Indeed, how can we begin to master this “beast” if we barely know him (or her)? And isn’t it the ego that is telling us what is right, what is wrong, what we should do, and not do, all after careful (and sometimes very complex) intellectual deliberations about pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages to ourselves, what we stand to gain, to lose?

We compare, judge, create expectations, make assumptions . . .  for what? Does all this make me happier?

I don’t think so.

I am writing these words with my conscious ego (I am thinking), so how can I know? What makes me human however allows me to ask these questions and using the same intellect of the ego, to observe the mental activities that have brought me here.

I remember my childhood: Sweden, Easter eggs behind a tree in full view and my mother waving from behind the tree; did she know I had already found all the eggs? What do we know that we know, – that we don’t know?

Different cultures, countries, languages; seven before I enter college after more than twenty moves on three continents. Everyone I meet is different; who is right, who is wrong?

It was difficult to settle down with so much to see, so many fascinating, beautiful, mysterious people, places, pleasures. I listened so many times to stories of how wrong the others were and thought: they must be right, these persons are old, wise, experienced. But I wondered . . .

After Universities in the USA and then Sweden I began my own wanderings; Marriage and back to USA, California to write screenplays, then Spain after our first daughter was born; real estate and property development, then Austria where I became involved with humanitarian aid for Former Yugoslavia; learning first hand the tragedy and sorrow of war in Croatia, Bosnia, Serpska Krajna; and that nobody wins. The UN was there representing the non-warring countries and very much a part of that war. Sadness, disappointment, frustration; I remember thinking: maybe one person who can save the world is here, what will happen to that person, what will happen to the world? And the cancer continued to spread across the globe. Those were my thoughts. From Austria we fled, finally, to Sweden again, only to meet professional disappointment through the crash of the Asian Tigers in 97´; newly arrived, with a liquidated Hong Kong company and jobless. After many fruitless attempts to find employment I get a phone call; start a company in South America? Interested? From the blue.

South America and Brazil was not on my plan, the furthest from my plan, actually, if there ever was a plan. Yet it was a homecoming. The energy is good there. The people, nature, the sounds and scents all agreed with me.

As I sit on this island north of Stockholm, this archipelago of more than 40,000 islands, I feel privileged to think about these things, to have the time to sometimes Stop, Reflect & Listen . . .

It was a choice I made before leaving Brazil. Soon eight years ago I am still learning about my conditioning, the programming of my life, the marks of my experiences good, bad, ugly and beautiful.

The ego is a handy tool to get things done in this practical world or worlds. A useful friend we can choose to listen to, or not. I have learned much from my ego, my ego has taught me volumes, and I am thankful. Mostly, my ego has shown me what I am not.

Now 52 springs later there are 9 countries on four continents I have lived in, experienced and learned from. I have much to learn and more to unlearn.

My experiences are not who I am. My thoughts are not who I am. My ego is not who I am. Many things I am not, yet all of these things I am.

And I am grateful.

Yet, we stand before our perhaps greatest challenge as a humanity blindfolded, deaf and dumbstruck; unable to utter the words that will take us all from theory to concerted action.

Why this paralysis, why these paradoxes of the mind? And I continue to ask:

Will you help me?

In this book, a collection of blogs, I will present a few reflections that have helped me Stop, Reflect & Listen, and brought me to the realization that whatever we do, it must be something very different from all that has been done before, being all those things that have brought us here. Indeed, how can we even think of doing something different if our thinking limits us to doing only that which we know, and all this knowledge has been built, collected, memorized and programmed into and by the system we are trying to change; certainly an impossible task!

It is my hope therefore that if we can unlearn our psychological past, reflect on our practical knowledge and listen to the winds of change; embracing this spectacular opportunity to create a life worth living in it’s fullest manifestation . . . then we may truly have a chance to not only survive as a species, but live creating more than we destroy on this fragile planet.

Before we begin on this journey of discovering the truly unknown, allow me to start by telling you a little about myself. Why you ask? Well I am as much part of this system which has brought us to this point in our evolution as anyone on the planet, and I admit, I am writing this book for myself. It is my hope that I may learn something new by writing these reflections and sharing them with you, so that perhaps a dialogue may ensue. So I begin with myself, so that you know the circumstances which have brought me to this point, which have made me choose these words, for surely these words are chosen because of my background, my learning, my environment and the people I have had the fortune, or misfortune to encounter on my path.

