The Zeitgeist Movement Queensland became Movements for Global Sustainability, using MeetUp as a platform for advertising itself. It is now Movements for GLOCAL Sustainability, and in this revival meeting, I’ll be introducing myself as the new organizer and how I plan to take it in a new direction that I hope you will find inspiring.
One reason this group ran out of steam is, in my opinion, the focus on global change. We can talk about big changes that are beyond our power to influence until we’re blue in the face.
From now on, we’ll be looking at practical things we can do in our lives that are informed by the big picture. The maxim ‘think global, act local’ is one I live by myself and I’m happy to show you what I do. I’d love you to share your journey, too.
The first half hour will be introductions followed by a presentation about the predicament we face as a species and where we need to go from here, as individuals and as a nation. The floor will then be opened up for questions and discussion. You can answer a survey about Australia’s population here to get you thinking about the many interesting issues we face to being a more sustainable country.
Please RSVP to the Zoom meeting – if you don’t have Zoom, you’ll need to download it before hand. Give yourself 15 minutes before the meeting to get set up. Note the meeting is at 8pm AEST Friday 30th. I am overseas atm, so there may be a discrepancy in the times showing due to time zones.
Another year had come again for the Zeitgeist Movement Brisbane to put on our annual Zeitgeist Media Festival for 2016. This year, the festival was in the awesome New Globe Theatre in the trendy Fortitude Valley, Brisbane.
The New Globe very kindly gave us their awesome venue for the whole day and we certainly enjoyed every moment of our being there. The day began at 11am, although many of us were already there bright and early at 10am to set up for the day, putting up thought-provoking and evocative art and posters around the place, creating an atmosphere for the Zeitgeist spirit of change and awareness.
Groups of lively, friendly faces started to walk in and I was thrilled to see some of the familiar supporters, along with some new faces who looked excited to be there.
We kicked off the festival with an opening speech, where I thanked the traditional owners of the land we were standing on, recognising that it too had always been a place of music, festivals and community gatherings. I explained what the festival was all about, reminding everyone of the power that artists, musicians and poets can have for creating change and creating awareness.
Without further ado, we had our first musician, the lovely Patch Feeney get on stage to magnetise us with his funky 12 string guitar and deep sardonic voice. We were blown away by his talent and his humble attitude. Up next we were serenaded by the beautiful Aceso who played some heart-warming indie-jazz tunes. She is truly a visionary artist who is clearly inspired by everything she sees, hears and feels and her lyrics had spoke to a powerful reminder of the corruption that exists in our world, created by money.
Followed by these powerful messages, we then moved towards a new style of art in the form of slam poetry, delivered by the talented Claire Ellison. Claire’s poetry was powerful and very much slammed the door in the face of all the preconceptions we’d had of poetry by making us see her raw feelings come alive on issues that spoke of gender equality, love and social norms. It was truly eye-opening and we’d love to hear more from this talented poet.
In line with the spoken word form, we had rapper Tu appear on stage next who brought to light powerful socio-political issues that face our world and our country, such as immigration, detention centres and the recent Trump election. It was funny, intelligent and truthful. We were lucky to have artists like this deliver messages that are so relevant for what the Zeitgeist movement is about.
Following Tu, I selfishly took to the stage, with my guitarist Barry Kopittke, in my cover-band duo Beautiful Noise. We enticed the audience with our cover songs from artists such as Nirvana, Amy Winehouse, The Eurythmics and Bob Dylan, all talking about problems with the system and the darkness that can creep into humanity if we let it.
We then took the liberty of having a lunch break, and it was wonderful to see everyone mingling and having deep conversations, particularly in the art corner where drawings and discussions were being had on what our values are and the direction humanity can go in. It was so inspiring and amazing that our festival provoked this.
After our lunch break, the very talented and soulful Jan Rainbow joined the stage and played us some heart-felt melodies on acoustic guitar and vocals which were comprised of her originals as well as the moving Teardrop song by Massive Attack. It was so calming and beautiful to listen to and reminded me of what it would be like to live in a more connected community, with musicians who sang from the heart like this and roused such emotion.
