7 responses so far ↓

• 1 Kathy Gannett // Aug 27, 2007 at 10:17 am

  I just read Ted Glick email on the Danbury strike and his posting on how to do a fast. Although I am very active in peace and social justice movements, I have never fasted because I have a fear of headaches. I have decided to participate on September 4 fast. I look forward to taking this time to look inward as well as support the movement to heal the earth.

• 2 Green // Sep 3, 2007 at 1:55 pm

  Don’t you think you could channel your efforts into a more productive protest? How about not using any electricity for a day, or catching a bus instead of driving your car?

  Of course, there is only one possible productive way your method could help to combat climate change. If you could get 5 billion people to join your protest and they all starved to death, then the remaining billion or so could just keep burning fossil fuels for five times longer.

• 3 Boxorox // Sep 4, 2007 at 5:39 am

  This is martyrdom, plain and simple. Fasting for this cause just poses you as radical-fringe nut jobs. I shall use this occasion to eat to my heart’s content. That shall be my personal counter-protest and I’ll have a very nice day!

• 4 Rudi Cilibrasi // Sep 4, 2007 at 12:47 pm

  As a scientist who has commented publicly on global warming years ago, I am honored to take part in this other medium of communication. There is no martyrdom here: I fast approximately yearly for health reasons and come out stronger, not weaker, for it. There is, however coordination and emphasis in our group decision to act together in doing something difficult together for a greater good. The purpose of this fast is to send a message with intensity and demonstrate that cooperation IS possible even when the outcome of said cooperation is uncertain! It is ridiculous to suppose that somebody with the resolve to fast for climate change would be unlikely to simultaneously be doing many other things against climate change. Like, not driving a car. In fact, those that do good tend to do it recklessly and it gets better the more ways you figure out to do it. Not every good deed “sticks” but the nice part is they don’t have to. Only guilty, bitter, or scared people really enjoy trying (futilely) to discredit noble voices with sophomoric arguments. If Green or Boxorox had any talent at critical thinking, they would probably be better off becoming scientists themselves instead of anonymous, cowardly hecklers on a comment page.

• 5 Paul // Sep 5, 2007 at 7:39 am

  I think that this is a good idea to raise awareness for climate change. I watched the press conference on TV and fully support your campaign. It shows that there are people who care.

• 6 clare Hanrahan // Sep 5, 2007 at 9:52 am

  Fasting, even for just a day, helps keep me mindful of the times we are in and deepens my sense of connection. Its a spiritual endeavor. I stayed home much of the day reflecting on my place as a conscious being in these times of great change.

  I walked with Ted for a day during the Living the Dream 2006 walk from Selma, Ala. to Fort Benning, Ga. and again, for some blocks through hot Atlanta holding up the other end of his banner, No War, No Warming, as we marched with the U. S. Social Forum.

  This fast is a sincere effort to bring to bear all the spiritual forces one can garner to awaken others to the climate emergency.

  As Gandhi said,
  “Prayer from the heart can achieve what nothing else can in the world.”

• 7 Kathy B // Sep 5, 2007 at 2:10 pm

  I’ve never added to a blog before, but having participated in the fast yesterday has given me the courage to do so. First of all, let me identify with Kathy and her “fear of headaches.” I can relate to that — I dreaded the inevitable headache, but being able to attend the press conference in D.C. helped me through that. And there I met the dedicated group of fasters, many of whom are in this for the long haul. It made my one-day fast seem small in comparison.

  But, like Kathy, I am dedicated to peace and justice issues. And I have another deep, panic-producing fear. What if our actions are too little, too late? How could I let myself be among those who stood by and did nothing?

  So I fasted in sorrow for the beauty of the world I grew up in, for the wildflowers and streams of my childhood, for all the millions who go hungry each day, partly due to climate degradation, for the millions more who may starve because their land becomes arid or flooded, for all those who breathe polluted air and for the the generations to come who may never know of polar bears (and untold other species) outside of zoos.

  I will be fasting once a week for as long as it takes to see changes. This does not prevent me from also doing other things — listen up, “Green!” — that conserve energy. I took mass transit to the press conference. I am a vegetarian. I have replaced all my light bulbs. I recycle and have for years. I compost my kitchen waste so that it is not “wasted.” And now that I have fasted, I realize I must reach out to others to encourage them to get involved.

  So it is wonderful to be part of postive action to help preserve the climate. I do not want to watch anyone starve, much less 5 billion.

  Fasting is not obligatory, and perhaps it is not for everyone. It doesn’t matter. Those who fast are not judging others who do not. There ARE many ways to become involved. For me, right now, this just happens to be the most authentic way for me personally to voice my commitment.

  I am 61 years old. Maybe fasting will become something that will not work for me as I get older. But then again, maybe it will become a way of life. As Joni Mitchell said in “Woodstock,” we need to try and get our soul’s free. “We are starlight, we are golden. And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the Garden.”

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