Whoops, it becomes increasingly clear that the road the Human Race has for so long is the wrong one. It is both, unsustainable and worse, if, we continue unchecked could be catastrophic! Clearly we need to find a new way, a new road and a new direction. We have two problems, retracing our steps and searching for the core errors we have made will not be so easy and equally we seem to have a limited time scale in which to make these changes.

What is the true situation of the "most intelligent form of life on this planet"? We receive ever more urgent warnings,telling us to stop, change and reconsider our very lifestyles! Is it now clear that something must change and change dramatically and significantly, yes? Have we actually set up the neccasary mechanisms of change? Have we introduced massive and dramatic changes to the way we live on Planet Earth?

Increasingly the experts are telling us that we must change our ways and that we must do it soon, quickly. Are we listening and even if we are, can we make these changes? Can we wake up? We each of us have many valid reasons not to change our ways. It is as though we are all trapped within a way of life that is so hectic, so demanding that the opportunity to stop and take stock of the big picture is somewhere between dificult and impossible. We have such busy lives, so many commitments, we are all upon the treadmill that becomes ever faster and faster with each passing day. Maybe we are aware of the problems, but what actually can we as individuals actually do even if have the time, or capability to do it.

Were this a bad dream, or a nightmare we would have woken up by now, but, are we actually waking up to our situation we are in? Are we. It was just a dream, but this could be the nightmare to beat all nightmares. It becomes increasing clear, increasingly undeniable that we have upset the balance, that the way we have been living and continue to live, upon this planet is both unsustainable and dangerous! Our predicament is now very complex and it will not be so easy to excecute the changes that clearly we need to make, so rapidly.The huge sea freighters that zig,zag the oceans, how many kms do they need to either turn around, or stop? Multiply this by some billions and you have the human condition. It is going to be very difficult to turn around from the dirction we have been travelling, for so long now......

During my formalitive years the big issue, the big debate was between two opposing political and social ideas, communism v capitalism. These political differences were considered to be huge, big enough to consider fighting over irrespective of the cost and implications of such a conflict.

It was actually very simple, one system was good, was righteous, the other was bad, was evil and which was which depended upon where in the world you lived right? So what was the great difference between these opposing systems?

Actually it was very simple. Now the Capitalist, or free market system, this we were told was the role model for the entire world. This was a good and God fearing system. So, ok lets look at the differences with this system. Now with this system you actually got to vote in, from a very small choice the leaders, the powerbrokers and they then ruled together with a very small group the country. The rest of the population, the people that voted in this elite group of power brokers? Well they were left to go on with their lives as best they could?

Within the communist system were values and practices (must be true as I was told this repeatedly) very bad, very evil. Ok lets look at the differences of these two titan systems from a different perspective. With this system all power was concentrated within a relatively small elite of power brokers and the vast majority of the people living within this system were left to make the most of their opportunities to the best of their abilities? Sound similar?

As is the way of these things one side came out on top, one side won this war and actually it was the most envioromentaly destructive school of thought that won the prize. In actuality were either of these systems enviromentally sustainable? Have either of these opposing philosophies been sensitive to sustaining life on Earth. Have either of these systems even considered the dangers in ignoring the delicate balance that exists on this planet? Have either of these systems even considered that the Human Race is actually part of this delicate balance and not masters of it? Have either of these systems even bothered to considerer the effects of their actions relative to an incredibly interrelated and still not fully understood interdependence of bio systems upon the very planet we all share?

These are the train drivers, these are the guys that have helped propel us at ever increasing speed (it`s called progress) towards the precipice that daily becomes closer and more visible. We have a problem, if the guys in the driving seat, the leaders, are so preoccupied with important matters of state, that they do not see the dangers, what do we, the small people do?

If clearly the guys up front have a different agenda, an agenda so important that the fact that the train is travelling at ever increasing speed towards certain catastrophe is a side issue, what do we as passengers do? How can we prevent the tragedy?

In the nightmare we wake up, maybe a bit shaken, but we wake up. Can we wake up now? Can we awaken ourselves to the dangers ahead? Can we even find the time within our ever busy lives to step off from that treadmill and step back from our everyday routines? It seems that somehow we must each wake up to the reality of our situation individually. It becomes increasingly clear that no will wake us. Can we, before it's too late?