{"id":859,"date":"2017-04-16T18:48:46","date_gmt":"2017-04-16T18:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=859"},"modified":"2017-04-16T18:48:46","modified_gmt":"2017-04-16T18:48:46","slug":"questions-and-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=859","title":{"rendered":"Questions and Answers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I have had a few songs in my head over the last days, battling for attention. The first is from Moody Blues \u2013 the <em>Question <\/em>song. A sampling of the lyrics is below. I included the very famous and compelling chorus (can you hear the knocking at the door) with the strongest of the questions \u201cabout hate and death and war\u201d, as well as the second verse, which I never really listened to before. This verse brings the topic into searching for a soul mate, and illustrates how personal actions and motives are at the core of these huge questions, and perhaps an egocentric rationale is the real reason for no ready answers to the thousand million questions we have.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-wDHvmCVRxU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><u>Question <\/u><\/strong><strong><u>&#8211; The Moody Blues<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Why do we never get an answer<br \/>\nWhen we&#8217;re knocking at the door<br \/>\nWith a thousand million questions<br \/>\nAbout hate and death and war?<br \/>\n&#8216;Cause when we stop and look around us<br \/>\nThere is nothing that we need<br \/>\nIn a world of persecution<br \/>\nThat is burning in its greed<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Why do we never get an answer<br \/>\nWhen we&#8217;re knocking at the door?<br \/>\nBecause the truth is hard to swallow<br \/>\nThat&#8217;s what the war of love is for<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">It&#8217;s not the way that you say it<br \/>\nWhen you do those things to me<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s more the way that you mean it<br \/>\nWhen you tell me what will be<br \/>\nAnd when you stop and think about it<br \/>\nYou won&#8217;t believe it&#8217;s true<br \/>\nThat all the love you&#8217;ve been giving<br \/>\nHas all been meant for you<\/p>\n<p>I am at a time in my life and career when I feel these and other questions sailing around me and though my brain and soul, nearly every day. We have a crisis and opportunity in front of us, and the response is predominantly avoidance, denial, and lackadaisical deference of responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Why can\u2019t we embrace our power in this world and then, as Spiderman came to learn, use that power with its inherent responsibility? Why can\u2019t we recognize crap when we see it, and choose to make something despite that crap or even with it. Seas will rise \u2013 what can we do? So very many things, but not enough with no will. Toxins will continue to create chronic illness, and it is well past time we stopped being shocked about this \u2013 we brought them into our product market, what can we do, now? Get them out is one simple and clear answer, yet to do this without becoming responsible in our relationship to the rest of the world is not possible.\u00a0We share our air, water, soil, energy, but lay claim to it based on geopolitical barriers and on money. Neither parameter is tied to natural systems. This has got to stop.<\/p>\n<p>So I become trapped in my ever cycling brain, seeing only the stoppage and the neglect and the lack.<\/p>\n<p>The other song is <em>Fly Like An Eagle<\/em> from the Steve Miller Band. Again, I have listed some of the lyrics\u00a0below. This song compounds my frustration in many ways. I feel time slipping \u2013 and it\u2019s slipping into the future, meaning to me that we are giving power to that future instead of contributing to its eventual appearance.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Due to our lack of focus we are letting the future write itself. Not acceptable.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zlAlCmqjRug?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><u>Fly Like an Eagle \u2013 Steve Miller Band<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Time keeps on slippin&#8217;, slippin&#8217;, slippin&#8217;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Into the future<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Time keeps on slippin&#8217;, slippin&#8217;, slippin&#8217;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Into the future<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I want to fly like an eagle<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">To the sea<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Fly like an eagle<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Let my spirit carry me<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I want to fly like an eagle<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Till I&#8217;m free<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Oh, Lord, through the revolution<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Feed the babies<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Who don&#8217;t have enough to eat<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Shoe the children<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">With no shoes on their feet<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">House the people<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Livin&#8217; in the street<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Oh, oh, there&#8217;s a solution<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And then there is a bit of hope in this song. The clarity and simplicity of the sentence \u201cOh, oh there\u2019s a solution\u201d just grabs my heart and soul and spirit and compels me to find it. To grasp it. To simplify it so it can be attained. Because really, it is simple. The solution is simple. Feed the babies, shoe the children, house the people, build the compassion and community, heal nature\u2019s systems (that are our systems of existence) and not only face up to the challenges, but grasp the opportunities through action, connection and solution. And yes, \u201csimple\u201d is not the same as \u201ceasy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>I find embracing our potential to write our own future is a simpler approach than denial, avoidance and finger-pointing, and it is certainly optimal; using energy for a positive goal rather than energy for avoiding doing anything. I choose, in a simple and personal way, to breathe and focus my energy to find the opportunities we face, and to write our future, collectively and with intellectual and spiritual understanding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, oh, there\u2019s a solution\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t let time slip into a future we do not embrace&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Jodi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I have had a few songs in my head over the last days, battling for attention. The first is from Moody Blues \u2013 the Question [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[128,12,10,18,7,9],"tags":[55,21,36,88,133,23],"class_list":["post-859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advocacy","category-community","category-critical-commentary","category-inspiration","category-personal-reflections","category-deep-green","tag-challenge","tag-change","tag-health","tag-leadership","tag-spirit","tag-sustainability"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p40KlT-dR","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2974,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=2974","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":0},"title":"Our Best Selves (S2C E27)","author":"greenerjsa","date":"July 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"When we interview, we nearly always ask two questions. First, who is your hero; and second, what is the thing, be it a movement, an idea, an issue of chaos or healing, that more people should be aware of? We get so many insights, and you really should watch our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bio-synergistic design&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bio-synergistic design","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2751,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=2751","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":1},"title":"Materials Matter and Grassroots Education ROCKS (S2C E4)","author":"greenerjsa","date":"January 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Lauren and I launched Subject2Change a few months ago, with very little knowledge of making videos or promoting a channel on YouTube. We are continually improving, as all of us must: our videos are more defined, our questions go deeper, we are not afraid of humor (look for future videos\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advocacy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advocacy","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=128"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":541,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=541","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":2},"title":"It is that simple. And it is that hard.","author":"greenerjsa","date":"April 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I've had an interesting conversation on Facebook the past few days, which has reminded my that there are very few people who truly understand that sustainability is a core principle and a tool that must feed and inform all that we do. There is a struggle going on at my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/WmVLcj-XKnM\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":693,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=693","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":3},"title":"Hitched","author":"greenerjsa","date":"September 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The quote above is one of those truly defining quotes about sustainability, triple bottom line planning, and just plain common sense. I snapped this photo from a page of the book \"This Spaceship Earth\", which I recommend reading. \u00a0It has a corresponding action website at\u00a0http:\/\/thisspaceshipearth.org\/. The book is a bit\u00a0data\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"hitched","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/hitched-300x110.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":523,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=523","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":4},"title":"My BE16 Take-aways.","author":"greenerjsa","date":"March 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"BE 16 was wonderful. The people, the ideas, the experiences, the thrill of speaking to a small but full room of engaged people, with a smart and giving co-speaker (thanks, Jim). All good. 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