By embracing the highly-focused, simple genius of
Chesley Sullenberger
we have a chance to reverse climate change.
SOS #180 -- J. Morris Hicks -- (10-18-22)
|
|
Who doesn't remember where they were on January 15, 2009, when Captain Sully safely landed a planeload of people on the Hudson River in New York?
Who would not want a laser-focused guy like Sullenberger to manage the ultimate crisis that humanity is facing today? What did he do in this near tragedy of epic proportions that our current "leaders" are not doing? Read on.
|
|
Almost ten years after that miracle on the Hudson, Captain Sully took just twelve minutes (in 2019) to calmly explain how he was able to safely land US Airways 1549 with 155 souls on board -- against almost impossible odds.
We can now apply a very similar method to:
Managing Humanity's Ultimate Crisis
Click on the image below to watch this amazing
12-minute video that gave me goosebumps.
|
|
I watched the above video for the first time last week. And I was totally hooked after the first two minutes. We can all learn from the laser-sharp ability of this great professional to set priorities and focus ONLY on the one or two tasks that simply HAD TO BE accomplished -- if all onboard were to live another day.
As everyone remembers, it was only one minute into the flight (after colliding with a flock of Canada geese) when Captain Sully concluded that Flight 1549 would probably not be landing on a runway that day. So he had to think very fast to make sure he was focusing on the one or two tasks that had the greatest chance of saving those 155 lives.
As the emergency develops, this steely-nerved airline captain thinks quickly. In the above video, he begins:
Because I had learned my craft so well, I knew my airplane and my profession so intimately, I could set clear priorities.
So, I chose to do ONLY the highest priority items and then I had the discipline to ignore everything I did not have time to do as being only distractions...
You see, I'm also well-read, so I knew the neurobiology. I knew that multi-tasking was a myth. That when we think we're multi-tasking, what we are, in fact, doing is switching rapidly between tasks and not doing any of them well.
|
|
The world needs more Sullenbergers in positions of senior leadership |
|
If only our world leaders had the "Sully brand" of knowledge, discipline and courage to organize global efforts that would enable us to eliminate the leading driver of climate change throughout the world before 2030; what a wonderful world it would be.
But they don't. For decades, we have all been urged to turn off lights, lower thermostats in winter, take shorter showers, recycle like crazy, car-pool, take public transportation, install solar panels, use less air conditioning, etc. Some of us have even been told to eat less meat, although the vast majority of folks have not heeded that advice.
Yet, even if everyone adhered 100% to the above set of human efforts to fight climate change, would it be possible to slow climate change enough to prevent the demise of the human species?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. And it wouldn't even be close.
|
|
You see where I am going here? If Captain Sully (played by Tom Hanks in the movie) had started multi-tasking and trying to do too many tasks at once, he would not have been able to successfully execute the ONLY plan of action that could save them. And all 155 souls on that plane would have perished.
We're in almost precisely the same
predicament with climate change.
As for our collective ability to slow it enough to prevent our near-term extinction, my colleagues and I are reasonably certain that animal agriculture is the #1 driver of climate change and we're completely certain that it is the ONLY driver that almost every individual human in the developed world could completely eliminate within one or two years.
But our leaders never mention it. Hence, no progress. Why don't they mention it? It's either because they are ignorant OR, more likely, they know that it would not be popular, at first, for most citizens of the developed world -- and they all wish to remain respected and popular.
|
|
Notice in the chart above that not only have we made NO progress in reducing it, we're still eating more and more animal based foods every single year -- and global leaders never suggest that we completely stop eating all foods of animal origin. The topic is rarely even mentioned.
Where does that leave us?
|
|
The Bottom Line
If humanity is to survive as a species, it is imperative that we begin urgently eliminating its #1 driver, animal agriculture -- everywhere.
|
|
Tragically, the globally-respected leaders, on whom we depend to take care of such matters, are failing us miserably. In recent weeks, I have written about the seven men in the image below and, in another SOS, suggested that they be replaced by a team of nine or ten women leaders with more spine and less-fragile egos.
Although the world is depending on them to guide us in taking the right steps to fight climate change, none of these seven men ever even mention the #1 driver -- which also just happens to be the ONLY driver that lends itself to complete elimination in less than five years -- without spending any $$$.
|
|
If all of these well-known men followed Sully's advice and began focusing 100% of their efforts on the total elimination of all animal-based foods -- within weeks, everyone in the world would know about their sharp change in focus. The media could take it from there.
Their change in focus would not slow climate change overnight -- but it would likely spark the global conversation regarding the most important topic in the history of humanity.
While it may theoretically be easy to eliminate agriculture throughout the developed world, there will obviously be challenges. That's because such a massive shift hinges on influencing vast numbers of people to change their eating habits. And that is no easy task.
