13 questions NewPhilosopher
InconversationwithZanBoagRichard
Jones
13 questions:
What is your demon?
My ego. A Tantric Yogi who stays with us periodically to
escape adoring crowds in India instructed my wife Jo to
demolish it. She’s doing a good job but it’s not complete.Which thinker has had the greatest influence on your life?
17th century philosopher Francis Bacon. He stirred my first
interest in nature.If you could change one thing about the world, what
would that be?
I wrote a cover story for Simply Living magazine in 1987
entitled “Is the Earth Dying?”, warning of the dangers of
global warming. I doubt if we can stop it now.What is happiness?
Sitting on the veranda in the morning sun, eating porridge
and listening to the symphony of birds in our forest.What does it mean to be human?
To realise we are not overlords of the planet but just a small
and equal piece in the mosaic of life on Earth. To accept we
have a responsibility to all life forms.What illusion do you suffer from?
That I can actually have an impact on preventing the ravages
of climate chaos.If you could choose, what would you have for your last meal?
Toast with homemade Davidson’s plum jam.The question you’d most like to ask others?
Are you actually aware that we now have a mere five years to
stop uncontrollable climate catastrophe and to do so we need
to decarbonise our economy immediately?Your favourite word?
Tranquillity.What is your motto?
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.What is a good death?
Lying down amongst leaf litter in the forest, letting go my last
breath and letting the creatures recycle my body.What do people accuse you of?
Being too busy.What is the meaning of life?
To live and let live, to show respect to all living things and
understand our place in nature.Richard Jones registered Greenpeace Aus-
tralia in 1978, was a founding member of the
Australian Rainforest Foundation, and was a
Member of the NSW Legislative Council for
15 years.