I have some cynical-ness to share. I try to be somewhere blissfully in the middle of optimism and pessimism. I suppose that would be realism. So, from my realist point of view, I think I'll talk about the earth today. I see lots of books about pollution and living green and all that stuff and wonder to myself: are we screwed? If I, personally, do everything in my power to live green... recycle, compost, change my lightbulbs... does it make any impact? Really? I think the answer is no. The amount of people it would take to make a global impact on pollution is in the billions. Even if all of China decided to start living green 100%, the amount of pollution from the rest of the world would remain staggering. I know that change starts with individuals. It's important to not be personally irresponsible. But I've got to wonder if we're just doomed in the end as far as the environment goes. We've done so much damage in a mere 200 years, and it just accelerates. Some countries are poor and the technology needed to clean everything up and reuse materials just isn't available.
It makes me so sad... so horribly sad when I learn about things like garbage dumped in the ocean. Daily. Or how some soil is irreversibly tainted and won't be able to sustain life again for thousands of years. If mankind lives long enough, what will the future look like? Are we going to be able to clean things up, or will the population be so out of control that it'll be a world like Wall-E? Buried in garbage on a sterile world. We'll either have to leave, or most of us will die.
This is completely grim and I understand that. But humans suck. I suppose it's in our nature to destroy... even if it means destroying our only home. I think from a religious stand point the earth will end. It needs to end. Especially if things continue to deteriorate. But it won't be THE end. God has a plan through all this mess we've created for ourselves. This polluted, corrupted earth will give way to something else. Something better. Something eternal. This is my hope for the earth and for those of us who truly care about it.
Oddly enough, I'm watching Wall-E right now...
ReplyDeleteThings do suck. A people suck. But I agree that I thing God has a plan for it all. "It" will be okay, even if "we" are not.
You know, I've had the same thought. BUT, I've had a number of other mental simulations where it's not so bad. I even dream about it ( I have rather rich dreams).
ReplyDeleteFor example, if we killed off everything in the oceans there would be no barrier to growing algae over the entire surface of the sea. World hunger AND world energy problems would both be resolved. The oceans would be great carbon locks from the atmosphere this way too. I'm sure projects like that will keep humans and life in general moving along just fine, even if it requires changes.