Reply #111: Well, now... [View All]

[chervilant]

I read Rachel Carson's Silent Spring when I was 12. When I finished Carson's iconic treatise, I made two fundamental decisions: 1) I would not bear children, and 2) I would be an activist for the rest of my life. I am thankful that I've achieved both these goals, considering our species' imminent ecocide.

During my 55 years on this planet, I've witnessed:

~heavy metal pollution of virtually all of our groundwater

~inexplicable declines in honeybee populations

~nutritional deficiencies in almost every fruit or vegetable harvested since the 70s

~vast swaths of soil erosion and silt runoff

~measurable declines in the quality and flavor of most produce

~GLOBAL monopolies on seed stocks, and genetically modified foods

~cross contamination of vegetable foodstuffs from cattle and dairy operations

~inhumane treatment of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, calves, chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks

~Bhopal

~Chernobyl

~Fukushima

~oil spills in the Gulf (and, apparently, an irreparable fissure now leaking even more oil)

~the nationwide existence of 'Superfund Sites' that are so toxic, massive amounts of our tax dollars have been allocated to 'clean up' these abandoned, hazardous areas (visit Superfund websites and you'll find "Superfund for Kids!")

~destruction of the planet's rain forests (actually, widespread deforestation)

~global climate change, resulting in extreme weather conditions worldwide

~a pile of floating garbage--in surface area, twice the size of the state of Texas--in the doldrums of the Pacific Ocean (and another similar carpet of plastic in the Atlantic...)

~a measurable decline in the amount of food fish we pull out of our oceans and lakes (with toxic levels of mercury in tuna and other large fish)

~an exponential increase in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other diseases directly linked to the consumption of refined sugars (let's not even BEGIN to discuss hydrogenated oils...)

~a growing percentage (almost half) of functionally illiterate (thus, easily manipulated) adults in the US

~a now ubiquitous 'message delivery system' (television) that has turned a significant number of humans into distracted, misinformed zombies

~a dangerous economic system that concentrates the wealth of this planet into the hands of a VERY few at the expense of the VERY many

~destructive, endless 'wars' based on lies and profitability (don't get me started about Depleted Uranium)

~a radical shift to exponential growth (read 'change') that few recognize and even fewer discuss.

Sigh...

We are like a plague of locusts on this planet, fouling the air, water, and land while destroying entire ecosystems. AND, in these exponential times, the catastrophic economic 'transformation' we're witnessing in our global economy promises to inflict challenges we have yet to envision.

Did you know that a third of US students surveyed do not expect to live into their old age? (In case you don't remember, for teenagers thirty is old age...)

The 'whining' Obama and his sycophants denigrate is actually the justifiable grumbling of the hoi polloi, as more of us awaken to the reality of the jack boots of the uber wealthy clamping down across our necks. These vile corporatists are daily increasing their stranglehold on our lives and our livelihoods. Do they expect us to go quietly into their dark night?!

Our species has reached critical mass. The decisions we make RIGHT NOW will determine whether we continue to evolve into the erudite, peaceful and creative beings we KNOW we can become; or devolve into the ignorant, aggressive, and fearful beings we vociferously deny being now and in much of our past.

At this unavoidable fork in our evolutionary path, which way do YOU think we'll go?