Sustainability Means More Than Cleantech
As we scour our civilization in an effort to identify and rid ourselves of all things unsustainable, perhaps we should look past cleantech for a moment and examine a wider circles of our lives – perhaps including our involvement with medicine. Rightfully, we’re all very grateful for the advancements in medical technology that are enabling us to live longer and healthier lives. But don’t we have an inkling that, just as we look back on the standards of medical practice 100 years ago with a mixture of pity and horror, the world even a few decades hence will regard what we’re doing here and now in the same way?
In particular, posterity will remember our generation for its fanaticism with the diagnosis of “disease” and the over-prescription of drugs for an enormous and ever-growing set of physical and mental conditions. This morning, 8 million school children in the U.S. alone received a dose of Ritalin, an extremely powerful psycho-active drug given to quiet the child’s mind – and thus his body, creating greater docility in an effort to address the effects of an ostensible disease, ADHD. Elsewhere today, tens of millions of adults will pop pills to deal with a wider range of other “diseases” — from restless leg syndrome to sexual dysfunction. For more on this, Google “pharmaceutical companies invent diseases” and check out some of the 1,120,000 sites that offer additional detail.
All this has a connection, albeit an unlikely one, to the fact that today is the 200th birthday of Hungarian composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt. Here’s a quote from The Writer’s Almanac:
Liszt was also charismatic, and his onstage presence inspired what may have been the first example of widespread fan frenzy. It began in Berlin in 1842 and came to be known as “Lisztomania.” His admirers would follow him around, snatching up his discarded cigar butts, coffee dregs, and broken piano strings. They fought over his handkerchiefs and gloves, and would scream and faint at his performances. Rather than being considered a harmless and amusing fad, Lisztomania was viewed as a serious, and contagious, medical condition.
Liszt was also charismatic, and his onstage presence inspired what may have been the first example of widespread fan frenzy. It began in Berlin in 1842 and came to be known as “Lisztomania.” His admirers would follow him around, snatching up his discarded cigar butts, coffee dregs, and broken piano strings. They fought over his handkerchiefs and gloves, and would scream and faint at his performances. Rather than being considered a harmless and amusing fad, Lisztomania was viewed as a serious, and contagious, medical condition.From our vantage point today, we’re easily able to see that “Lisztomania” was really not a medical condition at all, and that labeling it so was only really saying that the medical community at the time had not sufficiently advanced to a point that it could see the proper limit of its dominion. But aren’t we in the same boat today? Somehow we (most of us, anyway) can’t see this same phenomenon at play with ADHD; we’re perfectly happy to pump drugs into 8 million school kids, most of whom only need a better diet, smaller school-class sizes, better teachers, more exercise, more rest, and less television.
Food for thought as we discuss sustainability in the larger sense.
In any case, happy birthday Franz! To celebrate, here is Evgeny Kissin, IMO the world’s greatest living pianist, performing Listz’s La Campanella (The Little Bell). Please consider investing four minutes of your life and checking this out; it’s not hard to see how people could have been deeply moved by the fabulously tall, handsome, and dynamic Listz as he belted this one out to an adoring audience.
Hi Craig,
In reading this post, I first thought you were writing about disposal of medications. That subject would make a good follow-up. Drug companies give little direction on disposal of unneeded medications. Most people throw them into drains that eventually reach fish, seafood, and sea vegetable. This is a definite threat to sustainability, though most media ignore it. Just a thought…
You make an excellent point. Thanks, Steve.
I do not know your Doctor, but mine says here is script for 20 pills take two per day until they are all used. I follow the directions and have no left overs.
My sewage goes into the earth from my “Septic tank and drain field” not into the river or sea. and nearby cities discharge treated efluent by irigating golf courses and parkland with it not farms growing food products so your community may need to straighten up their processes.
Also are you eating Kelp? That is the only sea vegetable I am familiar with for human consumption.
Except for a few reeds and grasses there are no plants growing in the sea, unless you are including
algea. Even Diatoms and coral are animals.
We would put more medications into the waste water systems from the excesses flushed out of our bodies via the kidneys. And so you see you should continue taking your pills until you run out of the number your doctor prescribed. Don’t save a few, just save the receipt to show the doctor what they gave you last time.
Great little article . . . I wholeheartedly agree with its basic tenets regarding the “invention” of diseases.
I feel the same way about politics. While clean, alternative energy sources, energy efficiency (insulation, radiant floor heating and the like) are (is) perhaps my favorite of all emerging developments, I often wonder how – in a supposedly “human rights” centered world – the blatant cruelty of War (both covert and overt) continues as much as ever, even under our first black President (who was supposed to be so much better than our previous leaders, but is really about the same).