Essentially, we're in a situation like Sully was on that airplane. We simply must immediately embrace the only actions that have a chance of saving us.
|
|
A few thoughts on launching the only project with a chance of saving humanity |
|
- Our single biggest hurdle is that almost all adults in the developed world grew up eating animal-based foods at practically every meal -- and they DEFINITELY do not want to change.
- We could easily provide all the food necessary to feed the entire human population on far less than 20% of the land that we are using now. And we could begin returning over 80% of that land back to nature.
- If we offered those plant-based foods FOR FREE to everyone, this kind of crucial project might get some much-needed traction in a hurry.
- If UN Secretary Guterres and all world leaders got behind this kind of project, they could likely complete the global shift away from eating animals in less than five years.
- But, since there are currently a total of zero world leaders suggesting such a shift, the task of getting it done will not be easy and it will not be done very quickly.
Although most people would not like this dietary shift for the first few months -- after a few years, very few of them would want to go back to their previous eating habits, especially after realizing that this simple step by billions of people was actually beginning to slow climate change -- AND was beginning to offer hope for all future generations.
History will be very kind to us...
if we're able to get this done.
Plus, our children, grandchildren and all humans who follow us -- will be forever grateful to our generation for taking the challenging, sometimes painful, steps for getting humanity back on-track to the longterm sustainability of our species.
|
|
Here's a new 10-minute video that might help to quickly enlighten a few billion people. |
|
In this one-act play, our creator visits planet Earth after a 50,000-year absence -- and she is not happy, to say the least.
While here, she meets with the UN's top statistician who knows everything there is to know about what humans have been doing for the last 200 years.
In less then ten minutes, our creator quickly grasps the "big picture" about what has been happening and she gives the UN guy a homework assignment that she said must be completed no later than 2026 when she will return for a follow-up visit.
|
|
In the video below, she has trouble believing how foolish we are and how recklessly we have been living on the most wonderful planet she ever created.
|
|
She has lots of questions and is not one bit pleased with the answers that she is hearing from the UN guy.
To watch this new ten-minute play,
|
|
Merzer's play was written in a manner that can be understood by any third-grader.
It makes it real easy to see clearly why our planet will not be able to sustain us for much longer unless we urgently make major changes in the way we are eating.
What she is requiring us to do will not be good news at first for some 90% of the people in the developed world. But, after two or three years, every human on the planet will be grateful that our creator had been willing to give us all a second chance.
And the children of the world will be the primary beneficiaries. The more people who watch this short play, the better our chances for survival on the only planet in the universe capable of keeping us alive.
Just Do It! For the Children of the world...
|
|
As always, at the end of these SOS Memos, we provide tons of FREE data & "big picture" reference materials, beginning with free access to our two latest books. After the books below, scroll on down to the:
"Big Picture" Data and Video Section
In closing, do you want to do your part to help people get healthy...while slowing, stopping or even reversing climate change at the same time? Then, share this SOS Memo and the free books below with everyone you know.
|
|
FREE: Two "Big Picture" Books
Our health, our planet and climate change
|
|
To our knowledge, OUTCRY is the only book ever published that features a summary of "outcries" from the natural world, along with consensus conclusions of nine big picture scientists regarding our dilemma — AND an envisioned sustainable civilization of the future, using today’s technology.
|
|
In mid 2022, we began giving this book away free of charge.
"the most important info in all of humanity is going undiscussed."
We're talking about the crucial information regarding how we can possibly slow or stop climate change within a few years.
Want to help relieve the desperate situation in which we find ourselves, read OUTCRY as soon as you can and send it to everyone you know. Just click on the book cover above.
|
|
Here is the 2nd book we are now offering FREE to the world public: a quick and easy read that I wrote with Dr. Kerry Graff in 2015.
Using the Power of Food
to Heal Ourselves and Our Planet
This compact book is still highly relevant, focusing on helping people take charge of their health and reverse chronic disease by urgently shifting to a whole-food, plant-based way of eating.
A fringe benefit of their efforts is the steady downsizing of the leading driver of climate change: animal agriculture. Merely suggesting that the masses cut back on their meat, diary, egg and fish consumption will accomplish very little.
We want everyone to completely eliminate all animal-based foods from their diet. Yes, that includes cheese, eggs and all forms of seafood.
For your children and grandchildren, just do it!
Please share today's timely SOS with everyone.
Click the image below to hear my recent (May 2022)
45-minute talk regarding much of what has been covered in my recent SOS Memos.
|
|
Finally, please contact me about arranging a FREE "live" Zoom talk for your group. They will get a lot more out of my talk if they have read our two FREE books in advance of my talk.
Sincerely, J. Morris (Jim) Hicks
PS: Scroll on down for more "big picture" information that is mainly in the form of powerful videos, most of which are free.
For a concise summary of "big picture" information about our situation, take a look at the landing page of my primary website that I recently updated. Just click hpjmh.com
|
|
What about the "preservation" of civilization? |
|
To clarify, we're not trying to preserve civilization as we know it. Because what we have now is extremely wasteful, harmful and grossly unsustainable. It's an incredibly reckless way of living that is now threatening our very existence as a species.
