❝There's nothing wrong with resisting if someone tries to compel your behavior, especially if they do it with force. The 1960s civil rights movement and the anti-war movement were reactions to the state compelling people through the use of force.

But we have to be careful. When people start talking about "the greater good," "for the children," or "for the planet," it's way too easy to justify making a choice for others. People deserve to make their own choices or the choice is meaningless. If we're not free to choose and to accept responsibility, then are we free at all?

If anything, pagans should recognize this. How many times have we been told that our faith and beliefs aren't "real?" How many times have some of us been told that our sexual tastes are "perverted?" How many times have we been told to stop "playing" and become part of the real world?

I guess what it comes down to is this, if you can't convince someone without resorting to force, maybe your arguments aren't that good. Despite the best of intentions, invoking force leads to tyranny.

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Stars above, I really didn't want to make this about climate change.

Quick questions. Do you know what the weather should be? Does anyone? Why wasn't it like that during the last ice age?

As for litter and pollution and all that nasty stuff, absolutely we should hold people accountable. We could start by eliminating the Superfund and similar taxpayer-funded programs while eliminating the limited liability laws that shield corporate ownership from responsibility. You want me to go on? I've got pages and pages showing how our current version of corporatism makes things worse. But I bet you don't want to read about politics, particularly mine.

People don't want to be shamed. And if you force somebody to do something, they will resent you. So if you are going to celebrate Earth Day, make it a real celebration and not about your politics. It shouldn't be about preaching. It shouldn't be about knowing. It shouldn't be about wake up calls.

Celebrate the Earth, the one thing we share. Celebrate peace, the one thing we should share.❞

NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.

Tags: maxims & ugh-politics & Earth Day & compel & climate change & litter & air pollution & force & arguement & shamed & resent