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<div dir="ltr"><font face="Arial">I also realize that events far away in the world may have implications and effects here, so the definition of "community" is necessarily imprecise. </font></div></blockquote>
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<div dir="ltr"></div></font><font face="Arial">Bruce Livingston</font></div></div></blockquote>
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<div class="gmail_quote">Exactly. And our actions locally can effect the world at large. Given the increasing "globalization" of our world, economically, politically, ethnically, culturally, and environmentally, it is increasing becoming difficult to define many issues as exclusively local vs. not local. For example, if we locally purchase lots of products from China, that may be available in adundance at the new Hawkins Mall, this decision has economic, political and environmental implications that are global in scope. And our local contributions to CO2 emissions are a problem that is shared by all who are involved in a fossil fueled economy anywhere, contributing to a problem both global and local. To ignore our responsiblility as we add to climate change via local CO2 emissions (100s of thousands of tons of CO2 emissions are associated with economic activity in Pullman/Moscow annually) is to ignore what is now a problem that all planetary citizens should address, perhaps one of the best examples of an appropriate application of the slogan "Think globally act locally."</div>
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<div class="gmail_quote">Teilhard de Chardin wrote of the "Omega Point" of increasing complexity that we are drawn toward. While I do not believe all aspects of de Chardin's theories, I find many of his ideas exciting, a thoughtful and brilliant experssion of "Christian" theology, though many Christians think of him as a heretic. Human civilization on this planet is becoming increasingly focused on the "'personilization' of the universe" defined very uniquely in the excerpt below . "Planetary citizens" indeed! </div>
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<div class="gmail_quote"><a href="http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Omega-Point">http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Omega-Point</a></div>
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<li>it must be personal – an intellectual <a onmouseover="pv(event, 19)" onmouseout="unpv(19)" href="http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Being"><font color="#02729d">being</font></a> and not an abstract idea;<br>the complexification of matter has not only led to higher forms of consciousness, but accordingly to more personalization, of which human-beings are the highest attained form of this 'personalization' of the universe. They are completely individualized, free centers of operation. It is in this way that man is said to be made in the image of God, who is the highest form of personality. He expressly states that in the Omega Point, when the universe is made One by unification, human persons will not be suppressed, but super-personalized. Personality will be infinitely enriched. This is because Omega Point <i>unites</i> creation, and the more it unites, the more the universe complexifies and rises in consciousness. Thus, as God creates the universe evolves towards higher forms of complexity, consciousness, and finally with humans, personality, because God, who is drawing the universe towards him, is a Person. </li>
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<div class="gmail_quote">Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett</div>
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