demand that my electric bill be lower, that mine could have spent more money on safety precautions that could have saved the miners.

Can I trace the electricity in my home back to the coal that those miners were mining, or even to that mine? No, there's no way I could do that, so it's distanced from me. Therefore, I'm not responsible, right? I am absolutely responsible. I'm not the only one, but as a consumer of electricity and as a part of society that demands inexpensive power, I am responsible for the demand for electricity and the demand that it be inexpensive (promoting less safe mining practices).

I know people (as in the 4 that read this blog) are thinking that you can't live your life like this, dwelling on every distant consequence of your actions. That is my point exactly, we have to live our lives conscious of the distant effects. Our actions have consequences, often devastating consequences. Frequently it is the actions of many that have devastating consequences, but that is not a license to also participate in the actions.

I don't drive a car frequently because I know of the devastating consequences to the health and fabric of our society. Does the fact that I (1 person) don't drive a car have an impact on the world? No. I know very well that my effort is not nearly sufficient to make any global changes. But if I drove my car I would have to live with the fact that I (yes, me personally) caused the health and societal problems associated with automobiles. Am I being a little hard on myself? Maybe, but if we continue to distance our personal choices from the effects, it is going to continue to have devastating consequences.

When I get in a car, I think of the exhaust and the diseases it causes. When I drive, I personally contribute to the cardiovascular disease being suffered. When I leave the lights on in a room I am not in, I am personally contributing to the poor working conditions of miners around the world. When I flush the toilet I am taking from the limited reserve of fresh water on this planet and adding it to pools of human excrement so that others have less to drink. We all carry a heavy burden. This life isn't just about our pursuit of happiness, it is about enabling others to also have happiness. That is a heavy burden, but one worth supporting.

Winter

Winter is coming. I have noticed the changes lately. OK, I realize that it's supposed to be over 100 degrees here today, but the heat is coming to an end. Yesterday and today I left the house at about the regular time and I needed to use my lights on my bike for the first time in months. It's staying dark later and it's getting dark earlier. With less sun exposure the temperatures are bound to go down.

I know that you could have looked on a calender and figured out that summer is approaching an end, but that is my point exactly. Among my biggest goals in life is to live it and not just be an observer. I love being out on my bike daily and being able to see the subtle changes that occur throughout the year. I like participating in life and not having to look for an update on Microsoft Outlook (or a calendar if you are old fashioned). Get out and be a part of the world, play the game and make a difference... The spectators are those who pay to see it played (cable TV anyone?)

Another Note
Completely unrelated but a fun occurrence at our home yesterday morning. I was shaving and Six-Pence started to cry in his bedroom. It was about that time so I waited for him to run into join mom in bed. Sure enough, I heard the pattering feet coming my way. Instead of going to the bedroom he stopped and visited me in the bathroom. He grabbed my hand and pointed back toward his rooming saying, "Da". I was running late, but I followed him anyway (how can you turn down a toddler holding your hand, pointing and saying "da"?). When we got to the living room, I noticed his bedroom light was on. That's odd, he's not tall enough to turn on the lights yet. Then I saw in the bedroom and the pointing and "da-ing" became more specific. The Mugwump had climbed out of his bed and kicked Six-Pence out of his bed. There was the older boy, reading a book with a look of suppressed guilt right in the middle of Six-Pence's bed. The Mugwump said he wanted to be in front of the fan (he had survived 10 hours without being in front of the fan, I don't know why at 6am he suddenly needed a fan). I had to explain that it's not OK to kick your little brother out of bed. Last night he opted to sleep on the floor next to little brother (and in front of the fan) rather than in his bed. We may save lots of money on beds this way.

Global Warming

A friend asked me the other day if I was big into the global warming thing. I said yeah, but then I got to thinking about it. I'm really not. I don't want to be misunderstood, I think global warming is a problem and I am sure that humans (or the "stuff" we produce and use) are the cause. I just don't happen to think it's the biggest problem and it's not the reason that I'm trying to simplify my life. So why did I tell my friend yes, I was into the global warming thing? Because it is a buzzword that people listen to (or choose to ignore). Sometimes, especially during an extraordinarily hot summer, people will hear the phrase "global warming" and it will initiate some change in them. So I associate with global warming and will use it to my advantage at times, but really there is much more that drives me toward simplicity.

I'm really against the over reliance on cars. Sure, cars are a huge contributor to global warming, but they are far worse than that. Cars are closely associated with the 5 leading causes of death in the United States. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive lower respiratory disease and accidents are the five leading causes of death in the US. The exhaust from combustion engines contributes to the top four leading causes of death to some degree. In addition, the automobile contributes greatly to a sedentary lifestyle which also contributes to the four leading causes of death in this country. To be fully honest, a sedentary lifestyle isn't a huge contributor to cancer or lung disease, but I have seen links to both of these in peer reviewed journals. To this point I haven't mentioned the fifth leading cause of death, accidents. The majority of all accidents involve a motor vehicle.

