I had to edit and update this post. Here is what I originally said: “I am so excited that Van Jones is now in a position to help to implement some of his green economic policies. He was appointed “Special Advisor for Green Jobs” by Barak Obama on March 16th. Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins is taking over Van Jones’ position leading Green For All. Here they both are talking about the direction of that organization, and now,the direction of our country.”

The video that I embedded became outdated, however. Also, as of September 5, 2009, Van Jones resigned his position in the administration after heavy attacks from the right wing. I am very disappointed. Here is a video of his at the Powershift 2009 conference in Washington DC speaking to young people about hope and change:

Technorati Tags: , answers, change, economy, hope, Spirit

This whole deal of “allowing” seems passive. There is an awfully lot of work that needs done in the world. What is this allowing thing, anyway? It’s true, I do get caught in reflective cycles which seem to keep coming back on themselves not going anywhere. But I have also spent a lot of energy on physically active pursuits which have seemingly dead ended with little positive result. Somehow I want to be in touch with a bigger picture so that the things that I choose to do result in helping me to get where I want to go. Like looking at the map before I begin my travels.

It ’s so easy to feel lost. The world can feel so big and lonely. So here I am. What do I want to do? I want to be helpful. How do I begin to be helpful? Well, this room could use picking up. My office is a mess. My business is not really going in the direction I want it to. I have not fully taken responsibility for it. I still consider it a cast off and I associate it with things that I don’t want to think about. But here it is. And it has been a great gift to me. This business has been used as an instrument for healing. Maybe if I look at it in a new way and put some positive energy into it, it may flourish.

I can’t go into it much here because it’s a part of my personal life that I don’t feel comfortable revealing here. Maybe someday I will. But in the meantime, maybe the specifics don’t matter much in this context. I bet most of us have something in our life that we cast aside as not worth going into. Sometimes those are the areas that really should be delved into.

So I begin with my office. Maybe the beginning of my creating a “save the world” campaign should begin with me picking up the mail off of my office floor. Maybe I should spend the day with my kids when I am done. Maybe I should go and visit my neighbors who had a recent tragedy. This is the material of my day. And it is the beginnings of my map.

And it doesn’t have to feel aimless. It is a part of the big picture of all of us, each of us going about our day, doing whatever our business is, doing the best we each can with our own lives, our own families, our own business. And we do interconnect. And we do affect each other. And if we have hope, those interconnections can feel positive. We can feel lifted when we go to the grocery store and smile at the person in front of us in line, or wave to the person who let us into traffic as we head home.

So what does this all have to do with global warming, potential war, terrorism, all of the frightening things going on in the world? What does this have to do with the financial crisis? Everything. We make up the material of our society. It may feel like there is no connection, but it is all just a matter of scale. Imagine the difference it would make if a significant percentage of all of us simply began to spend less time watching the television and instead visit neighbors with our kids, or just take a walk around our neighborhood to become aware of the people who live near us. I think that those first steps are the most important and form the base for the beginnings of empathy and understanding. War is just a lack of understanding on a larger scale. Terrorism is a desperate grab for power used by those who feel marginalized. Economics begin with our interrelationships and systems of helping each other through our lives.

I know this is simplistic. I know that when you get into the details of actually doing, it is not as easy as it sounds. But I think that many of us feel so disempowered by the scale of what needs to be done, that we do not even begin. Somehow we need to work together. Somehow we need to begin to change that which needs to change and we each need to begin with our own house, our own neighborhood, our own office.

So I pull the mail into a stack on my floor and pick up the top letter and open it. And the next, and the next. Tomorrow, I’ll do a few more. Maybe my friends will come over and help me. I bet they would have some great ideas. Maybe they need help with their stack. I would certainly be willing to help.

Technorati Tags: answers, economy, kids, mail, work

People are already solving carbon footprint problems, community problems and economy problems through grassroots organizations and businesses. Check it out! I got these videos from Green For All.

“Omar Freilla and members of the Green Worker Cooperatives talk about their work to saturate the South Bronx, with worker-owned green businesses.”

” Orrin Williams and the folks at Growing Home demonstrate how urban agriculture is reconnecting people to their communities and the earth, and revitalizing Chicago.”

” Aundre Collins talks about his work with Solar Richmond, and how it has shaped his life.”

Technorati Tags: economy, hope, renewal, survival, Vision

I am still thinking about giving and taking and how that relates to economy. I am still thinking about how what I do relates to money. Here is Wayne Muller on “Enough is Enough”:

Technorati Tags: economy, giving, taking, work

How do I support myself and my family? Maybe I need to begin by offering whatever I have to the people around me. Maybe it is just a matter of deciding to do what I want to do. The details will, perhaps, take care of themselves if I really want to do something.

Technorati Tags: economy, giving, taking, work