Following the beautiful Jan, we had psychedelic Rock and Roll Blues poet, known as The Duke, take to the stage whose talented original songs demonstrated what it is like to see modern society through a distorted reflection of a pessimistic youth in disarray. It was provocative, raw and catchy and definitely got everyone in the mood.
Following The Duke, we had the headlining big band for the day, Fugitive & the Vagabond take to the New Globe main stage. Fugitive were a real treat to the ears and soul with their unique folky sound which spoke to troubles that face us all in this modern age of wealth disparity and social division. We look forward to hearing more from these talented musicians.
And last, but certainly not least we closed the day with sounds from the very talented and very enigmatic Beauregard Chambers on acoustic-electric guitar and vocals. His brooding voice and compelling guitar playing made us all astounded as we listened to his pleasant mix of folk, funk, rock and metal. We were so happy to have him close the day for us and look forward to hearing more from him.
And with that it was all over, the festival drew to a close at last by 5:00pm, it was such a fantastic day, I had so much fun that I couldn’t believe it was all over so quickly. But none of this could be achieved without the help and support of the New Globe Theatre for giving us their venue for the day, their staff and sound technician, the generous donations we received at the door and the hard-working Zeitgeist volunteers who gave their time in providing yummy vegan food and help throughout the day where it was needed.
It was obvious to me that everyone was here because we all agree that we want a better world and want a future where there is peace, abundance, collaboration, a clean environment, positive technologies, improved health, sharing and respect for all. I think it is important, now more than ever, that we get thinking about how we can fix the broken mess that our world finds itself in and we focus on our commonalities and not our differences, and start to do whatever little we can to inspire change. Events like this are just the start, and I believe that we can start to work together to create a better future for us all. I cannot wait to see what happens and I look forward to working with more like-minded people and to create another festival that will inspire this type of change! Until next year – peace out!
We have been exploring beyond the Earth’s surface for more than half a century. We have sent spacecraft to near and distant planetary objects. And man has travelled to the moon. It seems logical that the next place beyond Earth’s orbit to explore is our neighbouring planet, Mars.
And although the non-profit foundation based in the Netherlands, Mars One has faced some public scrutiny for its methods in establishing a permanent human settlement on Mars, they have succeeded in bringing some very important questions to the focus of public attention, and some very inspirational and thoughtful people to the general public. One of those people, Natalie Lawler, a 38-year-old healthy, intelligent and positively energetic woman who supports The Zeitgeist Movement, has volunteered for this courageous one-way mission. Natalie has been selected as a top-100 candidate in the mission.
The next stage of the selection process will reduce that number to twenty-four candidates who will receive formal, full-time training for the next decade before the first planned manned mission departs. We asked Natalie to share a little about herself, her enthusiasm for space exploration, and why she supports the Zeitgeist Movement.
When did you first hear about The Zeitgeist Movement?
I was introduced to the first two Zeitgeist films in 2010 and attended the official screening of Zeitgeist Moving Forward in Lygon St, Melbourne in 2011. Since moving to Brisbane in 2013 I have been an active member of the Brisbane chapter.
How did you hear about the Mars One program?
I first read about Mars One in 2013 on a science website and thought that it may be a hoax. After doing some research I found that Mars One has some prominent ambassadors and advisers. I then volunteered for the one way mission.
What made you decided to volunteer?
If we imagine the 4 ½ billion years of Earth’s history compressed into a 24 hour day, humans emerge 1 minute and 17 seconds before midnight. Archaeological evidence suggest our place of origin was Sub-Saharan Africa and that we dispersed from Africa over the past 100,000 years. We have been exploring the planet ever since. And now we find ourselves here, in this fraction of Earth’s history, where our curiosity and nature to explore makes leaving Earth to live on another planet a very near reality.
We can chose not to stand around and say….why didn’t someone go, because we are someone! We have the knowledge and the resources to become a multi planetary species now. And I put myself forward to help make it happen.
