It doesn't really matter whether or not the photo below has been photo-shopped. It's the same thing as it doesn't matter whether "photo-shopped" is considered proper English or not. What matters is the message that the photo conveys.
No matter the color of our skin, the gods we worship and the extent of our wealth or poverty; no matter how much we differ, we're just all witting or unwitting passengers on the same ship.
For now we want to make sure that we ourselves do not sink our own ship. And that means making an effort to overcome our tendency to slug each other over our differences. Believe it or not, one of our on-going disagreements precisely has to do with whether or not our ship is really in danger.
The United Nations has this to say:
" Climate change is not a far-off problem. It is happening now and is having very real consequences on people’s lives. Climate change is disrupting national economies, costing us dearly today and even more tomorrow. But there is a growing recognition that affordable, scalable solutions are available now that will enable us all to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient economies."
Conservatives, mostly associated with big business/capital, argue that environmentalists are simply alarmists and that climate change does not exist.
Last night there was a documentary on television about supposedly the "strongest and most un-sinkable ship ever built." Both first class and steerage passengers partied on the ship's maiden voyage. Nobody had a clue. By the time the ship's crew realized a huge ice berg was looming on the horizon, it was too late. It only took two hours after its collision for the Titanic to hit the icy cold depths of the Atlantic Ocean.
Do we earthlings have the luxury of time?
We need to stop fighting each other, whether in our own little circles, within our communities, or at the national level, in Washington and in the press. The microcosm is but a reflection of the whole.
If the fawn and the bobcat shown below can co-exist in the face of a common danger, so can we, of much evolved intellect, rise above our own differences to fight for our very own survival.
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| Photo source: Facebook |
Here are links to climate change articles:
- Posted with Aloha
By ARIEL MURPHY
So true. People are very slow to change what they "believe." Believing doesn't make anything true. Believing the Titanic was unsinkable didn't save her or the majority of her passengers. In fact, that false belief justified fewer life boats and resulted in many more unnecessary deaths. It is unfortunate that so many people refuse to consider any evidence that conflicts with their beliefs.
ReplyDeleteOften, the refusal to consider an evidence that climate change is happening is rooted in economics -- a refusal to abandon environmentally damaging burning of fossil fuels or the wanton depletion of forests because that kind of change will affect the bottom line. As Joel Gray, as the emcee, sang in the movie Cabaret, "money makes the world go round." Most of humankind has sunk that low! I appreciate your comment, Mary.
DeleteAgree! Yes we can! We don't have a choice!
ReplyDelete