Many paths to the top

I was listening to Julia Butterfly, an eloquent woman who lived for 2 years high in a redwood tree, often in dangerous storms hoping to save it and the surrounding virgin forest. Some locals thought she was crazy for it and some admired her courage and clarity of thought. She told my classroom full of activists that her harshest critics are the environmentalists, who are working for the same cause. She was getting to know loggers and riding on bulldozers, building a bridge to the logging community. She was attacked for this by hostile activists who thought that she is betraying the purity of the cause. They thought that she should operate just like they do.

How dramatic! It makes my superhero cape wrinkle up. Her point of the story is that to accomplish great things, people need to approach the problem in many different ways.

There are those who make a lot of noise about animal rights, to the point where they do extreme things to make a point. There are those who adopt spartan or ascetic lifestyles so that their impact is not too negative. When people do this zealously, it can serve to turn people off to their cause because they want flavor in their food and comforts in their life. When Jimmy Carter invited Americans to be responsible and turn down their lights, many folks resented it and didn't do it, thinking that it meant turning down their lifestyle.

But as long as most of the people are making the revolution into a joyful , delicious (thank you Slow Foods!) and grounded one that appreciates our diversity, it's going to work out. The noisy people will get someone's attention and give them a sour face, but when they talk about it and someone at their office tells them about how they approach the better life, it will be something that can be digested.

The approach of Slow Foods is a wise one. Make it delicious!! Buy from local farmers...it's a revolutionary idea these days, and one that makes a huge difference. But while savoring the delight of fresh herbs, a slow foodist can give thanks for the attention that Fast Food Nation or other harsher activists have brought to the cause.