Of course I don't like that the over reliance on cars is killing people. I wish we could all live longer and be healthier. What really gets to me is the things that I don't have a choice in. I do my best to prevent expelling exhaust. I have a reel lawn mower and ride my bike for the vast majority of my transportation. I don't use much gas. What makes me mad is that my taxes subsidize the use of gas. Gasoline and diesel should cost at least $8/gallon so that tax money doesn't have to pay for gas. (I may go into why gas should be so expensive another time, I have other points I want to make now). So first I subsidize your fuel and then, as a result of your use of the fuel I get hammered with more taxes for Medicare and Medicaid and a huge insurance premium. If people weren't so reliant on cars, there wouldn't be as much pollution making people sick and killing them. I have grown up the son of a capitalist pig (my mom... she admits it openly), and it just doesn't seem fair to me to be charged (through my taxes used to subsidize the cost of gas and diesel) for a product that I don't use and then charged again for all of the problems that it causes. What do I get for my money?

I had a lot more to say, but I stopped... you should be grateful. Cars have also contributed to the downfall of social ties. How many people walk into their garage, start their car, drive to the parking garage at work and walk inside without every being outside and without ever corresponding with another human being? Oh, I know they have cell phones for that (further contributing to the fifth leading cause of death), but I will save that soapbox for another time. On my bike ride to school, I pass at least 3-5 cyclists going each way. Most of whom I have talked to and look forward to talking to again. How often do you meet a new friend in a car? Dr. Putnum has written extensively on social capital and cars are destroying it. We just don't get out and talk with people anymore and it's destroying neighborhoods.

If I have to take a stand against global warming to get cars off the road, I'll do it. Not because I think that global warming is the worst problem we face, but because if there are fewer cars on the road, it will help alleviate the other problems that are wreaking havoc on our society. I also don't believe that cars are bad or that they should never be used again. They are sometimes needed, but people rely on them far too much and I think that everyone should be able to make a smooth transition to living without one if it was necessary (that means that most people need to make a drastic change!)

Distance

I remember a college psychology class where we talked about a study that hit me. The study was about electrical shock... I don't remember what they told the participants they were studying, but they lied to them. There was an actor behind a window/blinder so that the subject could hear, but not see the actor (the subject also didn't know that the person there was an actor). There was a guy in a white lab coat who was a leader of sorts who gave commands (I think he was the study administrator). The subject sat at a desk and was in charge of giving electrical stimulation to the actor (who didn't actually feel anything, but would pretend he did). The subject was directed to press a button to give an electrical shock to the actor, wait a moment, turn up the voltage and give another shock. As the voltage increased, the actor would make louder expressions of how much the shock hurt. The subjects would generally look to the supervisor to see if it was OK to continue, he would indicate to continue. Although a few would refuse, the vast majority continued to shock the individual, thinking that they were administering a substantial amount of pain to the actor. At a certain voltage level, after much screaming, the actor would stop making any noise at all, leaving the subject to wonder if he was unconscious or even dead. Many of the subjects would continue to shock the non-responding actors even after they stopped responding to the shock.

Looking at the results, psychologists say that it was the guy in the lab coat (which certainly makes them all knowing) saying that it was OK to continue was a major contributor to the continuing shock. The subjects felt distanced from the actor, they were merely following orders. It certainly wasn't their fault that this official looking guy was directing them to administer pain and possibly death. The subjects felt distanced from the outcome because it was just how things worked. They were part of the situation and unable to make a difference.

How would I react as the subject in this situation? I don't know. I like to think I would stand up and walk out, or better yet, go rescue the poor guy being shocked. Most people didn't do that. Am I that special someone who would take a stand, or another lemming that would just follow along? Do I want to know the answer to that? Of course I don't want to be another of the multitude that would have continued administering pain to another human being. But if I were one of the select who was able to stand up and walk out, does that increase my responsibility in this life? I think it does, but I don't know that I can make the differences that I want to see made.

In how many other aspects of our life our we distanced from consequences so that we keep doing something that is really detrimental for ourselves and others around us? I spend a lot of time studying obesity and weight maintenance. We are distanced from the consequences of over eating by time. If every time you overate a little you felt terrible and gained several pounds and had to buy a new wardrobe, i don't think that obesity would be the problem that it is. Or even more obvious, if when you overate, you died of a heart attack, fewer people would overeat... or we would have a lot fewer people in the world.

Another place where we are distanced from consequences is driving. Automobiles contribute to the five leading causes of death. Those are cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, pulmonary diseases and accidents. Automobile exhaust and/or the sedentary lifestyle promoted by car travel are major contributors to the first four leading causes of death. The majority of deaths caused by accidents involve a motorist. While I don't think we need to get rid of all motorized vehicles, we do need to rethink transportation to make it safer. I've heard it argued that putting in public transportation infrastructure is expensive. Isn't health care also expensive? We need to look beyond the price tag toward long term consequences. Automobile traffic is contributing to the death of my family. I am unwilling to put a price tag on that, health is the most valued asset that i have, even beyond the convenience of a car.

