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RED ALERT response paper -‐
By HERS Intern : Harry Enggaard
“We haven’t really begun to understand the damage we are bringing to bear on the sustainability of our planet” says executive director of UN environment programme, Achim Steiner.
This quote says most of what Dr. wildcats book is circling around. The fact that we now are in a state of
over consuming the world into a collapse. It would be fair to say that all options at this time should be open for discussion and for realization.
I want to build the response letter to Dr.Wildcat on the “ web of life “ quote that he mentions on page 5. This for me gives the an exact description on what this is all about and what context I want to put this in.
If we could go back to basic and only use what we need , if we could adapt to an indian peoples way of thinking. To live in harmony with nature and natures resources. This world could be a great place to live with a lot less concerns. If we could eliminate greed and money I think we would have a good platform
to start.
When this is said we have to respond to the fact that we didn’t go this way and now face a climate changing rapidly. Few years ago the discussion was if climate change was natural periodical changes in weather systems or human created problems. Now science can document that the last of these is a fact.
I would like to recognize that we western thinking people could learn a great deal of indignious peoples sustainable way of living, but I also recognize the truth of today that we cant change the past. We can learn from it.
So from this standpoint I think we should build the life web of today, based on the back to basic
principle. I agree to indigenous peoples view and traditions that say that reality is more than facts and figures, it should be a matter of taking respect,responsibilities and humillity into all aspects of life and
living beings. But is this a possibility today.. ? How can we make the chinese understand that the American and western way of living isn’t what they should want…how can we explain ..how can we convince the less developed countries…now when they have seen what consuming can give..they wont
forget..so the RED ALERT should be a matter of damage control and finding ways to reduce the impact of the peoples consuming and exploitation of mother earth.. and finding solutions to what the impacts will cause..along with an good example of what the life web in the future could look like in an, for
example, indigenous peoples inspired way of living. Indigneous realism , as mentioned in the book, would support above three lines well.
The new life web should contain a change of mentality and a change of culture towards becoming aware of the serious and dangerous position we have brought mother earth and ourselves in.Though this
awareness, in my opinion, cannot come with scary scenario lectures from either indigenous peoples or from scientists..this has to come from within your mindset..so we need to setup longterm changing of our lifestyle, becoming a part of a sustainable life web.
This book is for me an interesting and inspirational way of how we can change our way of living, and how we could take on many of indigenous peoples life values and use them in a new and constructive
way of living on earth.
As for my own country Greenland, we are experiencing the changes and climate impacts with our eyes ,which would be the eye opener everybody would practically need to understand where we stand at this point in time. Unfortunately it is then quite too late to do something about it by then..but this shows
that, apparently, this is the only way for people to take it seriously enough. The red alert is visual, by far, in Greenland. This makes me understand that this must have a very high priority where we live, but I do not understand why it is not high on the political agenda ..If we cannot do it in Greenland where we see
and feel the changes..how could we then make this top priority elsewhere ?
Dr.Wildcat asks the fundamental question” can we act boldly,irrespective of a guaranteed outcome? “ yes..is the answer..if we are aware that we can find the solution to a new way of thinking life.. within the native wisdom which has proven its existence and justification over several hundreds of years..we
should listen and learn.. we need to step out of our comfortzones ..not to be ignorants and selfish..to build a secure and decent world for our children to live in.. isn’t that reason enough ..It makes me angry to read this book, because it is so right and so obvious what is written and documented in Red
Alert..now we just need the western world to make a similar version of red alert..based on lifevalues similar.
We must forget all about “one size fits all” we need to open our eyes and listen.. we need to hear the different statements about what is actually happening from the people and places who are experiencing
it. We need now to collaborate everybody ,not point fingers. We need to forget about greed and selfishness.
As it is said on page 60 by Chief Joseph ” we may quarrel about things on earth .. however this RED
ALERT is an invitation to start a dialogue without being quarrelsome”… This is exactly what I think this book is all about.. an invitation.. a good example of how we can collaborate..via dialogues..
Every people ,every country should do a RED ALERT..on this platform , and only on this.. the world should agree to make a new life web .. based on true and sustainable values just like indigenous people
did before western powers and technology came and ruined it. Unfortunately it seems to me that time is running out..the speed of what we have started will and can only be stopped by mother earth.
I like the comment from Dr. Wildcat “ This Alert is a wakeup call” , this book with indignious peoples life views, serves the wakeup call very well.
“ Wake up and act.. responsible ! “