Culture of Peace
Friday,2 October 2009 by TazBurwaiss
Hi, my name is Taz and this is my first blog of a series I am writing for the Newcastle Uni newspaper. This blog focus’s on our culture and how and why it should be more ‘green’. When I think of culture what usually springs to mind is stuff like an appreciation of the arts, dressing up in a tuxedo and going to the theatre. Then I think about it a little bit more, and realize that no, that’s not the case. These days our culture doesn’t manage to even reach those pretentious heights, and is infact, how can I put it, gash.
In my humble opinion modern culture has become a form of escapism, which for us males is dominated largely by our weakness for booze, pool and the Barclays Premiership; we take the easy option of passive indulgence.
Ok, so more about this blog. Be prepared for me to throw in the occasional academic line of thinking, as I will be touching upon famous philosophers, most notably in this column Marx. But don’t worry, no quotes or references. This is something I am not going to apologize for, this is a university blog page after all, and is a medium that I strongly believe should be used to communicate our ideas and feelings in an intelligent way.
I guess the underlying concept within this series of blogs is to highlight that us students need to begin to take responsibility towards shaping our culture. As individuals I am a big believer that we all have our own unique talents and individuality, and have a deep cosmic desire to creatively express who we are and what we can offer to society at large. How exactly we channel our individuality is the critical part behind how we choose to define our culture.
My personal belief is that culture should be based on ethical stuff, like a respect for the environment, a respect for other people, a hard work ethicate in order to personally develop in a more independent and sustainable style, while trying to creatively unleash your inner genius.
And that’s what this blog is all about. I am the treasurer of the people and planet society this year at Newcastle University and am also a core member of the transition Newcastle initative. I believe in a better world, and believe that the only way we can make that happen is how Marx described in the communist manifesto, that the proletarians should stop slaving away for our masters and starting living a life based on our own personal growth and respect for others.
That’s the aim of transition towns. They are a 100% pacifist organization that works on issues of community and sustainability, and trying to make Newcastle a more culturally green city. I will be out on the front line reporting on the latest regional green news and events, bringing you up to speed with how the transition revolution is developing and how you can get involved.
I am an idealist, and ‘going green’ is my vision of a brighter future. I deeply believe that a culture based more firmly on ethics and the environment will bring with it tremendous social benefits, for the individual, for society and for the planet. Finally, it’s important to remember the alarming news of our future, which scientists are predicting. With both climate change and peak oil looming, if we don’t begin to act now, the human race will be facing a dark future. Rising climate temperatures will cause an increase in natural disasters, as well as the extinction of natural ecological systems including biodiversity, not to mention the danger of an increase in human wars as natural resources begin to diminish.
Tags: Culture, Marx, Newcastle, Passivity, sustainability, Transition town