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On Hope for the Future

posted by Jeff Bilsky at
on Thursday, January 27, 2011 

The recent post on this blog titled Golf and Birds (link) has sure brought out a lot of comments. At the heated center of a debate that has arisen is the notion that humans are "destroying the planet". I think we've all found common ground in acknowledgement that humanity's footprint is an untamed beast that is having a cascading effect throughout the globe. The repercussions are loss of habitat and resources and consequently some of the variety beyond homo sapiens that the processes of evolution and nature produced.

Some out there may believe that the future holds certain inevitabilities and that one of them is that we're screwed. I think you know what I mean by that but just to clarify, picture all the Hollywood movies that have been springing up about the end of the world, throw in something from the bible about God's wrath and you'll have an idea of what it means to be screwed.

To me, what's in the past is done but the future is unwritten. Yeah, we have a trash vortex the size of Texas in the North Pacific (link). Holy shit. It reminds me of The Nothing from the Neverending story. What can we do? The Industrial Revolution began just over 200 years ago. It didn't happen in a day. And if you had asked someone in 1800 if they thought that there'd be a way to instantly communicate with millions of people (OK I know we only get around 200 hits a day, but the potential is there) they'd not be able to fathom it. Change doesn't happen overnight and we're not going to clean up the ocean overnight. Maybe there won't be enough people who want to and maybe industry will keep on marching, keep on polluting in the ways it has been. I don't know. But I'm not going to sit back and accept it as an inevitability. There's such a thing as believing in the improbable. There's such a thing as one person or one act making a difference that changes the world; There are countless examples throughout history. I can't see 200 years into the future. But today I saw some of the Hawaiian Islands ban plastic bags (link). What's that going to do? I don't know, but it gives me hope for the future.

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5 Comments:
Blogger Tim Avery said...

I have no hope. We are screwed.

Muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

It just sucks that are children's children will be left with the remnants of the world we destroyed. I am going to go golf 96 holes now, pour oil in my gutter, and by an Hummer to pollute the air as much as possible.

Long live big business and the U S of A.

p.s. if you believe any of what I said, and think I am serious--you need to lighten up!

January 28, 2011 at 12:50 PM  
Anonymous Megan said...

Well said, Jeff!

I think just throwing up our hands and giving up only adds to our problems. Believing in a better future gives us a reason to change our actions. And who would have thought? Hawaii, of all places, banning plastic bags! Certainly not me.

What else is possible?

January 28, 2011 at 1:33 PM  
Blogger Anonymous eBirder said...

96 isn't a multiple of 18 or 9. You'd have to golf 18 holes at 5 times & then an extra 6 holes. Odd.

February 4, 2011 at 7:46 AM  
Blogger Jeff Bilsky said...

Carl, lighten up! He said he wasn't serious. I'm sure he was just making a statement about those who go through the actions he named by purposely tanking the math. Clever.

February 4, 2011 at 9:22 AM  
Blogger Tim Avery said...

I guess the p.s. at the end of my comment isn't obvious enough. NOTE TO READERS, THAT WAS SARCASM.

Carl, wanna go do some 4-wheeling? We can bring gold clubs too an make it extra destructive :)

February 4, 2011 at 9:17 PM  

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