Sans' summer

I'm going to take the liberty to post what Sans has been up to while we've been visiting family in Washington. He is very happy that we're back, not only because he has company again, but he doesn't have to survive on noodles, zucchini, and ice cream anymore, and he can stop working on crazy house projects! At least for a while, anyways.

The main project he did was the kitchen. He put in new cabinets and painted; I love it! He kept scaring me that it was too bold, but it's great. We have tons more storage and I love the colors. It has a whole new feel. I'm doing my best to keep it clean. It helps that we have a dishwasher now, even if it does make awful grinding noises. :)

Sans also painted a few other rooms. The playroom/laundry room is "nectarine fizz." I was a little nervous, but it's a great color for the space. Notice the new reed shades, too? He put those up all over the house. Again, I love them! They filter out the heat but still let lots of light and fresh air in.

Paint project #3 was our bedroom. It is probably the most relaxing room in the house now; the color is really calming. It was a good choice.

Sans also did a surprise project for me - he put in a new bathroom vanity, sink, and cabinets! Other than some major leaking problems (caused by a split valve) (not due to the installer's abilities), it's been great, too. I love the big sink and more storage! It's funny how we try to live a simple life, yet it's always nice to have more storage. Isn't there something wrong with that?

He also did other projects that are great and were lots of work, but not quite as picture worthy. The ceiling texture he blogged about turned out great, but would have made a not-very-interesting picture. He finished the shed, hung the bikes up in the shed, and got one of my favorite pictures framed and hung in our room. He installed our new fancy-schmancy under the cabinet radio (thanks, Grandma!), which allows our kitchen to be more streamlined and frees up precious counterspace.

I feel somewhat guilty talking about all these new things Sans did over the summer, when we're trying to simplify our lives and live with a small ecological footprint. While we do our best on those things, I also believe that having a home that is comfortable and welcoming that you want to be in is important, too. It is easier for me to focus on the things that are truly important in life when I can feel at peace in the place where I am. Thanks, Sans, for all your hard work.

Here are a couple bonus pictures for those of you who are itching for to see those kids! While in Washington, we went to the King County Fair and the kids were in a cowboy skit. Mugwump was a singing cowboy and Sixpence was a cow.

The hose dance

I was riding home from school the other day and I saw a guy in his yard coiling up a hose. This guy was really good at coiling his hose, in the end he had uniform circles that set nicely in a pile. Not only that, but his movements as he coiled the hose were smooth and rhythmic, like he was an expert hose coiler. Have you ever tried to coil a hose, and every time around you have to stand on the hose to keep it from going in its own direction? Have you ever noticed that hoses have a way they "like" to lay and if you don't do it their way, they will rebel and not stay put? Trying to force a hose to coil how you want it to coil never really works, you have to submit to the natural laws of the hose.

I think the same principle is true with nature. There are natural balances that keep everything running smoothly. Sure you can force the issues, but eventually nature will have its way and go in the directions it wants to. I think that our car culture is forcing nature in directions that it doesn't want to go and it's about to unravel itself. The internal combustion engine has been around for about 200 years, creating exhaust that doesn't exactly make nature go the way it was designed. Just like coiling a hose, you can hold it in place for quite some time, but we are losing hold of the hose and it is going in directions that we hadn't planned. For example, global warming, smog, dependence on foreign trade, etc. There will be a time when we realize that we have to either tend the hose forever (if that is even possible), or start over in the coiling process.

So how do you coil a hose? The first thing is that you can't force it to do what you want it to. Sure you want to be superior to the hose and impose your desires, but if you do that, the hose won't stay. What you have to do is dance with the hose, keep the hose appropriately twisted (or untwisted, as the case may be) so that it wants to lay down nicely in a pile of little circles. You have to dance with the hose, twisting and bending to meet its desires so that it will accommodate your ultimate goal. It is in your compromise and extra effort that the hose will lay nicely in your garage without springing everywhere.

It is the same with nature. You can't force it. We have to play along with the rules or things will spring out of control. We can't pump tons of CO2 into the atmosphere and expect nature to just except it. We need to find how natural processes work and then mimic nature in order to obtain our goal. Mimicking nature through organic farming, biodiversity and utilitarian transportation will be the best way to get ahead. You have to play by the rules of nature or things just won't work out right.

Next time I won't use an analogy from a rubber/plastic object to demonstrate my point.

I found a video today that I really liked. I found it here. It provides much insight about food production. Anyway, my family gets back tomorrow!! That means that I have to get the house clean before they arrive... that will be no easy task. After 5 weeks of tearing the house apart, I have a lot of cleaning to do. I will post more later. Go watch the video, it's short.