Finally, before I begin, may I mention the gravity of this task which lies ahead? We stand before the possible end of humanity as a species, the extinction of life as we know it. And we know how it is happening, and we know who is doing it; it is you, it is me, and the man and woman across the street. We are all the problem, and we are all the solution, and I know that we can make the right choices if we just learn to Stop, Reflect, and Listen.

to be continued . . .

A number of business fairs presenting Replanting a Rainforest and our work at Open World Café, an international symposium; Globe Forum in Stockholm, Professor Lester Brown from Earth Watch Institute and Earth-Policy.org presenting his latest book; Plan B 4.0, and innumerable other events, meetings and dialogues later I realize I have scarcely taken the time to Stop, Reflect & Listen!

A dear friend stepped outside her home into the early spring sunshine, squinted and tripped on a step to the garden; a few hours later with a bandaged foot and cast on the right arm she found she would have eight weeks to Stop, Reflect & Listen . . .

A few months ago I was so stressed and my mind was so far away when I pulled up to the gas station that I filled the tank to the top with gas . . . instead of diesel, after more than a year driving a diesel car (I had borrowed a neighbors gasoline car the day before and my mind had not made the switch).

It’s times like these, with gracious and generous reminders by friends that help me understand the importance of my thinking and my action in these turbulent times. And turbulent they are; Greece on financial default, Spain and Portugal not far behind, and the once great United Kingdom; all contributing to a new potential financial meltdown, this time of the states themselves, putting in question the very existence of the Euro as a common European currency. An Icelandic volcano with a name nobody can pronounce, BIG earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, China and the Solomon islands have not helped to reduce the “noise” in our day-to-day lives – lots of distractions; I need to focus!

Precious little is said about the lifestyles which have brought us to where we are today. And it’s time to change.

In the meantime we all know that, but are we changing? Are we willing to change into something new, do things we’ve never done before? Are we willing to let go of all the preconceptions  of how things “should” be? Are we prepared to change into something we don’t know?

Here is where my head goes into a higher gear, and I would like to address what for me is the central issue: It’s all in our thinking. Put differently: what will it take to radically transform the way we think about these things? What will it take to change the way we think about change?

And what does this have to do with Doors and Carrots???

As I walk through life, along this pathless path I have chosen, I feel often alone; why do I choose a life which goes against the very grain of modern society? How can I NOT co-exist in a society bent on having fun, lots of toys and constant “fun” distractions (Hollywood, Las Vegas, Disneyland and the epitome of these three; Dubai) how can I resist the Carrot dangling in front of my eyes wherever I look (the cars, the houses, the clothes, the power and the status), vanishing as soon as I grab it? If I am alone (and we can all be alone even if we have lots of people around us), if I am alone it will be difficult.

But if, along that pathless path i see a Door, and I venture inside, and find other people who have chosen to Stop inside that place, a space where I can share and participate in a dialogue, a dialogue for change, then I will no longer feel alone, and that dangling carrot that isn’t will be where it should be; growing orange and green in the rich and abundant earth.

That is indeed the idea behind Open World Café and the Open World Foundation, places to meet and engage in dialogues for trans-formative change; thinking thoughts where no mind has gone before . . .

A great website!

Best,

Christer

I listen to the radio about the latest scandal involving deforestation, poisonous chemical fertilizers and poisonous meat from Brazil, USA and Europe (we use the feed, the four to five kilos of contaminated Genetically Modified (GM) soybean that goes into every kilo of beef). Then there’s that number in the back of my head; 24,000 children dying of starvation, every day. A new Coal burning plant every week opening in China. Drought in Africa. The list goes on . . .

It’s easy to get upset, talk about who to blame, who’s fault it is. I do it, we all do it, it’s OK, it’s normal. We live in duality, or at least we think we do. It’s me and you, night and day, boy and girl, black and white, right and wrong. And that is where the trouble starts. Where am I going with this? Does it make a difference? I don’t know.

Some-things are not going away. We will have to find ways of living with these facts, accept them, make peace with Some-things.

Nothing is interesting, that is; No-Thing is interesting, or: it’s the No-Things that are interesting, they stay. Confusing? This is just the beginning. And that’s the idea, anyway.

So we have something, and we’re looking for Nothing? How do you look for Nothing? If it’s Nothing, you can’t know what it is, and if you know what you’re looking for, you know it, so it must be something. We’re drowning in some things, some things are killing us, so we begin to understand that we want Nothing, how do we go about finding Nothing? While we continue to live with some things.

