I've said it before and I'll say it again, and I'll paraphrase Edward Abbey (See the quotation under the header pic.) when I say it: "This blog is not a travel guide. It's an elegy."
Things like this make me sad as hell. Please watch this extraordinary (and short, yes, we're all busy and our attention spans aren't what they used to be) video:
Via Climate Progress
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It makes me sad too. So, the age-old question is "What do we do about it?"
ReplyDeleteUsing canvas bags instead of plastic, carpooling, not drinking bottled water... all these things are personal decisions that I make for my family. But this feels like I'm only barely above the grade of completely ignoring the issue -- Not really like I'm DOING anything about it. Know what I mean?
Val,
ReplyDeleteYes, I know what you mean.
Some days these days, I have trouble not thinking that we're all pretty well f***ked, please excuse me....
I know that whatever I'm doing it is isn't enough. I have to make some radical changes or I won't be able to live with myself. Even if everything I as an individual do means nothing to the grand scheme of things, and even if we are all eventually f***ked because of this.
For me it has nearly ceased to be an issue of whether we can make a difference. For me it has lamost come down to an issue of personal integrity.
Will I actually put my life and not just my mouth (or blog) where my beliefs and passion really are...?
Time will tell.
Gulp!
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't mean that in a liquid sense...
That's a really good point about it being a matter of personal integrity. I think that's where I landed with it too. Some in my family think I'm nuts for the some of the personal choices I make about reusing, recycling, not using paper products (though I haven't and can't ever imagine giving toilet paper.) But at the end of the day, when my son talks to me about the construction site he saw on the way home from school and how sad he was because the trees are missing and all the "machines" are there instead...well...at least I know that right now I'm doing my best to - if nothing else - raise my children to be good stewards of this beautiful planet.
ReplyDeleteOn another note... I think most of us ignore that Earth will survive. Earth has rebounded many a time after devastating catastrophies. It's the human race that's gonna feel the long-term dire consequences of our inaction. Earth will be just fine in the long run...She will eventually return to her pristine beauty. The only problem is that there won't be any humans here to appreciate it.
Barry,
ReplyDeleteYep, exactly. Your comment did make me smile though. Typical Barry. :)
Val,
Well said and well done. And that's true that what is really at stake here is not the continued physical existence of the planet, but the hastening--exponentially!--of the extinction of homo sapiens.
I think we each need to make better efforts to live sustainably. That said, while one should always try to improve, one should concurrently not continually beat yourself up for not achieving some arbitrary ideal.
ReplyDeleteUnless you decide to divorce yourself completely from society to live on a mountaintop chanting "Ommmmmm", there will always be areas of our lives that we can manage better and more efficiently.
So, my friend, my advice is to keep putting one green step in front of the other. That's the best each of us as individuals can do.
Agreed.
ReplyDeleteAnd believe me, RT, I'm not beating myself up. :)
Just got to this video today, and 'gulp' about sums it up.
ReplyDeleteI think you and Val are right on the money about personal integrity.
One of the (many) things that depresses me is the extent to which manufacturers are still forging ahead seemingly without any thought.
For example, at work, we have corporate membership of a gym (er, no, I don't go!) and as part of a recruitment drive they recently sent round free samples of some new energy drink that is supposed to keep your body salts in the right balance or some such absolute crap. Bottled water is bad enough, but bottled-something-rubbish-that-nobody-needs is even worse.
Tess,
ReplyDeleteGood to "see" you. :)
Though our paths may have diverged on some issues, on this one we are totally on the same page, as you already know. "Bottled-something-rubbish" I like the phrase. :) But like you, hate the unnecessary marketing waste...created needs....
Peace to you, and keep on trying there across the pond. We;ll do the same here.