'Thought Bubbles' Image by ZR

Election ponderings

With the election fast approaching, I am puzzled that economic issues continue to be the priority and dominate the headlines rather than environmental matters. IF what we are being told is true regarding the state of this planet, vital resources and humanity’s future, then it seems to be a form of insanity not to make them a priority.

We are being told by multiple sources around the world that we – humanity – are at high risk – and we know that many of our fellow humans are already living – and dying – in high risk conditions. Are we reacting like someone who has been given a life threatening diagnosis, who refuses to listen and ignores the advice that if they continue with their current lifestyle, they will die? Are we sticking our fingers in our ears and shouting out “lalalalalalalalalalala” to drown out our fears? Or maybe we think talk of climate change and such matters is simply more scare mongering and threats from the upper echelons, along the lines of nuclear war, cold war and terrorism?

Are we waiting until disaster hits our own shores, our own front door steps, before we take respond and take action?

I guess we have to be aware that we are consciously ignoring warnings of impending disaster. And be aware that each and every one of us is contributing to the world situation – even though we live in a part of the world which is currently blessed by having so many riches – beyond money – whilst others don’t even have clean water to drink. (How strange it is to take a shower and imagine there are people walking the same planet, dying of thirst.) I heard on the radio the other day that, in ten years time, a quarter of the world’s population won’t have enough to drink. Imagine. A single decade.

Of course, climate change is nothing new for the planet. It has seen it all before – warmings, coldings, species beyond counting dying out and new species evolving.

When I feel helpless and hopeless, I comfort myself with the knowledge that life will go on in some format or other. We are merely another species, a mere pencil line in the history of the planet. Something will survive, just as there are organisms that are feasting on the rubbish floating in the oceans and species that survive in all sorts of environments that we would find hostile and threatening to our existence. The cycles of adaptation and survival, of evolution and extinction, continue as they have always done.

Life will go on – with or without us!

Only when the last tree has died
And the last river been poisoned 

And the last fish been caught 

Will we realise we cannot eat money

Cree Indian Proverb


 

Life Image by ZR

Also in: Elections