Zealotry (All Fired Up) - orig. 08/29/05
A friend accused me last night of being a zealot. I looked up zealot and here is the definition (These definitions come from dictionary.com):
zeal·ot
n.
1 a One who is zealous, especially excessively so.
b A fanatically committed person.
2 Zealot A member of a Jewish movement of the first century A.D. that fought against Roman rule in Palestine as incompatible with strict monotheism.
Which led me to look up fanatic.
fa·nat·ic
n.
A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.
And the definition for zeal.
zeal
n.
Enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal and tireless diligence in its furtherance. See Synonyms at passion.
According to definition 1a I could be considered a zealot. According to definition 1b I am not a zealot because my passion is not unreasoning. It is based on logic, research and other educated individuals application of the scientific method.
Why then am I so passionate about this cause?
90% percent of the world’s large fish are gone and of the fish that are left there are only a few that are relatively safe to eat. That’s why I’m passionate.
Global warming projections show that the world is going to lose a significant portion of it’s coastlines and that entire island nations are going to be lost. That’s why I’m passionate.
Projections show that global warming is going to cause a shift in the temperate regions where our food stocks are grown which could lead to massive food shortages. That’s why I’m passionate.
20,000 people died in Bhopal, India because it was not cost-effective to maintain the nearby chemical pesticide plant. That’s why I’m passionate.
A boy was born without eyes because his mother was living in a toxic environment. That’s why I’m passionate.
The world’s frog and toad populations are disappearing and undergoing bizarre mutations. That’s why I’m passionate.
27,000 species a year are becoming extinct. That’s why I’m passionate.
There is a man in Nigeria who has to fight for everything just to stay alive. That’s why I’m passionate.
The food we eat is being produced using toxic chemicals that cannot be reabsorbed by the biosphere. That’s why I’m passionate.
Two thirds of the waters of the US coastlines are degraded because of pollution. That’s why I’m passionate.
The tops of the trees along the nature trail at Asahel-Curtis are dead because of air pollution. That’s why I’m passionate.
Children and women are being exploited around the world to produce inexpensive material goods. That’s why I’m passionate.
There is an ongoing famine in Africa. That’s why I’m passionate.
The US has been involved continuously in Military conflicts since Korea. That’s why I’m passionate.
We are destroying the very biodiversity that we are dependent upon to sustain life. That’s why I’m passionate.
The availability of freshwater will decrease by 33 percent in the next 50 years. That’s why I’m passionate.
Every major system that we rely upon to support life is in decline. That’s why I’m passionate.
I look at my nieces and nephews and they are so beautiful. That’s why I’m passionate.
What do you suppose I get out of this. I am not looking for disciples and I am pretty much alienating all of my friends. I am not reaping material rewards. I am not extending my own life nor making it easier, more comfortable or more secure.
I care about you. I care about your children. I care about the species that cannot speak for themselves. I care about the quality of life for the coming generations.
I care enough to let go of my fear. I care enough to let go of my comfort. I care enough to be hungry, to live a few years less, to do without those things that aren’t necessary for my own life maintenance.
It’s frustrating that I am not a better communicator. I have no political power. I have no financial power. I have only a voice and a passion. I don’t know how to convince people to live differently. I just know that the time is upon us. The ecological disaster is taking place right now and it is going to get worse before it gets better. How bad it gets is directly dependent on what we are willing to do now.
It is going to take a massive effort to restore the world’s ecology. That means that a lot of people are going to have to come to an agreement upon how to restore this mess that humanity has created. It means making changes on every level from the personal to the global.
We cannot sit back and wait for others to take care of the problem. We are contributing to the problem and we are the people that need to fix it. All of us.
I know that my friends would prefer that I not be a zealot. I push them and will continue to push them. If you are making positive changes that is fantastic. I want you to go further. I will continue to push people to go further until I can no longer find references to current ecological disasters via any media.
If you want me to stop being a zealot. Step up and help restore the world.
zeal·ot
n.
1 a One who is zealous, especially excessively so.
b A fanatically committed person.
2 Zealot A member of a Jewish movement of the first century A.D. that fought against Roman rule in Palestine as incompatible with strict monotheism.
Which led me to look up fanatic.
fa·nat·ic
n.
A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.
And the definition for zeal.
zeal
n.
Enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal and tireless diligence in its furtherance. See Synonyms at passion.
According to definition 1a I could be considered a zealot. According to definition 1b I am not a zealot because my passion is not unreasoning. It is based on logic, research and other educated individuals application of the scientific method.
Why then am I so passionate about this cause?
90% percent of the world’s large fish are gone and of the fish that are left there are only a few that are relatively safe to eat. That’s why I’m passionate.
Global warming projections show that the world is going to lose a significant portion of it’s coastlines and that entire island nations are going to be lost. That’s why I’m passionate.
Projections show that global warming is going to cause a shift in the temperate regions where our food stocks are grown which could lead to massive food shortages. That’s why I’m passionate.
20,000 people died in Bhopal, India because it was not cost-effective to maintain the nearby chemical pesticide plant. That’s why I’m passionate.
A boy was born without eyes because his mother was living in a toxic environment. That’s why I’m passionate.
The world’s frog and toad populations are disappearing and undergoing bizarre mutations. That’s why I’m passionate.
27,000 species a year are becoming extinct. That’s why I’m passionate.
There is a man in Nigeria who has to fight for everything just to stay alive. That’s why I’m passionate.
The food we eat is being produced using toxic chemicals that cannot be reabsorbed by the biosphere. That’s why I’m passionate.
Two thirds of the waters of the US coastlines are degraded because of pollution. That’s why I’m passionate.
The tops of the trees along the nature trail at Asahel-Curtis are dead because of air pollution. That’s why I’m passionate.
Children and women are being exploited around the world to produce inexpensive material goods. That’s why I’m passionate.
There is an ongoing famine in Africa. That’s why I’m passionate.
The US has been involved continuously in Military conflicts since Korea. That’s why I’m passionate.
We are destroying the very biodiversity that we are dependent upon to sustain life. That’s why I’m passionate.
The availability of freshwater will decrease by 33 percent in the next 50 years. That’s why I’m passionate.
Every major system that we rely upon to support life is in decline. That’s why I’m passionate.
I look at my nieces and nephews and they are so beautiful. That’s why I’m passionate.
What do you suppose I get out of this. I am not looking for disciples and I am pretty much alienating all of my friends. I am not reaping material rewards. I am not extending my own life nor making it easier, more comfortable or more secure.
I care about you. I care about your children. I care about the species that cannot speak for themselves. I care about the quality of life for the coming generations.
I care enough to let go of my fear. I care enough to let go of my comfort. I care enough to be hungry, to live a few years less, to do without those things that aren’t necessary for my own life maintenance.
It’s frustrating that I am not a better communicator. I have no political power. I have no financial power. I have only a voice and a passion. I don’t know how to convince people to live differently. I just know that the time is upon us. The ecological disaster is taking place right now and it is going to get worse before it gets better. How bad it gets is directly dependent on what we are willing to do now.
It is going to take a massive effort to restore the world’s ecology. That means that a lot of people are going to have to come to an agreement upon how to restore this mess that humanity has created. It means making changes on every level from the personal to the global.
We cannot sit back and wait for others to take care of the problem. We are contributing to the problem and we are the people that need to fix it. All of us.
I know that my friends would prefer that I not be a zealot. I push them and will continue to push them. If you are making positive changes that is fantastic. I want you to go further. I will continue to push people to go further until I can no longer find references to current ecological disasters via any media.
If you want me to stop being a zealot. Step up and help restore the world.
posted by T-Bone_Jones at 6:57 PM
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