by Leslie Goresky “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” We could probably use this quote from Charles Dickens for almost any time in history. There will always be things to worry about and there will always be things to be grateful for.
I am concerned about the need to act quickly during the current environmental and economic crisis:
Concerned that we may not give enough time to examine the “quick and immediate solutions” with their implications on our earth and its various life forms.
Concerned that we are trying desperately to hold onto the status quo while not acknowledging that the perpetual growth/ lending/ debt machine and the institutions that administer it form the root of our current economic crisis.
Concerned that we are not asking ourselves exactly what are we trying to hold onto—the economic stability that we thought we had until it crumbled beneath our feet? The great travel plans we had for our retirement until the price of oil went crazy and we parked the RV? Or maybe the global warming implications of air travel?
We have lost the responsibility for our actions as the powers that be insist on “taking care” of us by limiting our choices. We find ourselves trying to create a great world for our children so they can have the best opportunity for living comfortably in a world without the ability to control their own food (genetically modified crops, terminator seeds, shutting down local meat suppliers, controlling farmers’ markets). We have no ability to control the pollutants in our environment as we discover our truly global community and that what we exploit on the other side of the planet can come back to haunt us via the great wind streams.
So what is the truth? What are the sustainable dreams? What are the unsustainable ones? Do we want to even know? Maybe losing our loved ones to earth and air pollution-caused cancers won’t feel so bad when the new pharmaceuticals designed to cure cancer come on stream. Maybe the dreams of colonizing Mars can sustain us. It is an entirely too big a problem to even begin to contemplate by oneself.
Implementing change will require a concentrated effort and it is going to take all of us, a collective dream, to create anything sustainable. What we do know is that everything will change. What we don’t know is if the hearts of the peoples of this earth will be reflected in what flavour this change will have.
It is my hope we will find the spaces to voice our opinions and truly listen to the opinions of others. It is my hope that we will all stand up to be counted. It is my belief there is a place for everyone. Let a New Year begin.
Leslie Goresky is a resident of Texada Island.
