"nothing will content them but the extremest limit of the land"
-herman melville
i didn't like reading moby dick in high school. i'm not sure if i will ever pick it up again, but that quote was said by ishmael, and its been stuck in my head for weeks. i came across it again when i was reading an article in an old issue of the scientific american. the article was about climate change, and the quote, in its entirety, relates to the issue. there are so many aspects of climate change that scientists cannot explain. all they have are models and predictions via trends from the observed past, and as a scientist, one does not abide by normal rules. nothing can be proven true using the scientific method. something can only be proven false. in loyal practice, scientists cannot claim that global warming is happening. they can only conclude, if possible, that the statement which claims that global warming is bullshit is indeed false. and that, my friends, will never be proven until it happens.
it often makes me angry when i think of idyllic people roaming the soils of the earth. oblivious or not concerned, it doesn't matter. go on, hastily hop on your train and make it down to wall st. and earn your big bucks so you can park your porsche in an overpriced manhattan garage. go on, pass your bar exam and exploit the poor, the weak, and the meek. go on, showcase your newest work at the newest gallery, and talk about the newest, most innovative spatial use of colors with the curator. go on, assert your wit and literary skill into articles and articles with whom you've paid your time. your body is moving, but where is your vacant soul? i know it's there.
then i stop. ninety-nine percent of the anger anyone feels negatively impacts themselves. so i stop. what does that have to do with me? why should someone else's aspirations and goals and achievements render stress and bitterness? i am torn between the beauty of every single individual in the world and the ugliness they possess. beauty because the wall st. broker has climbed up the social ladder from the bottom rung to support his family. beauty because the lawyer lived through ridicule and agony over losing his child. beauty because the modern artist has found her niche in the world where she can offer bliss and wonder to a complete stranger. beauty because the journalist has given up love and time to fight for what she believes in. it's not just the broker, the lawyer, the artist, and the journalist. it's also the doctor, the firefighter, the physical trainer, the drug dealer, the mother, the father, the activist, the anarchist, the christian, the buddhist, the scientist, the teacher, and the student. it's everyone. beauty lies in tomorrow's triumphs of yesterday's glory.
what i'm talking about is climate change. and people. the ugliness shows in the nonchalant attitude embodied in the human race. it could be that i'm subscribing to a trend, a phase, that we'll all laugh about in a utopian future.
we showed up and tilled the soil with hope and awe, but we forgot about what it means to live. we evolved, we exploited, we polluted, and we killed. preoccupied with conformity, money, love, and joy, we do not do our fair share of protecting our home. was it chance? or was it immaculate conception? or does it statistically make sense? the development of our planet... the universe created the perfect planet from which bred the human race. all the works of science gathered so meticulously to offer us the chance to breathe. shouldn't we be thankful? shouldn't we be respectful? i start again. i start again because i realize i wasn't angry with anyone. i was only angry at myself. if i claim to so strongly condone the stewardship of the human race, then why do i contradict myself almost every second i get? i, the hypocrite? no, we, the hypocrites... right?
question: how do i help the planet?
answer: ask yourself.
our beauty gives us the strength to accomplish. our ugliness gives us the strength to destroy. the ecological footprint of the human race will be one in which the planet will cover up with sediment, and our intelligence will become a part of the fossil record. mother earth is resilient. and she gives us just one chance. if the apocalypse comes and our species is lost, she will continue her journey across the empty field.
No comments:
Post a Comment