I think most people still sell themselves terribly short when it comes to choosing their “commander in chief” of the most powerful nation in the world, as well as when they choose many of the representatives in lower offices throughout the 50 states. This is why I’ve almost always chosen candidates from 3rd parties and independents. For what does it avail us if we elect a “cleaner” administration that nonetheless continues (even escalates in some areas) the crypto-fascism that has plagued our government’s actions for so long? Our government is still in the business of overthrowing foreign democracies, and supporting governments that suppress the rights of their citizens (as long as they are compliant to our imperialist interests).
In other words, while things like smoking cannabis or tobacco are being suppressed (because they are considered “diseases” by our government), the killing of innocent civilians via military drones, or via covert and overt support of dictatorships and repressive regimes, diplomatically, economically, and militarily, is not. Likewise, corporate interests are subsidized, while basic human needs and rights are constantly violated, even under the so-called “progressive” democrats. Which is the greater sin: smoking a joint or cigarette, or funding the “School of Assassins” in Columbus, GA? For me, the latter is the problem, not the former, but this administration, like all the previous ones, disagrees . . . and apparently so do “the People,” else they would make their wishes known!
Why are our priorities so screwed up?
I offer even more divergence to this stream of thot, and an answer to the above question.
Even deeper that politics and economic theory is the idea of mind healing, or mind sickness, which is when disfunction becomes apparent. I perforce offer we may agree that most human disorders or sickness are not caused by chemicals or poisons directly. They are caused by the mind.
Most of what people observe as social interactions involves the way in which people construct their thinking processes. Much like an electronic machine catalogs and sorts data with an operating system, the mind chooses a ‘thot’ (my shorthand) system to sort the thots it thinks. Whether a mind sees what it sees in relationship to fear or attraction is basic to how it will see the world it thinks it is in and even what it’s own identity is; a spirit, a mind or a body. We are so very steeped in believing in a world that is verified by facts and provable data and sights, all learned after we are born, sometimes at great stress, that we never question the idea that before we learned about the world, we had a thot system ingrained as part of our mind by the Spirit that created us. Thot systems extend like themselves, but they are also deniable. The mind that does not know itself is insane. Beings that “believe” they are bodies, alone and separate, in a world of danger and suffering and death must receive the rewards that thot system entails, and the viability of that thot system is only known by it’s effects because it is not seen or proven by the world of form. Because many human beings believe they are bodies, they embrace a world in which how things look is more real than what or “how” they see.
For the purposes of discussion, one mindset can be termed ‘ego’, which is the mind apart that we made and the other ‘Love’, which is the one mind given us before birth.
How am I doin so far?
Phil — beautiful way of putting it! So, to answer your question at the end, I think you’re doing fine so far! 🙂
Sorry Craig:
I cannot agree with you on your comment and I speak with some authority as I was certified by the state of Florida to teach students ADHD students in “Special Education Classes” grades K. to 12th in Florida public schools. And I did teach such students in Detention at a Prizen facility operated for the “Dept. of Juvenile Justice” for youthful offenders aged 14 to 21 for several years. I was trained that ADHD and other “Special Mental states in youths” was the result of inherited traits and/or the result of the Mother taking Cocane. Heroin, or other unprescribed drugs during pregnancy.
Dennis, I’m sure that ritalin and other amphetamine based substances can help a lot of ADHD – the question is, however, are there not other methods that are just (or perhaps better) at “tackling” the problem and are probably better for the person involved?
My girlfriend for awhile (in her fifties, like me) took a prescription for a very weak amphetemine for a few weeks so she could concentrate better. It worked, but at the same time she noticed it negatively affected her eyesight (perhaps due to vasoconstriction, maybe?).
A good comparison might be going on a salt-free, low-fat, low sugar diet and getting more exercise to reduce one’s heart rate and engender a calmer mind and body, rather than simply adding prescription drugs . . . Pretty obvious stuff, really . . .
Sorry, Craig, I cannot agree with your prescription for ADHD. I have had some dealings with the children and adults with ADHD and your measures are simply insufficient. If you are dealing with only one individual and that one not part of a group so that they can receive 100% of your attention then Ritalin may be unnecessary, but with a class of 30 pre-teens with four or more diagnoised as ADHD they are constantly drifting into disruptive behavior and no student learns anything in the class. With the ritalin or one of several milder medications their becomes fairly “Normal” and they can participate in the class.
I totally agree that we need less television in our lives. Do not attempt to call TV Educational. You would learn a lot more by reading an Enclyopedia from cover to cover as I did at age 12. Although my Uncle was an Educational TV Pioneer and I was a Cable TV Studeo Engineer at one point in my life.. I find modern TV useless It is no more than as advertising medium. all the educational content is in the commertials. Personally I limit myself to less than 8 hours of TV weekly, and No SPORTS (Big business with no product.)
We have unfortunately built up an economy in the USA and many other so-called developed nations that depend on abuses such as you mention in your article for their very “prosperity”, Craig. It is through the efforts of conscious people such as you and your readers that this will slowly change. Keep working locally to improve your communities.