All in All you're just another brick in the wall. But if enough bricks are pulled out the wall can no longer stand right?

At my undergraduate university the core requirement was huge, with a particular emphasis on theology and philosophy. Due to the large amount of philosophical and theological reading, debate and analysis I have developed a tendency to consider certain fundamental aspects of things, more specifically of humanity and the individual. For it is us humans who lie at the center of all of this mess, not to be 'species-ist' but we've made it such. Human motives, needs and desires have guided this giant anthro-ship cruising global waters as it pleases. I frequently come to the issue of distinguishing between human nature and culture, and trying to sort through my own biases. I feel that through better understanding of the human person we can better understand the actions that need to be made to bring about change. Thanks to this tendency to bring human desire into analyses, I was particularly taken by the thread in Wapner and Willoughby's article regarding the fundamental driving factors for environmentalists, and the discussion of vocation and the individual. It was exciting to see mention of the individual within the system, an idea which is usually pushed to the sidelines. Aside from constant consideration of the individual generally I also reflect upon myself, questioning where I belong, where I could be most effective.

Everything we read puts me through a tidal wave of conflicting emotions leaving me doggy paddling in a kind of cynically hopeful purgatory. Uncertain of where I stand and where I should be hard at work.  Erik Assadourian's class visit was no exception. Most of Assadourian's concerns resonate strongly with me, and I am fascinated by his religious studies background and his idea of an eco religion. I wonder what drives Assadourian. He seems to have made a certain set of truths off of which he bases his actions and statements. There is a kind of air of resignation about him. Clearly he is an active man, nevertheless he seems resigned to some ideas, perhaps due to figures and probability. That's not to say he comes across as completely sans hope, there is at times a glimmer of the possibility of hope. In his State of the World 2012 piece on degrowth he offers some possible movements towards solutions, with real examples of people making positive choices and groups making changes. 

Bringing it back to Wapner and Willoughby, on a personal level I am searching for my vocation. I search for an understanding of the system, so that I can locate leverage points and figure out where I will be the most effective in the implementation of action taken on a leverage point. Vocation is such a powerful world, it reminds me of Plato's Republic, where the city is rebuilt with the different groups- the warriors, the artisans, the Philosopher King. I don't know where I fit into this system, an artisan? A philosopher king? All I know is that at the heart of all this is the human person, their wants, desires and needs, and somehow indirectly or directly these things format the systems and the worlds around us, and it is only through increased understanding of this that we will be able to make truly effective change.