Ever the contrarian, I want to tell you what book I do not want to read – that hit from years ago telling us not to sweat the small stuff.
Here’s the problem: the small stuff is killing us. Small microscopic bits of plastic in bottled water. Or seeing a few fewer bees in the garden. The cumulative effect is a worsening of our prospects.
Meanwhile, government and commerce are participating in a giant plunge into a teacup from a high platform. Laissez Faire? It is too mild a phrase for the utter lack of concern; it is more likely an invasion of stupidity.
Pollution? Who cares if there are enough cheap consumer goods available on AmaZoo. Need to cool the planet? Let’s not make hard choices – it would harm our polling results.
Back when I was living along the coast of Maine. A Summer Complaint ( summertime tourist) asked if there was a more humane way to cook the lobster he would eat other than plunging it into the pot of boiling water. The lobsterman squinted, thought it over, and cheerfully suggested putting it into a pot of cold water and slowly letting heat to a boil. By the time the lobster knew what was happening, it would die.
So there you have it. Cold pot of water, heat slowly. Sounds like what we have going on? The only angle I can’t figure out is how the politicians and “Captains of Industry” expect to escape the pot they’ve put the rest of us in.
But maybe they are not into sweating the small stuff and figure they can either buy their way out of the problem. Or ignore it, and it will go away.
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I have no idea any more what anything is. I head out to the Refuge when I know no one will be there. I don’t want a conversation even with people I like. It seems the world has gotten incredibly loud with meaningless chatter. I know it’s that this is an election year, but problems I’ve been aware of since I was a teenager are still here — and then some. I feel like the world — and its noise — is just telling me to STFU. That don’t sweat the small stuff thing? Stupid. No way in the world a human can begin to know what the small stuff is. I guess the author never read Ray Bradbury…
Right on with the mention of Ray Bradbury. Who would have guessed the Farenheit 451 was about to become reality.
I was thinking of the story where they guys went back in time with instructions NOT to step off the walkway and when one guy DID and stepped on butterfly, he changed the future.
It’s trippy about F451. Here we are, people riding on the bus, essentially looking at themselves in mirror (cell phones)…screens on every “wall” so to speak, yeah, and people crying out, “Burn books!!!”
Interesting thoughts on a controversial topic. I am one of the millions of “first world” citizens who’s rather confused. I think, “Yes, we must end the pollution. But can I have my cake and eat it, too?”
I see many ways we could cut down on energy use — that would have a lot of us screaming because we’ve gotten used to the comforts of our present world. Ration gas. Limit plane flights. Dock those huge cruise ships and yachts. Paddle your own canoe or stay off the water. Cut out outdoor evening events that gobble up energy in the form of floodlights. Think of how well our freeways are lit up at night–and we like that. Seems each person would have their own take on what we should be doing without. Cutting energy production and use will cut jobs. Politicians know this; I imagine for them it’s a balancing act just how far to go and who to please.
What I’m afraid of is that we can’t seem to even make the smaller calls like recyclable containers for food and safe plastic.
I have little confidance in the political ability to resolve bigger issues when even relaticely small ones remain unaddressable.
Some retailers in my area have pledged for less waste, and more reuse. Myself and other customers can at least work to hold them to their pledge.
I do applaud the changes that have been made, even if it is at times inconvenient. Every bit will help. And it’s up to consumers, as you say, using their purchasing power, to indicate what we want.
Horrifyingly, it costs more here to buy loose vegetables that you bag yourself than buying pre-weighed vegetables packaged in plastic. I guess it is more cost efficient for supermarkets ecause their staff do not have to weigh and find the code for the unpackaged veg, but blimey, that’s pretty miserly.
That’s just awful. But come to think of it that’s something I never thought of. I’ll have to check and see if it’s the same here too!!