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Mon, 02 Jan 2006

Watching As The World Vanishes

Roxana Robinson, Published on Sunday, January 1, 2006 by the Boston Globe, reprinted by Common Dreams

I subscribe to Common Dreams newsletter, and it's almost always grim and depressing, as in "Yes, our not-so-duly elected government is still lying like a sidewalk, trashing the environment, enslaving the third world, and we're still doing Iraq twenty ways to Sunday, and it's painful and let's wallow." I think I read it so I don't forget why we have to be idealistic, not cynical, and keep trying to make the world a better place.

And also so I don't miss gems like Roxana Robinson's article. This thoughtful, far-seeing plea for action is about the disappearance of half the species on the planet by the year 2050, and how nobody did much to stop it, because it's always someone else's responsibility, or fault. As Ms Robinson says, "Maybe this was a place where the curves of ignorance, courage, and survival instinct intersected, to exclude the possibility of action." The point, I think, is that evolution is inevitable, but rarely voluntary. The laws of nature are absolute, and we're the authors of our own destruction.

At the start of the new year, we always resolve to reform, to fix things, such as the fact that we're 10 lbs overweight and really need to exercise more. This year, let's trim the fat from our lifestyles, exercise our consciences, and fix the future. Why not!
Read 'Watching As The World Vanishes'