That is the question.

For me, it’s all about choosing to Stop, Reflect & Listen . . . in a big way. Observe your life, observe your thoughts, make it into something you do. Who are you? Where are you? What are you? Who do you want to be? Where do you want to be, What do you want to be? Everything is possible when Nothing is in the way.

I’m looking for Nothing, maybe we can meet there; Nowhere,  Now – Here?

I have been thinking about trees, and people, and our environment. I am now reading: “Collapse – How Societies Choose To Fail Or Survive”, by Jared Diamond. In his book the author provides a number of examples of present and past civilizations, some successful, others which have disappeared. Easter Island in the Pacific is one; long considered a mystery but now with clear signs of how this civilization failed. Wanting to understand why, the author asks:

“”What did the Easter Islander who cut down the last palm tree say while he was doing it?” Like modern loggers, did he shout “Jobs, not trees!”? Or: “Technology will solve our problems, never fear, we’ll find a substitute for wood”? Or: We don’t have proof that there aren’t palms somewhere else on Easter, we need more research, your proposed ban on logging is premature and driven by fear-mongering”?“

And so I ask myself: How is it possible, in this age of unlimited access to information and knowledge literally at our fingertips, we are unable to act in a conscientious manner to provide food, shelter and meaningful occupation to humanity?

Tragedies in the aftermath of the recent Earthquake in Haiti, The Hurricane in New Orleans and the Tsunami in Asia five years ago show us that not even the greatest economical and military power on earth can make any significant dent in the suffering (nuclear powered aircraft carriers and thousands of helicopters notwithstanding). What have we learned? Is there anything new?

So here is my treatise:

The answers to our survival lie not in the past, and knowledge is in the past, based on information gathered in the past. Information, however useful, and the resulting knowledge, does not necessarily lead to intelligence. So there is something else.

What is it?

I am not saying that our accumulated knowledge and all the wonderful things made available by technology are not useful, they are, in a daily, very practical manner. I am saying that these “things” are not useful to solving the crisis faced by humanity; that is: providing food, shelter, and meaningful occupation.

What is it indeed? Since we have Everything, it’s Not A Thing. And we can’t find it “out there”, although we can die trying (seemingly the chosen strategy). “We need more research”; let’s put more money into a study to determine why the trees and oceans don’t suck up more CO2 from the atmosphere and balance the climate. Oh? there aren’t any more fish in the oceans and we’ve cut down more than half the trees? And we’ve taken out fossil fuels that took 450 billion years to make and used them up in 200 years?

We have the information, we could even argue that we have knowledge (albeit questionably), we are definitely not using our intelligence.

Why?

What is the obstacle, what is in the way of acting as intelligent beings, being our true selves? This is the question.

There is something greater. All our civilizations have looked outwardly; to the heavens, to the sun, the moon, to the stars. Some have even looked at nature; wind, fire, water. Fewer have looked within; into the mind, thoughts, feelings. Most of the latter have left their societies, becoming monks, entering a convent. So we have this information, this knowledge, and it tells us no secrets. How do we live? How do we act? How do we interact?

There must be a way in relationship, in meaningful living, in harmony and balance with nature which gives life, without answering with so much death.

Whereas the answer to Everything is Not A Thing (nothing), Nothing (not a thing) can also be the answer to Everything. I am not merely trying to play with words here; the answer lies not in “things”, there IS something else – what is it?

We are here, on earth, and we need food, and shelter, and meaningful occupation. And we are together, so this is not a solo thing. We are a community, and the answer lies in the community, not in the self. It’s not about “me”, it’s about “us”.

Where do these ramblings lead? I don’t know. This is a work in progress. A few glimmers on the horizon do appear however.

Thoughts are powerful, and lead us to say things, we verbalize them, and then “things” begin to happen; all of a sudden we find ourselves living our reality. Could it be that simple? I think so (no pun intended). Beware your thoughts; are they describing the reality you want to live?

There is something greater – could it be you? Could you be the most wonderful and wondrous being in the universe? What if you are, what if we are, what could we accomplish together? I think we are, and I can’t think of what would be possible (pun intended).

What do we need to do?

Do less, consume less (even eat less, most of us, me included, are using more resources than we need), have less “stuff” (things) to worry about. Create space for yourself, empty the jar (it doesn’t have to be full); create the conditions so that wonderful things can happen, effortlessly, and they will.

