Do You Believe In Air?

One human said to another: “This thing called air; do you believe in it?”  

Immersed in air from our first breath to our last; we’re oblivious to air like a fish swims in water.

Still here in the 20th Century, the Greek gods of the sea, underground and sky were awakened by humans .  The god of oceans and rising sea levels, Poseidon fuels hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons.  The god of the dark underground world of geology, marshes and methane hydrates, Hades fuels methane burping and throws a major tantrum when awakened.  The god of sky, cloud and thunder, Zeus has a fever and seems increasingly pissed off.

The gods have exaggerated personalities and are plagued with personal flaws and negative emotions despite their immortality and superhero-like powers.  However, humans interfered with the air by increasing the CO2 in the atmosphere.  This awakened the sleeping gods from below and above, and they started acting wildly and uncontrollably. The home of the gods has a temperature hotter than at any time in three million years.

Americans have no power over gods of sea, underground and sky. Americans believe that we are the dominant nation on the planet, that we wield the power and that we are entitled to exploit other humans and species.  This arrogance, irrational control, and technology give us the illusion of mastery over the earth.

Living on the earth with each other for hundreds of thousands of years, the recent deaths of forests, animals and humans progressed until the gods were awakened to the ecocide.  WWII caused the genocide of over 6 million humans. 

Ecocide will reduce the global population by one billion humans and risk generations of harm to billions more in the future.

This thing called air; do you believe in it?

Collectivism compared to Individualism

People Alignment vs Individualism

The Sunrise Movement is up against centuries of American Individualism that in 2020 needs to begin to change to align with the Sunrise Movement Principles.  As then Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover wrote in his 1922 book "American Individualism": "Individualism has been the primary force of American civilization for three centuries."

Theory: The Sunrise Movement and the overall Climate Movement are fighting a war with Individualism.  Compare the American past, our history and social norms with the principles of the Sunrise Movement.

Individualism:  the prioritization or emphasis of the individual over the entire group. Individualistic cultures are oriented around the self, and being independent instead of identifying with a group mentality.

Without individualism, James Elishama Smith argued in the 1800s, individuals cannot amass property to increase one's happiness.  In 2020 and beyond, happiness will be based on a collectivist society not individual wealth.

Individualistic Teams: The individuals in this team feel independent from each other, typically based on their skillset and feel they are the person responsible for a piece of the puzzle. The decisions and choices made in the team are expected by each individual.

Collectivist Teams: Collectivist teams are where everyone is making decisions collectively, this results in more of a consensus decision making model and typically the team feels responsible for the success collectively.

There is a spectrum of behaviors at the societal level ranging from highly individualistic societies through mixed societies to collectivist.

Sunrise Principles

These are guidelines of the Sunrise Movement that all commit to uphold. Any action that does not embody these principles is not a Sunrise action.

1. We are a movement to stop climate change and create millions of good-paying jobs in the process.
2. We grow our power through talking to our communities. 
3. We are Americans from all walks of life.
4. We are nonviolent in word and deed. 
5. We tell our stories and we honor each other's stories. 
6. We ask for help and we give what we can. 
7. We take initiative.
8. We embrace experimentation and we learn together. 
9. We take care of ourselves, each other, and our shared home. 
10. We stand with other movements for change. 
11. We shine bright.