Well, 10.15.07 is 'Blog Action Day'. This year's topic: the environment. i don't need an excuse to write about the environment so i figured i'd join in.
Al Gore & the IPCC winning a Nobel Peace Prize Friday... Monday's 'Blog Action Day' topic is the environment... wow... you'd think that we've got this whole thing taken care of. Everyone must be aware of the situations right now and isn't that the hardest step? As a teacher i am as guilty as anyone of thinking that if we just educate the masses the problems will take care of themselves. Unfortunately this is currently not the case.
Much like with the smoking problem, knowing better doesn't necessarily mean doing better. For whatever reason people keep smoking cigarettes and destroying their lungs. Despite the best attempts of science, people also keep shrugging off our global problem: the destruction of our habitat.
Rather than further flogging away at education and once again mentioning all those simple little things that anyone can do to help solve (or at least minimize) our impacts i'd like to try to get closer to the root of our problem, the root of our self-destructive behavior.
Is it our lust of consumption? Well, that explains why people who never leave asphalt covered roads feel they need a 4 wheel drive SUV, but it's bigger than that. It's bigger than the fact that as families are getting smaller, average house sizes are getting bigger. Existing mean you must consume. How much is up to you but unfortunately we can not escape the fact that we must consume to survive.
Is it capitalism? Well, having the value of the ever plummeting dollar as the center of focus can easily lead us astray and has on many occasions but that's not quite it. Other types of economies are responsible for pollution as well, even if not at the same incredible rates. Also, this does not explain those companies that have taken clear stands to responsibly take control over their waste footprints.
No, our problem is much more fundamental and much older than any of these concepts. Before money was an idea, before we produced anything for others to consume, we adopted the belief of dominion. Before cities were built, before societies were set forth, we decided that we held dominion over the Earth. This is a deep seeded concept in our global consciousness.
As long as we continue to follow our primal urge to conquer mountains, conquer the pests that invade our yard, conquer nature and live where we please we will struggle to use reason to change our behavior. It takes incredible will to overcome primal urges. Is will something we can expect our society at large to have? Overcoming fundamental belief structures that have been practiced for countless generations is no easy task.
We need a change of perspective. We once believed that the Earth was flat. We once believed that the universe revolved around our Earth. Although it took quite some time to convince the masses that these beliefs were not true, i am hopeful that we can someday give up on the belief that the Earth is mearly here for us to use as we wish. Maybe someday we, as a whole, will acknowledge that we are but a part of the Earth and it is as dependant upon us as we are dependant upon it.
When we realize this and stop believing that all can be solved by purchasing something at the mall or by taking out another loan we will be well on our way. The know-how already exists, we just need the collective will to make things better.
i hope we have enough time left to realize this. We don't have the time it took to convince that the world is round and we don't have the time it took to convince that we orbit the sun. Will we find the WILL?
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