Create the Space, and take the Time, to Know Yourself.

Come by Open World Café, bring a friend, let’s talk. Maybe we can figure this out, together.

via Deforestation Facts, Deforestation Information, Effects of Deforestation – National Geographic.

Entering São Paulo

As I sit in my room no. 1 of the quaint Pousada Dona Zilah, a family owned and run inn located in the trendy Jardim district of São Paulo; a two story building surrounded by 10 to 15 story apartment blocks. It’s raining and about 17 degrees in the Brazilian high summer (with usually 30+ degrees). Two days ago it rained and six people died (and three are still missing), mostly in favelas, the shanty-towns that were washed away by the storm. In one hour it rained as much as usually in one month. In two days the UN Conference On Climate Change in Copenhagen begins. And I ask myself; what is going on – what is this all about?

One week ago, last Saturday November 28th we planted 700 trees, a small beginning of our Replanting a Rainforest project on Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, three hours north of here in the vicinity of Mococa. We hope to plant almost 1,000,000 trees on the 300 hectares made available to Replanting a Rainforest at Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (other nearby farms have also expressed interest in Replanting a Rainforest). It was a wonderful example of what a few people can do when they put their minds to a common goal.

What I am becoming increasingly clear about, however, is that it isn’t about the trees, its about the people, it’s about you and it’s about me.

During the past few centuries man has sought answers to a meaningful and fulfilled life outside of him/herself. We have developed technologies and products that greatly increase our capacity to enjoy the fruits our planet provides for free; food, water, air. We have developed, structured and organized ourselves and our lives to a degree that these essential items are no longer free, nor can they be taken for granted. The key word here is “we”. It’s about me, about you and me.

We are the problem. I am the problem.

The solution is not “out there”, the solution, if there is one, is “in here”, in me. I am the one who has to change, and I have to begin with me, myself, and I.

As the effects of Climate Change become evermore evident and unquestionable, we seek feverishly to find bigger, better, faster ways of combating the changes in nature, truly believing that we can control the environment. Let’s get over ourselves! Let’s start listening to ourselves, and observing Nature. The solutions are there, right in front of our eyes (or behind them), when we Stop, Reflect & Listen, to Nature.

Out of respect for my new found friends and hosts, I won’t say where I have been these last few days. I have been asked not to. Suffice to say I was in the mountains, in the Atlantic Rainforest, or at least in some of the spectacular remnants thereof. It was a long drive in a 4 x 4 vehicle that took us more than two hours from the nearest village. I saw trees that made my hair stand on end and bathed in waterfalls sprouting from the tops of mountains, cascading down and hitting my body so hard I screamed, but nobody heard, the roar was too loud.

What have we done to alienate ourselves to such a degree? Returning to São Paulo after an eight hour bus ride was also overwhelming, in a different sort of way. 300 kilometers of congested traffic was announced on the radio; the city is on the verge of collapse, kept moving by the sheer willpower of people refusing to see the nightmare we, the collective society has created.

Room "Without" A View

I really don’t know what I should do, except keep planting trees, lots of trees, and invite people to participate in our work. I hope that I can do it in a sufficiently humble way as not to further aggravate or increase the stress of people in our society who seemingly no longer “see the forest for the trees” – who no longer seem capable of looking within to solve the problems “without”.

Because, really, that’s what it IS about; about doing without. There is only one thing we need to do, and that is do less; less consuming, less shopping, less impact on our fragile ecosystem.

Almost immediately a group representing our local partners, Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (FAF) and the local NGO Grupo Ecológico Olho D’Agua, and neighbors with lands bordering on FAF, went to inspect and study more closely some of the areas which had been defined to be a part of the total project of almost 300 hectares; the so-called different “Reserva Legal” (RL) and “Áreas de Preservação Permanente” (APP). These last, the “APP”, are the areas surrounding natural water springs and waterways; streams, rivers, and lakes. There are more than 47 natural water springs and eight lakes, made mostly of dammed streams, on the FAF property of  850 hectares. It has always been our intention to prioritize the protection and regeneration of the APP’s, like the three natural springs in FAF Lot 1. We now discovered, however, a considerably more degraded area just south of this, what we are calling FAF Lot 2, consisting of 8,12 hectares of land historically used as a chicken farm (going back a few generations) and now overgrown with the so-called “elephant grass” known locally as “capim”, a favourite for grazing cattle. Being great for cattle, it’s disastrous if you want to grow trees, since it grows as tall as an elephant in one rainy season (beginning in October each year), smothering any seedlings you may have planted.

