More important, people don’t want to do anything that won’t succeed. That’s why the second defense of things-as-they-are, after “It’s better this way” is “You can’t change anything anyway.”

I hate the status quo protecting reaction of individual solutions to collective problems (Obesity epidemic? Go exercise! as well as Destroying life on earth as we know it? Buy a hybrid SUV!), but personal actions do have meaning– they just aren’t sufficient (and won’t be widespread enough) without systemic change.

Let’s tie this back to electricity and the fact that it is easier in this media era for the overprivileged, when threatened with a modicum of justice, to take away our means of sustenance and livelihood than to shoot us in great numbers. A necessary part of fighting economic, political, and cultural systems is to build replacements. That means personal change done collectively.

I’m in Natick, Massachussets. Where’s everyone else out there?

We need to make visible both problems and solutions to involve enough people to make society-wide change.

That said, one of the easiest ways today to connect a problem and solution is fighting foreclosures by keeping families in their houses, check out City Life / Vida Urbana.