Well, the front page of The Independent today features a story telling us that Global Warming is past the point of no return. I suppose that's it, then.
We are officially fucked.
There is really no point in ever doing or saying anything ever again. We will, of course, because, unfortunately, we don't have the option of 'waking up dead'.
There's nothing we can do. Will the fact that The Independent runs this story change anything? No. Why? Because it's already too late and because human beings are incapable of change. There are even people protesting about the price of oil, for god's sake, campaigning for their right to destory the planet more cheaply and quickly.
We should at least do the decent thing and just stop having children.
Well, I'd just like to take this opportunity to say goodbye, not because I don't think I'll see or talk to you again, but because none of us are going to say or do a single thing of any significance before the end, anyway, so I might as well say goodbye now. I can't say it's been great, but… well, that's it, actually.
We are already dead.
HI Quentin,I do understand your point and sadness, and this is what I was trying to state in my post about free will.We all have the ability to say enough and make the efforts to stop running the water to much, and stop buying things that are throw away and to learn to change our habits.It’s as if they whole world doesn’t think about the tomorrows only OUR todays.Infact, the oil situation it does not replenish itself, each barrel that comes out of the ground will never been put back. When they cut a tree down they plant 2 in it’s place, not so with oil.There were many movies made in relationship to just this situation … still the minds just don’t get it.New Orleans another example of global warming and all they can talk about is whose fault it was for not responding quicker.I know how passionate you are on this subject and maybe you can write sometime to wake people up. Your passion your words ONE.a song from Enya. ONLY TIMEEve
Dear Quentin,You will,by now,know my sentiments on these things. I certainly support Eve’s comments here. I wcould write you a lyric, a song, a poem, if it did anything to change how you feel, and although I have my doubts about you changing I know that all things are possible -so perhaps I may write for you, nonetheless. With regard to the situation you are describe, I say all things -all outcomes- are possible, and I hope you nod your head in agreement. If you are doing this then I feel that you have not completely ‘given up’. Despondency, fear, depression, and the like, all feed on themselves. It may look as if the situation that you worry about (as I do too, in my own manner) is ‘out of control’ but The Independent (I also read it) is not the sole arbiter, any more than anyone else is, of what is happening, or is perceived to be happening, or is speculated to be happening.Do you think that, in the estimated 4000,000,000 year existence of our planet that a sometimes catastrophic change has never happened, or that cyclic change has not ocurred, many many times over? I know, or I perceive, that scientific thought/analysis is not your preferred forte, but if you are able to ‘stand back ‘from the ‘disaster-scenario’ -so beloved by many of us, who sometimes want to live on the edge- a little you may be able to rationalise your thoughts about these things. I believe that your intellectual capacity, your deep way of thinking (my presumption) will allow you to weigh such things up, but you would have to supress your apparent willingness to always go for the ‘blackest outcome’ dear friend.Does this mean that none of those things of which you speak are not happening and that we (the earth and its inhabitants) are not in trouble or should not be profoundly worried? Of course not. But I do argue that we can change or ameliorate what is happening, if we all have a mind to. I do argue that all is not lost . I do not blame any ‘supernatural entity’, or any ‘divinity’ or other such ‘prop’. I say the answer, to some extent lies with us -we Humans, although I concede that some changes are taking place, will take place, would have taken place, on a scale in accordance with the planets cyclical changes and its ‘evolutionary processes’ (strictly speaking that is not a correct phrase / term, but I hope you will understand what I mean to convey.)We are not already dead, even allowing for the prosaic meaning of the phrase and sentence used by you. We can continue to survive, but we must adapt to what we perceive to be happening, to survive and to go on surviving.~lokutus
Hello Eve. Hello Dr Prime.I’m afraid I will have to be brief. Yes, there are things that can and must be done, and I intend to mention some of these on my blog later when I’m not swamped by hated work.We should first of all take stock of the fact that our leaders are EVIL people. They don’t care about the environment. They care about money. I am not a violent person on the whole, but I advocate that poisonous liars such as Tony Blair should be stoned to death. Examples of evil – advocacy of nuclear power as a source of ‘green energy’. More like a source of more money. The real ways to be green just don’t fit in with all this economic expansionism. They are to do with being modest, humble are thrifty. The government could very easily send round leaflets detailing ways to save power (like the ridiculous leaflets they sent round to do with terrorist attacks), but they don’t. Why? Because they DO NOT WANT a greener world. I repeat, these are EVIL PEOPLE.Secondly, we must recognise that we put them where they are. We are responsible for them. Yes, we must blame the politicians, but we must also blame ourselves. After all, what is much of our campaiging about – the passing of laws to reduce emissions. In other words, we are asking the politicans to wag their fingers at us and tell us to stop destroying the environment. Why don’t we just take on that responsibility ourselves? It’s so pathetic. Here are a few tips:Don’t use a car if you can at all avoid it.Don’t turn up the heating, put on a sweater.Don’t leave things on stand-by.Use public transport.Recycle.Put solar panels on your roof.There is more, much more, and if EVERYONE followed such rules it would make the kind of difference that the governments are supposed to legislate for (but never will). If I do look at the ‘blackest outcome’ it’s because I feel so few others are willing to even approach the current reality. My opinion of the human race, I’m afraid, is much that held by Jonathan Swift, whose portrait of humans as ‘Yahoos’ is really all you need to know about how vile we are. And, I am afraid, as is the nature of such vile creatures, we have left things rather too late to get by without some sort of terrible crisis. In fact, we can already see the beginnings of it in events such as those that have lately overtaken New Orleans. Expect this more often and even worse from now on. I will not enjoy saying ‘I told you so’.
