I strongly believe that knowledge is power, and you can never stop learning enough. The world has many many things to grab your attention, and if you can just hold on for the wild ride you would be surprised what all you can absorb.
My father is a history buff, do not ever take him on in a game of trivial pursuit with any intentions of winning, but if its teams, nab him up before anyone can blink. When we would travel as a family, vacations typically consisted of museums, battle fields, memorials, and any other historically significant thing there was. I admire these places for what they are, but have never been so interested to dive in and absorb everything I can, for hours and hours, about the history of a place and events.
I do however love science museums, interactive exhibits, shows, and can even enjoy lectures about anything, including history. I am a visual learner, hands on, down and dirty. I went to a Polytechnic University with the motto "Learn by Doing" for pete's sake... I think we can nail the coffin on that one.
I have always been an observer, and great and remembering the placing of things, locations of places, and directions to places I have been to once. I have been the practical one, the planner....
The other half of my family, consists of much more book people type, very very smart, intelligent people as well, just in a very different way, history buff book smart.
I note this only because I am back in the home town visiting the family and observing the difference in lifestyle, choices, actions from myself and those I surround myself with. It is fascinating the small differences that I notice and scream at me, that the teenager (I realize the fact that she is a teenage skews the results due to teenage hormones, listening and observing skills) does not see, that my mother is trying to see, and that my father and other sister are just oblivious to at times.
There is a huge house, which is slowly loosing tenants, as the kids grow up, with the youngest, the teenager taking over the front living room with every electronic device known to a teenager..... all on at the same time, half sitting ideal.... in a southern california desert.... when its 110 outside, and people have not 1, but 2 air conditioners for their homes... and the green lawn that is only green because the California Water Project brings water to southern california deserts...
I notice there is no chickens or compost bin for leftovers and scraps... something new to even my every day life style, but non-the less, something I am excited about taking part in, because it reduces the amount being carted to a landfill hundreds of miles away.
I have developed a consumption conscience that is getting stronger by the day... I am thinking of everything, buying items that will last a long time if I need them to, clothes, shoes, pots and pans, furniture, buying second hand when I can, and not at all when I do not need something.
My sister is a pack rat, I joke (seriously) that I want to be notified of when she will actually be moving out (she is getting married in march) so I can come park a lawn chair and in the front lawn and watch, with a pitcher of sweet tea vodka lemonade...
I understand she is what she sees, people needing things, filling up spaces, going shopping for good deals. I understand that I am also challenging myself, and it is tough as well, to not buy things because I think I might use them, because its pretty, because it would be nice to have, instead trying to only by things that I need, have a good use for, and do not already have something that will do the same job.
Sometimes I think Ignorance is Bliss, and then I found knowledge, and knowledge allows me to choose to do better or be a part of the problem... now, how do we get everyone else, that is not ingrained in the energy/environmental/resource world to understand, care, and most importantly change?
Education and Knowledge I suppose, it worked for me didn't it? Of course I am the hands on visual learner, so seeing it in front of me works, maybe for this history buffs they might have to wait a few years for the history books to take hold of it...hopefully we can get through to them before then....
Until then I will have to just continue to learn by doing, and outreach and educate. Knowledge is Power waitting to be applied, now my job is to go apply it where it is needed most.
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