The drive for energy efficiency is largely driven by commerce. Industrial commerce is the process of making things more efficient.
The major battles for Conservation have already been won. Especially in the hearts and minds realm. From here on out it is about governance, law enforcement mechanisms and policy priorities.
What is happening now is that the emotional strength of the arguments for Conservation are being used for all sorts of social control agendas and experiments. People tell their kids to turn out the lights practice their gongfu and go to bed… because it’s good for the “Earth.”

There is a strong political argument for ending our dependence on oil from countries that would like to destroy us.
There is also an economic argument that commercial civilization worldwide is too vulnerable to fluctuations in the price of oil.

I share your resentment for arrogant sermonizing, but that’s hardly an exclusive feature of the “Green Movement.” Some of my favorite environmentalist teachers are not talkers – they are doers. Not much jing or qi wasted – they don’t preach – they live what they teach.

By dismissing anything “green” as arrogant you’re dismissing a huge portion of contemporary human experience (and science) as a wasted effort. It’s not a very efficient effort – I agree. But beyond the hot air about global warming, it is an effort to increase our awareness of our physical environment, hone our skills of how we interact with our environment and increase the efficiency of our interaction with our environment. And maybe this effort is a sign of loyalty to our tribe …

Vovo, my personal experience of intrinsic value does not give me enough information to make judgments about what is intrinsically valuable for others.
I think that’s why I react to all the Green Sermonizing. What experience could other people possibly have that would give them insight into how I should live my life? The purer than thou, the Greener than thou, the more virtuous than thou; they all believe they are superior. They all have convinced themselves that they are superior. Believing oneself to be superior requires enormous effort.
From my own experience, if I were to try it, I think I would be wasting a lot of jing and qi.

Scott,
if there is intrinsic value in a meritorious body movement that is executed with efficiency, clear intent, great skill and in perfect awareness of its physical environment, how is there not intrinsic value in a life lived that way? Regardless of whether we actually have the power to destroy our environment or not.

I’d avoid reading books on china and chinese culture by outsider experts. Better to let things speak for themselves then to presume to speak for them.

Scott, the meaning of gongfu (like any other word) has changed over centuries. I get it. And as far as I am concerned, it is tangential to my point, which concerns the here-and-now.

Nevermind the etymological icing, let’s chew the philosophical cake. Do you accept or reject the existence of ethical body movement? Why or why not? Your humble kindergarten student awaits the lesson.

Chris, the smart thing for me to do now would be to say, “You are right about everything.” I was grumpy when I wrote that poem, but sometimes being grumpy brings out a kind of blunt honesty.

I don’t think any action can be consistantly meritorious. And I’m not rejecting all skill. (Did I say either of those things?)

From a tree’s point of view (you know, “Think Green”) it would be good if the world got warmer and there was a lot more CO2 in the air. I think the TREES would be happy if we set all the world’s natural gas and oil wells on fire and then slit our own throats (while driving our cars) in one last act of Efficient Movement!

Gung-fu pertains as it has always to individual achievement, that may relate in some cases to social causes, but in others it doesn’t.

The noble virtue of gung-fu is some western mumbo jumbo, it is neither good nor bad. Someone with good martial gung-fu could easily be mercenary or a hired killer as many famous martial artists of the past have been known to be. The achievement of skill is unrelated to value statements relating to merits or ethics.