HI Quentin,You are so right as usual, I know so many people here in Connecticut who can walk and don’t.. Now the news people here are complaining about the amount of money DC is giving to New Orleans to rebuild.. It never ends the rich want to be richer and the poor, GONEThank you for your passion and your brillant mind.Eve
Hello Eve. Thanks again. If you have time, please read this. It is a statement that I support wholeheartedly with the minor qualification I express in the comments section.
Here it is again, with comments.
HI Quentin,I just read the page you asked me to read and they are so right in the definitions of EVIL.. The govenments want you to believe others are evil however, they are the role models, they stand in the light of all and they are the ones who could start a turn around in the way fuels are used and how products are being made.It’s also true that the cenus of the world is getting out of hand. To many people and more all the time.. This is one reason there is so much waste and garbage.In Egypt the govenment stated the reason for prices to be so high is due to the large population.. NOW what the F does this have to do with prices???? Supply and demand I say the more need it the cheaper it suppose to be right?? Not in Egypt and most people buy that crap that govenment trys to push down their throats.All we can do Quentin is to keep yelling ..STOP THE MADNESS~!Love,Eve
Oh dear……but what I have written, in my previous posting to you, should not be spurned so quickly. Given that no one has a premium on wisdom or logic I still say that among the mass of words I penned to you are one or two ‘pearls’. Of course there is “Evil” at work, by “Evil” people, Human nature has facets. Some (many?) people steal, cheat, lie, murder, make war, take advantage, exploit and so on, But there are many (some?)others who do good things, or never indulge in those things I have just mentioned. Please don’t act so that you “throw the baby out with the bathwater”, as it were. I sympathise with your ideals -if you have learned anything about me you will suspect this to be so. the difference between us -apart from the 30 year age gap- is that I do not believe that by saying “We are all dead” any contribution is made toward a positive solution. I do not hold with the negativity, the aims, of those ‘seers’ or ‘prophets’ who simply spent most of their time wailing “Woe, woe unto Jericho”. Any one can take on such an easy role, whose end statement, if it rains fire for the next 40 days, will always be “See, I told you so!”I do not have to write any more about this, or I will be repeating myself, because I have already made a comprehensive statement in an earlier posting and when I said “We can continue to survive, but we must adapt to what we perceive to be happening, to survive and to go on surviving.” I was implying all the actions required to reach a solution -including what you are suggesting -that is what I meant by ‘adapting’ to the situation and overcoming it by such action, to survive the ‘outcome’; to even do that which is required to prevent the ‘worst’ results of all possible ‘negative’ outcomes.Nothing I have directly said ,now or recently, nothing I have suggested, or proposed, supports in any way, either in principle, or through empathy, or by inference, any of the aims and actions, past or present, of those who are the object of your ire. You must know that.lokutus
Just a very quick one, I’m afraid. Who really is the object of my ire,I wonder? Well, I suppose I can name some individuals, but I think in the end we all have to take responsibility.I fully understand that my thoughts on this subject may be seen as defeatist and so on. But I am not a politician and I am not canvassing for votes. I’m simply expressing what I feel as I feel it. I’ve just looked at the time. I’m afraid that I really must get on with my work. This answer is all too brief. Maybe I’ll write more later.
I do not regard you as ‘defeatist’, I respect your views and what you have to say. I tried to add in ‘my two cents’, because I think you welcome feedback. Every caring person should have some thoughts about these things and I would hope that we have both shown that to be true.Catch you later.lokutus.
Even as we speak…
Dear Quentin,What you wrote was infact a wake up call we should heed a long-long time ago, yet slumber was our option. The part of my world is already in the path of great destruction and sadly to know that I have been involved either indirectly or directly. I can only sadly agree to the truth you wrote and hope that maybe we all could one day evolve into better beings and appreciate the fragility of life.Take care,Teranostra
Thank you, Teranostra, for your comments. I too hope that we may evolve, and not merely destroy ourselves.