We're talking about replacing it with an entirely new, ultra-green civilization of the future -- and we do our best to paint a picture of that envisioned way of sustainable living in OUTCRY. For what one Ohio State professor emeritus of history had to say about that book on Amazon, click here.
|
|
As for making our stand on the only planet in the universe capable of keeping us alive, this "Big Picture" section below will provide you with handy reference materials on this most crucial of all topics. |
|
"Big Picture" Data and Video Section
Beginning with the timeline of research
|
|
Five World-Changing Films
That People Everywhere Must See
|
|
Film #1 in 2014
In 2014, Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn produced their first documentary film Cowspiracy. Executive producer is Leonardo DiCaprio, it runs 90 minutes and has been on Netflix since 2015. In 2020, I met Kip and Keegan in Sedona where I was honored to be able to speak at the same conference with them and other great leaders in this movement like Dr. Sailesh Rao and Dr. Michael Greger.
|
|
Film #3 in 2021
In 2021, Kip Anderson teamed up with British filmmaker Ali Tabrizi, to produce Seaspiracy, an 89-minute film that vividly and alarmingly reveals what is at stake when it comes to the crucial importance of our oceans to our future as a species. Most people have no idea regarding the environmental horrors of commercial fishing -- a disgusting industry that kills dolphins by the thousands and tosses them back into the ocean. It runs 90 minutes on Netflix. Click here to view the trailer.
|
|
Film #4 in 2021
As our situation becomes more desperate, the documentary films become more terrifying. As alluded to earlier, we are literally Eating Our Way to Extinction, a process that is vividly covered in this 2021 film (81 minutes). Narrated and produced by Kate Winslet, you can watch this great film on Amazon Prime or on YouTube for $3.99. The great ocean scientist and former head of NOAA, Dr. Sylvia Earle lends powerful credibility to such a crucial topic.
|
|
Film #5 in 2022
This new film (89 minutes) features a young activist who travels around his country, New Zealand in an effort to find out the truth about the horrors of the dairy industry in his native land.
The film uncovers alarming information about the environmental and health impacts of the industry -- leading up to the discovery that we are on the edge of the biggest global disruption of food and agriculture in history. This new film is now available for free at waterbear.com
|
|
Grasping the "Big Picture"
These 2 films will help in understanding
our unprecedented dilemma.
|
|
This 83-minute documentary is all about the findings that were documented in Dr. Stephen Emmott's 2013 book. TEN BILLION.
He brilliantly describes the grossly unsustainable way of living that has brought us to the emergency situation in which we find ourselves. Since I met him in London in 2013, he has become much more serious about the need to abolish the practice of eating meat, dairy, eggs and/or fish at almost every meal.
Just click on the hourglass image. Dr. Emmott delivers a very compelling message from the stage of a theater in London. This 2013 film is still relevant and will certainly help more people grasp that all-important "big picture."
|
|
Finally, this half-hour video was published in November of 2021. It was produced by Michael Dowd, a non-scientific researcher like me who does a very fine job of explaining the many facets of the obstacles standing between us and our survival as a species.
As do practically all researchers, Dowd focuses entirely on the problem; not the solution. I prefer to focus on both.
|
|
What else can you do?
Probably a lot more than you think
|
|
-
Start with the new documentary (Film #4) mentioned earlier -- Eating our way to Extinction for $6 on Netflix. Watch it often with your friends and family.
-
Share this SOS Memo widely: Certainties, Uncertainties & Priorities by J. Morris Hicks.
-
Get an e-copy of OUTCRY. Visit Outcry page on Amazon and get a much bigger understanding of the situation in which all humans find ourselves.
-
Inform all the young people in your world that you are deadly serious about this topic. Urge them to read these SOS Memos and our latest book, OUTCRY.
- Completely stop eating meat, dairy, eggs and fish today and tell everyone why you are taking such a "radical" step. You're doing it for the innocent children of the world.
- As noted above, do yourself a favor and make sure that your plant-based meals of the future consist of whole plants -- the kinds of foods that prevent or reverse most chronic diseases AND enable your body to effortlessly seek its optimal weight.
|
|
I am confident that if a few million people carefully read and digested this book that there would be a more robust conversation around the world regarding our grossly unsustainable way of living in the developed world.
To my knowledge, OUTCRY remains the only book ever published that features an envisioned, totally-green, ultra-sustainable, super-desirable, future way of living for humans -- along with ideas for how we might get there as quickly as possible.
|
|
The links below to earlier SOS Memos will help you understand how these ideas unfolded since 2018. |
|
Promoting health, hope and harmony on planet Earth |
|
If you got this blog from a friend or found it on our website and want to receive more of these Bite-Size Blogs? Join Our Mailing List
Want to get started nurturing your own health and the health of our planet? Take our survey at 4leafsurvey.com
Click here to learn more about this free online dietary assessment tool.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