What do you think the benefits of going to Mars will be?
Search for life; We apparently have microbes on Earth that can withstand vacuum pressure, freezing temperatures and even survive when bombarded with radiation. Yet conditions on Earth don’t require them to sustain this. Could life have started on Mars and spread to Earth after an asteroid impact, or is it just inevitable given the right conditions? Are we all descendants of Martians, or could we find new life forms that don’t share our DNA? Discoveries await, including the very real possibility of finding life on Mars.
Technological advancement; Many technologies used on Earth were first pioneered in space exploration. Technological knowledge generated for a Mars mission, would yield many innovations that could benefit the public.
Inspiration; People remember seeing the first steps on the Moon but very few got excited about the landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover. Humans on Mars will inspire generations of young learners to invest in the knowledge of science and the wonder of space.
Sustainability; Mars One aims to be self-sustainable by producing oxygen and water, recycling all waste, using solar energy and growing food. It will however take significant time to create an entire supply chain on Mars to become sustainable – but if we can prove we can live on Mars sustainability perhaps it’s possible to live sustainably on Earth too.
Unity; A famous quote by an air Force pilot who flew aboard a space shuttle mission reads; “The first day or so we all pointed to our countries. The third or fourth day we were pointing to our continents. By the fifth day, we were aware of only one Earth.” Perhaps it won’t be until we leave Earth to settle on another planet that humanity can come together and see ourselves as one.
Understanding; We aren’t separate from each other as we were all formed from stars. We are part of our universe yet we know very little about it. What sort of value can you put on gaining a better understanding of the Universe? Robotic missions have shown that Mars has characteristics and history similar to Earth. When humans read the history of the rocks on Mars, and build on the knowledge, we may discover far more than we even want to about future of our home planet.
Destiny; Mars has a solar day a little over 24 hours. It has polar ice caps and an axial tilt giving it seasons. It has mountains and canyons, volcanoes, and evidence of ancient rivers and lakes. We know it has water, critical for life. Whilst it is cold it is far more liveable than Venus and there is enough sunlight to power solar panels. Gravity on Mars is 38% that of Earth which is predicted to be sufficient for the human body to be able to adapt to. Since the Apollo program we have been dreaming of the next giant leap and our neighbouring planet awaits.
What are your beliefs?
I don’t normally accept or have confidence in something without scientific evidence. I believe in current scientific findings or consensus’ until new evidence is presented and tested. Do I believe in gravity? Yes. Do I believe in Unicorns? No. But I may change my belief that Unicorns don’t exist if you can present me some proof.
The theory of God cannot be tested. Scientists can’t prove a god doesn’t exist and religion can’t prove that it does. I accept the power and value of logic and rational consideration of evidence in forming the belief that supernatural beings, including God, don’t exist.
Do you follow a vegan diet and if so why?
When I eat something I ask myself three things;
1) Is it good for me?
2) Is it good for the planet?
3) Is it good for the animal?
I don’t eat meat, eggs or dairy products because I cannot answer “Yes” to all three questions.
Take a piece of bacon;
1) Is it good for me? There is enough scientific evidence for the World Health Organization to classify processed meat (including bacon) as a human carcinogen ― in the same category as tobacco and asbestos.
2) Is it good for the planet? A large amount of energy and water goes into raising pigs. Then there is the production and distribution of the bacon that also adds to the carbon footprint along with environmental pollution from piggeries.
3) Is it good for the animal? Piggeries I have visited were inhumane. Pregnant sows were locked up in tiny stalls to breed the bacon that people eat. The pigs never got to see daylight. And I believe an animal shouldn’t have to die just so I can have a snack.
What Zeitgeist principles do you want to take to Mars?
The sort of home Mars may become will depend upon the first settlers and I would like to influence that and implement decision making models based on minimal opposition voting rather than majority rules and ensure that any economy that develops is a Resource Based Economy.
What legacy do you hope to leave behind in doing this?
I don’t aspire to leave a legacy. This mission is not about any individual. It is about all humanity taking the next step in our evolution.