Elephant Grass or "Capim" on FAF Lot 2

What we discovered on FAF Lot 2 was that there are 4 natural springs (previously only 2), and that this is the source of the “Corrego da Agua Limpa” which downstream becomes the “Rio Agua Limpa” or Clear Water River! At least one of the springs is totally dried up, but another, after digging a few inches into the ground became soaked with water!

We are now studying this in more detail but it’s clear (clear water clear!) that we will begin Replanting a Rainforest with trees to protect and regenerate the natural water springs. This is what Felipe Croce wrote:

“This plot has one spring in the middle of the area we are planting which has dried up but when we dug a few inches into the ground we found water. Actually this was all recorded in the filming with Renato! There are two or three more spings further down the hill a little which is not in the area we are planting (because the land was too steep to clear).” Further, he continues: “As far as the area: It was recently purchased by FAF and used to belong to Morro Azul. It used to be called Granja which was because there was a big chicken coop there. Then it became all coffee and overtime the springs dried up. There are people who live on the farms who can tell stories of how the area used to be and can tell stories of the river. When Renato (Kerr, Filmmaker, editors remark) was here we thought about tracing the river down a bit and interviewing people from the different farms and communities whose live are affected by the river. This area is also particularly interesting because it will be an essential link in connecting forest reserves between 7 or more farms! This will create a large habitat for wildlife that is hard to find today in the state of São Paulo. We are excited to have you come down and start planting!”

Clearing "Capim" on FAF Lot 2

The clearing has started, and species are being identified which will help the capillary activity of raising the water table and regenerating the springs. The added bonus of this becoming a “corridor” for wildlife, and joining the efforts of 7 neighboring farms is a great way to get our project started!

More studies will be undertaken, and many decisions need to be made over the next few weeks, in the meantime we will continue to clear about three hectares of land and prepare it for planting, which we plan to begin within two weeks. I am flying to Brazil tomorrow and after a meeting on Monday with “SOS Mata Atlântica” (NGO) Director Mario Mantovani will proceed to the farm, located 330 km. from the São Paulo city, at 950 meters above sea level.

Exciting weeks ahead, I look forward to posting regular updates, and if anybody should be in the area, come and join us!

I would also like to get a discussion going if there are questions on “Replanting a Rainforest”, or if anyone would like to contribute with knowledge or other resources.

Based on a global carbon tax study by CCC and climate economist Richard Tol, ample “evidence” is presented to favour technical solutions adding that whatever promises politicians, our leaders, are expected to make, because they have to in order to maintain a strand of credibility, these promises will not be fulfilled, cannot be fulfilled, because the “cost will be 50 times higher than the cost of the damage of climate change”.

Interesting… And I think, hmm, what “cost” is he talking about? Is this the cost of families losing their homes? Is it the cost of losing a loved one in a cyclone? Is this the cost of more than 1 billion human beings not having food on their table? Or perhaps, is it the cost of (currently) 24,000 children dying of starvation, every day?

So I dedicate the lines above to anybody wishing to enter into a discussion of “the cost of the damage of Climate Change”.

I don’t.

I choose to engage in a dialogue for sustainability and leadership, a dialogue for Sustainable Communities. This dialogue, I believe, must be based on the fundamental premise of “Reduce, Reduce, and then Reduce some more” (then perhaps Reuse, and last, Recycle). There are lots of ways to reduce, and they all oppose our consumer (shop-till-you-drop) society, and are an opposition to the concept of “growth”. So let’s stop kidding ourselves, we have to reduce our consuming. That means each and every one of us has to make some conscious choices as to what reductions in consumption we can make, and hope that collectively it’s enough. I’m on my way to Brazil to start our Replanting a Rainforest project, and I’m flying there, bad, and I feel that I need a camera to document this, which I will buy, bad, but not going there, and not being able to document the work would be worse. These are my choices, and it is these choices we make every day which create the reality of our lives, the reality we experience.

I like the idea of a sustainable community, and I think about it a lot, so my choices lately have been very much about what I can do to make it happen. This is also why Open World Café is about “Dialogues on Sustainability and Leadership”. So I think, then I like to promote a dialogue, then I like to get down to creating, building these sustainable communities.

Who wants to join me?